#2 Set a goal & reward
I'm a psych major, so excuse me if I get a little bit head shrinky here.
Humans thrive on rewards. We use rewards everyday whether we know it or not. You tell your kids if they eat all their food they will get a dessert, you tell yourself if you make it through the workday without killing anyone that you can have a beer when you get home, if you don't get out of your car in the traffic jam and punch someone your reward is not going to jail.
We all love a reward.
So, you have decided that you had a wake up call.
Good.
You have decided that you want to start making positive changes in your life.
Also good.
Now what?
Well I believe in starting with the most basic of ideas because I did. Like I said I started in January at 318.4 pounds. I had no choice but to take small steps! They are all I could take. So the first thing I did was set a goal.
Now look, these need to be REALISTIC goals. If you start where I did, a realistic goal is not running a whole 5k in a month (most likely), a realistic goal is not always wearing a size zero or being a certain weight. Every BODY is different. I don't think I could ever be a size 0 and have any manner of health about me, again, my family are just big people. So set a goal, a REAL goal.
Maybe you want to lose 5 pounds to start with. That's a good goal. Maybe take it a step farther and say you want to lose 5 pounds in two weeks, that is a little more challenging. If you aren't ready to put a date to yourself yet that is fine. This is about YOU! You move at your pace. Not mine, not some trainer's, YOURS. This doesn't mean that you won't have to push yourself from time to time, you will, and you should. But don't beat yourself up.
So you have had a wake up call, you have decided to make a change, you have set a goal....now what?
Now is a fun part! You get to decide what you are going to give yourself when you meet that goal!
My first goal was to lose 30 pounds. I admit that was actually a pretty steep goal, but I had a lofty want attached to it. I set it for about 3 months away. So in January, I told myself that if I had lost 30 pounds by the end of March, I would be able to purchase these awesome New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. (They were about $125). I got to get them BEFORE the end of March! I was so proud. Look, I wanted those shoes, I mean I WANTED them. So when you set a reward, you need to make it something that you will really enjoy because that is what you are working toward.
Maybe if you lose 5 pounds you will get a new hairstyle, or that new pair of earrings that you like, or you will go to Sweet CeCe's for a treat. Pick something!
Big goals like mine are nice and you can start to set them too later on, but if you are new to a healthy lifestyle or new to exercise then don't put too much on yourself at once. Start small.
I challenge you to set these challenges for yourself about everything that you are working on. You can start with saying that you will be active for 15 minutes a day, or that you will not eat McDonalds for two weeks. Just try it and see how much better you feel and how proud you feel of your accomplishments! Small wins are still wins!
Marathons are won by someone who chose to take the first step toward their goal of that 26.2 miles.
. Remember this isn't just about me or about someone telling you what to or not to do this is about sharing what works, what works for me may not work for you but maybe what works for you will work for someone else. Plus this is a way that we can all encourage each other and keep each other motivated and on track!
What is a goal that you hope to achieve? What will your reward be? Feel free to share your goals in the comments and lets keep each other accountable.
Now look, these need to be REALISTIC goals. If you start where I did, a realistic goal is not running a whole 5k in a month (most likely), a realistic goal is not always wearing a size zero or being a certain weight. Every BODY is different. I don't think I could ever be a size 0 and have any manner of health about me, again, my family are just big people. So set a goal, a REAL goal.
Maybe you want to lose 5 pounds to start with. That's a good goal. Maybe take it a step farther and say you want to lose 5 pounds in two weeks, that is a little more challenging. If you aren't ready to put a date to yourself yet that is fine. This is about YOU! You move at your pace. Not mine, not some trainer's, YOURS. This doesn't mean that you won't have to push yourself from time to time, you will, and you should. But don't beat yourself up.
So you have had a wake up call, you have decided to make a change, you have set a goal....now what?
Now is a fun part! You get to decide what you are going to give yourself when you meet that goal!
My first goal was to lose 30 pounds. I admit that was actually a pretty steep goal, but I had a lofty want attached to it. I set it for about 3 months away. So in January, I told myself that if I had lost 30 pounds by the end of March, I would be able to purchase these awesome New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. (They were about $125). I got to get them BEFORE the end of March! I was so proud. Look, I wanted those shoes, I mean I WANTED them. So when you set a reward, you need to make it something that you will really enjoy because that is what you are working toward.
Maybe if you lose 5 pounds you will get a new hairstyle, or that new pair of earrings that you like, or you will go to Sweet CeCe's for a treat. Pick something!
Big goals like mine are nice and you can start to set them too later on, but if you are new to a healthy lifestyle or new to exercise then don't put too much on yourself at once. Start small.
I challenge you to set these challenges for yourself about everything that you are working on. You can start with saying that you will be active for 15 minutes a day, or that you will not eat McDonalds for two weeks. Just try it and see how much better you feel and how proud you feel of your accomplishments! Small wins are still wins!
Marathons are won by someone who chose to take the first step toward their goal of that 26.2 miles.
. Remember this isn't just about me or about someone telling you what to or not to do this is about sharing what works, what works for me may not work for you but maybe what works for you will work for someone else. Plus this is a way that we can all encourage each other and keep each other motivated and on track!
What is a goal that you hope to achieve? What will your reward be? Feel free to share your goals in the comments and lets keep each other accountable.
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