Goal setting

  March is coming up!!! It might be time to review the goals you have made.  I found this article that might help you set some realistic goals that you will be able to measure and attain.  if you need help with finding specific ways to reach your goals give me a call, text or ask me on facebook. I'd love to help you be successful!

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
*Who:      Who is involved?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Identify a location.
*When:     Establish a time frame.
*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”

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Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.
When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?

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Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

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Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.
A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

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Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing.
When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

( found at http://topachievement.com/smart.html)

The ideal doesn't exist

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1413155718825306

The ideal doesn't exist.

Plan ahead

While you are planning your meals think ahead.  White a little forethought, dinner one night can be lunch the next day.  For dinner we ate grilled chicken, noodle salad, corn and green salad.  If you have sides like noodle salad that are not great as far as calories and whole foods you can not eat it or only take one small helping.  Add up the calories to stay on track.

I cooked a few extra pieces of chicken that night and put them in the frig and today I ate grilled chicken salad for lunch.  My salads look a little dull but don't limit yourself.  Add peppers, onions, cucumbers, carrots or what ever you like.  There are a lot of ways to spice it up a little.  Salsa can be a great toping for taco salad. Strawberries can really make a salad amazing.

 Remember to drink water and keep it up!

Vioces!!!

While I was running today I heard someone clapping, it was just my thoughts cheering me on.

OK, OK, so this isn’t the original quote. The original quote said thighs not thoughts but because my reading skills are awesome I read it thoughts the first time and really liked it. :) 

What are your thoughts saying to you?

This is a topic I have wanted to write about for a while and have talked about before.  There are always those people around or maybe our own self doubt that keep saying

"Oh, don't go workout today it is too windy, late, hard, busy, tired. ....

Fill in with you own excuse". 

or

"Oh just eat some cake and ice cream, you worked hard for it."

 or

"You can't lose weight you never have been able to, it's in your genes."

   or

"You can't lose any more weight.  You never have been able to get past this number"

To those thoughts I say

STOP IT!!!! 

 I am hoping you have some voices in your head or people around encouraging you instead....

 "I'll take the kids, go workout.  I know it is important to you"

 or

"I cooked the chicken on the grill instead of deep frying it today" 

 or 

"You walk a little taller when you workout"

  or 
"Man I feel great when I eat healthy"
or
"I went for a walk!!!"
or

 "YOU CAN DO IT.  KEEP GOING!!!" 

Now, I am one of those people that talks to myself and I am ok with it, :)  When im running or riding up a big hill I say "I can do this" when I'm looing at the thing of Oreos I say "No, find something healthy for snack!"  I want you to give it a try.  Say 3 nice, encouraging, uplifting things to yourself today.  Remember the list of things we like about ourselves we made.  Now might be the time to get it out and look at it if you need to.  Please do not let self doubt or negativity keep you down.  You CAN do this if you put the effort out.  Sometimes there are rough parts and stall parts and not enough time parts but don't let that stop you.  Take every good effort and give yourself the praise you deserve, then push through keeping your goal in mind. Tell yourself you can do it and believe it!

 

work quote

I LIKE

It is easy to get down on ourselves or be hard or negative.  We need to love/like ourselves regardless of what we think about our weight.  We all have good things about us.  I want you to make a list of 10 things you like about yourself.  It can be anything.  Your hair color, height, eye color, foot size, funny, a thinker, crafty, hard worker, anything.
Sit and look in the mirror and really think about it. I want you to write it down.  You don't have to show anyone but I want you to keep it in a safe place.  You might want to put it somewhere you can see it everyday, that is up to you but we will be coming back to it later :).

