Interested in swapping overweight and overwhelmed for energised and empowered? I know I am.
Each New Years Eve I take the opportunity to reset my goals for the year ahead and also to take stock of those things that I've accomplished. Lose weight has been on that list for a few years now. It has been interesting to me that sometimes the things I have achieved have not been expected, planned for and hard won but rather shown up serendipitously and
When I have achieved what I planned for it has been in a structured environment to which I am financially committed and that others are all aware is my goal. Doing my Masters this year has meant that the hublet has had to be available to care for the children, money has not been earned, fees have been paid and even when things get difficult to achieve I refocus on why I am doing this and the expectations of those around me and I get on with it. There is no doubt in my mind that I will graduate in December 2012. Compare this to an online course to which I have signed up where there is no one marking a roll, no one making a sacrifice so that I can attend and no one following me up or delivering penalties - self paced has become synonymous with optional.
So how do we make our health and the time to exercise and prepare nutritious meals expected and compulsory rather than optional ? Creating a sense of urgency is a start and partly why I get excited about an 80 days countdown. How great will it feel to know I have been able to achieve what I set out to at the beginning of the year ? What will it mean to you to be able to achieve your goal over the next 80 days ? The other factor helpful for change is "putting yourself on the hook". A private goal is much easier to leave until tomorrow and until next Monday. Making the goal and the steps being taken to achieve it public makes you accountable for your success or failure. Think about how you might change what you ate or what your activity levels were if they were being published with a photo on the front page of the newspaper ?
Well I won't be showing up on the front page of the paper any time soon but I can achieve that sense of being on the hook by publishing my plan on Face book, Blogging and joining up with friends on an iPhone app like my Fitness Plan http://www.myfitnesspal.com/iphone
To coin a phrase - a journey of 1000 miles starts with a first step. My journey is not 1000 miles its 38 kilos and here's to the first step. !!
