Sweat is my sanity, many haven’t
figured out that going for a run, hike or picking things up and swinging them
back and forth can be therapeutic to the soul. Its not so much the activity, which can be fun it chosen correctly, but the physiological change that occurs
when certain physical stress is placed on the body. The oh so sweet feel good chemicals dopamine and epinephrine that are released are infamous for runners experiencing that high at the end of a long run. Are you high on the wrong things in life, food, drugs, sex or are you
participating in some type of physical exertion activity.
TRICKY, TRICKY, TRICKY!!!
I know from my experience starting
out with a fitness program, I would have to trick my lazy behind to workout. Yes, trick myself, how?? I knew if I could just get to the gym, I would be good to go but the
hardest part was getting there. What is keeping you from getting in shape? The
excuses are vast but the solutions are much easier then people what to think,
what are your goals with your physical health? First, do you have any goals? If not, they should be Smart goals, specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic and time oriented.
Specific: Pick a goal, any goal here! Make it clear (clearer then a newly windexed window, oooh thats clear) and defined, for example, I want to lose 25 pounds and not "I just want to get in
shape." Nothing drives me more crazy then to hear that as a goal, CRAZY!! This is because if you do have “just get in shape you have no way to set
you up for clear success. Me personally when I was younger I wanted to lose 65 pounds, sounds like
a lot but believe me even the largest elephant is eaten one bite at a time and
I didn’t want to look like one, so I knew the weight had to come off.
Measurable: This is reinforcing the
specific part of the goal, and with my goal of wanting to lose 65 pounds I knew
I would need to make mini goals along the way. FACTOID: The amount of health weight
loss for individuals is a pound to a pound and a half a week. With this in mind, I would make a
goal to lose 6 pounds a month, and if I were to lose more then that I would
consider it a VICTORY!! One thing to keep in mind is that it is the small "wins" will gives you the boost needed to go and the things you need to do when you just not
in the mood. Believe me, there will be plenty of days, myself included that don't want to do the small deposits toward my goal. REMEMBER THOUGH, MATURITY IS DELAYING GRATIFICATION IN THE MOMENT TO ATTAIN THE OBJECTIVE OR GOAL FOR FUTURE SATISFACTION.
Attainable: Is your goal realistic, if
I were to make a goal to lose all 65 pounds in 3 months would hamper me from
doing so. This is because to lose 65 in 3 months would put me at losing about 6
pounds a week, which is do able but this isn’t Biggest Loser status were they
workout for sometimes up to 10 hours a day. Nevertheless, to lose the 65 pounds
in 8 months is more realistic with 2 pounds a week. It will be hard but
definitely attainable, on the contrary don’t make the goal so easy that you
don’t get excited about it. It is always more beneficial to make goals out of
reach, but NEVER out of SIGHT.
Realistic: Is this something that will
motivate me, but won’t make me feel I can’t achieve it no matter how hard the
effort I give. Small realistic goals will only push that snow ball farther
down the hill to collect more snow and keep that inner motivation thriving. This is where the 2 pound a week goal will keep me on track.
Time: Make a time line for completion
and write it down where you will see it everyday, and I mean EVERYDAY. A reminder on the fridge, a calendar reminder in the office, a daily alarm on your phone as a reminder, I mean everywhere you go is a reminder. this will keep you on track and won't let you forget. I have always been the person
to acknowledge I have a great memory, but it is just awful short, so the more
reminders the better.
My Example:
Specific: lose 65 pounds
Measurable: losing 1-2 pounds a week
for 8-9 months
Attainable: yes, challenging but not
“out of sight”
Realistic: Yes, with hard work I can
attain this
Time: 8-9 months completion date
august 2012
That simple, and see how this can be
used with nearly any goals you might have. Understandably, the person that is
the most goal oriented in life will attain more then those that are not. Pick a target and go after it, IF YOU HAVE A TARGET AND MAKE GOALS TOWARD IT. YOU ARE AHEAD OF 90% OF OUR POPULATION.
Be strange or different, because it will lead you to success!
Ever feel the feeling of being
responsible? Now “Aaron (my name), don’t ask me stupid questions, of course I have.” Not a stupid question, but I believe that we feel the most fulfilled in life when
we feel most responsible and that is exactly what goals do. Always remember
that, motivation comes from doing what it is we set out to do, and not the
other way around. If you think your going to go to sleep to night and tomorrow
wake up with motivation, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Start now, and just
like the Nike commercial said “JUST DO IT.” Not tomorrow or next week, or next
month, do it today and feel motivation tomorrow. That simple!