Decisions Determine Destiny

"Decisions determine destiny". That is a quote I heard in conference and it applies to so many things in our lives. Your destiny IS your decision. Your weight and fitness level is YOUR choice. No one can gain or lose weight for you. Although there can be people in your life that can encourage or discourage you, in the end it is your decision. Now is the time to decide how bad you want this weight lose and how much effort you are willing to put into it to getting there. So lets set ourselves up for success. The good decisions we make ahead of time can really help out when it comes to staying on track.
First lets work on food decisions. Eating right can be a stress if you wait until it is time to eat to decide what you are going to eat. One of the biggest things that can help in this area is making a meal plan. This could take a few min or even a hour at first but it can make all the difference when you are desperately searching for something to eat at 3:oo in the afternoon and all you can find is cookies. So write down what you will eat for breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, and dinner. It can be for 2 to 3 days or 1 to 2 weeks. Count the calories in advance, then go buy what you will need. Having the healthy food on hand is HUGE! Then there is no questions, no thinking and less chance to make a wrong decision. You can have the eggs boiled, chicken defrosted, veggies on hand or a healthy packed lunch with just a little planning. You will find that you don't have to reinvent the plan every time. You will know what the calorie count is on your staple meals and snacks and can plug in the those meal choices easily. That is also handy when something comes up that you need to adjust for.
The next step is to plan out your workouts. If you are working on a training plan print it out and keep it handy. If you do not have a training plan write out your own. Then, with plan in hand, don't forget strength traingin, write on your calender what you are going to do each day for the next few weeks. Make a specific time and plan it into your schedule. For instance you might write down that you are going to jog on Monday and lift weights on Tuesday. Decide what time you will do that and keep that time open for your workout. You must make time and fallow through to be successful.
Now, life does happen and there will be things come up that you will have to be flexible for, but just move things around a bit and keep right on going. Changes don't mean you have failed or that you have to give up. Adjust and move forward!
So plan your meals and workouts!!! Decide your destiny! You can do this!

Quote

Everything you do is based on the choices you make.  It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame.  You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period.

 

 

 

 

Choose to eat healthy and get your exercise in everyday.  YOU CAN DO THIS!

Dealing with stress

Well I have had alot of stress in my life and sometimes I tend to eat my way through it. It never fixes it but sometimes I sure eat like it was going to. AND eating doesn't do a dang bit of good. Have you ever been sitting at the table with your head down shoveling in the food like a mindless robot only to add guilt to the stress the next day for the way you ate? Lack of sleep sure doesn't  help in those situations ether!

You may not have stress this week but it will come and it is better to have a plan than to turn to food for distraction or comfort. First of all you should not eat when you are stressed!! Wait until you are calm and focused on eating rather than using the mindless shoveling technique. I know I have eaten unhealthy, high calorie, junk food that didn't even taste good because I was not putting the effort to deal with stress properly.
Working out is a great way to relieve stress. Not only does it help you get your mind off the negative it also triggers your body to release "feel good" endorphins. So go for a walk, a jog or a bike ride. Jump on the trampoline, play catch with your kids or just throw the Frisbee. Call a friend to talk or just soak in the tube. What ever it is stay out of the kitchen until you can think about what you are putting in your mouth and make good decisions.
Have a plan and post it on the frig or pantry if you need to. It might say :Count to 10, Go for a walk, Make good food choices.
Decide now to deal with stress in a healthy way and do it for life!

If you do fall off the wagon..... get up, dust your self off, and get right back on. You will be surprised at how forgiving your body can be if you get right back on track.

This is an article you can read for more info: http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/eating-for-better-health/manage-stress-and-emotional-eating.aspx

Some of the main points are:

"Ultimately, your best arsenal against stress should come from a different source. Using strategies such as exercise to burn off stress, calling a close friend or family member to talk out difficulties, or taking a warm bath to help relax are all healthy ways to manage stress without relying on food."

"There's a definite physiological connection between food and stress that encourages you to overeat.
When you know that stress is causing you to crave food, take steps to redirect your attention:
Take a walk.
Grab your water bottle.
Keep a stash of healthy snacks.

Stress can also distract you from what you're eating, which leads to gorging on foods that you don’t even enjoy. Here are some suggestions to help you avoid mindless emotional eating and overeating:Focus on your food.
Savor the flavors.
Don’t eat on the run.
Time yourself.
Don’t skip meals."

A Fun Way To Be More Successful

This is an article that my sister shared with me a few weeks ago. It has some great ideas that can apply to many parts or life.  One of the sections is about the "20 second rule".  It can really help in a lot of areas from getting a workout in to eating right.  It is a great tool. Well worth the read so click the link!!!!


http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/

Sum Up

Here’s what we can all learn from Shawn:

1. Success doesn’t bring happiness. Happiness brings success.
2. See problems as challenges, not threats.
3. More work means you need more social support. And giving support is better than receiving.
4. Send a 2-minute “thank you” email every morning.
5. Use the 20-second rule to build the habit.

Positive Talk!

Positive talk is one of the most important things to be successful when losing weight and trying to keep motivated. It is so easy to slip into the " I can't", "I don't have time", "It wont work for me" attitudes. This is not what you want running through your head when you are trying to lose weight. It can be a stumbling block but we can over come it.

I want you to think of at least one positive phrase (the more the better) that you can post on your refrigerator, bathroom, exercise room and everywhere else. I have "Be What You Seek" on my refrigerator. I had "DON'T" on my pantrey door over the hollidays :). You can use something like "I CAN do it" , "I LOVE working out", "I AM WORTH IT" or "I have had a baby so i can do anything" :). What ever works for you. When I was training for the triathlon a few years ago I was riding my bike on a VERY hilly road. By the time i got to the top of the hill I could have walked faster than I was riding BUT, when it got hard I started talking. "You can do it", "Keep it up", "Come on you're almost there". Yep, I was talking OUT LOUD to myself. I know it may sound silly but you can be your best cheerleader.
When you pick a saying you love, say it everyday! Say it when you wake up, when you eat, when you workout or whenever something gets to be to much. By having a daily saying, you can help keep your attention centered and focused on the task at hand. If you are working out with someone make it be a buddy system thing. When one of you get a little negative the other one can say the positive saying. IF you hate running say "I LOVE RUNNING!!". If you are doing 50 sit-ups and you get tired say "I CAN DO IT!!". When you want to eat fast food say " I AM WORTH MORE!". Last night at the dinner table I said (OUT LOUD) "Don't eat the whole pan of enchaladas!!" and got up from the table and brushed my teeth. You CAN do this! You ARE worth it! Stay positive!! Let me know what sayings you find that you like!

YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS

  As a society we tent to give up when we don't succeed the first day or week.  When we don't see the scale moving like we wish we would we tend to get discouraged.  Weight lose is not about being perfect and always being able to do every activity with no effort.  It is not about losing 7 lbs a week.
  Keeping track is hard.   Eating right is hard.  The unknown is hard. Waking up early is hard.  Finding time is hard.  Running is hard.  Biking is hard.  Swimming is hard.  Workout videos are hard.  Strength training is hard.  Getting out the door at all is hard and sometimes getting in your workout cloths is hard.  All of these things are hard but none of them will kill you and they each gets easier every time you do them.  Each day you decide to put the effort out to keep moving in the right direction you are closer to your goal.  Every time you decide this is worth working HARD for you get closer to the healthier you.

 "YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS" 

And as you work hard and accomplish hard goals you will find life can become easier because you have already done something hard and succeeded. 

beleive quote

Labels

I hope you are able to stay on track and really get a great start to this healthy journey.  One thing I want you to remember as we are eating more whole foods and counting calories is to READ THE LABEL!!!!!  I know I have been a little lax in that area recently and I need to do better.  A while back Justin bought a box of granola.  It was even in an earthy looking box.  So, it must be healthy, right?  I had been eating it for my snacks the for few weeks and really liked it.  As I went to read the label I realized it was 300 calories and 9 grams of fat in 1/2 a cup!  Well we all know that is TOO MUCH to be just snacking on all day long.  I was wondering why it tasted so good :)  So as a reminder, read the labels.  Also pay attention to serving size and even measure things out the first few times so you know exactly what size you are looking for instead of guessing.  We often take bigger portions than the actual serving size and that adds calories we aren’t even aware that we are eating.  So read labels measure out the serving size and keep track of the calories.  Keep up the good work!

Chicken recipe

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/03/chicken-and-asparagus-lemon-stir-fry.html