Start with just one step

There is a lot of fitness/nutrition/weight loss advice out there...I know, I have been providing plenty of it myself! :)

Sometimes having *SO* much information can be overwhelming and therefore paralyzing. Where to begin? Set a goal for yourself, just one for this week. Below are some examples.

This week I'm going to...

NUTRITION

• Eat 5-6 small meals each day, eating every 3-4 hours
• Eat 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day
• Drink at least 64 ounces of water - that's 8 - 8oz glasses
• Keep a food log - enter or write down EVERYTHING I eat
• Limit myself to one _______ per day (soda, sweet...if there is something not so healthy you consume a lot of, this can be a good way to start breaking the habit)
• Not snack after dinner/at my desk (wherever you tend to fall to mindless eating)

REST/STRESS RELIEF

• Sleep 7-8 hours every night
• Do something relaxing/I enjoy for 15 minutes each day (take a bath, drink a cup of tea, read a magazine)
• Plan a social event with a friend

EXERCISE

• Be more active throughout the day by... (Examples) taking my dog for a walk every day, taking the stairs, parking farther away, getting up from my desk & walking around
• Stretch every day
• Do __ minutes of cardio __days this week

* A good goal for weight loss is to exercise for 45-60 minutes, 5 days a week. If you're new to exercise, start out gradually. Try 20 minutes 3 days a week, and work up from there.

Don't try to do everything all at once, pick just one goal to start. Or if you're really ambitious, pick one goal from each category: Nutrition, Rest/Stress Relief, Exercise. Sometimes we feel anxious to change, but a week goes by very fast. :) Better to do one thing well, and then add another habit next week - building on success!

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Goals are dreams with deadlines. ~Dianna Scharf Hunt

We talked about setting SMART goals at our first meeting. An example of a goal that is NOT "SMART" would be: "My New Year's resolution is to lose weight and get in shape." That is not a bad goal, but it's not specfic and clear enough to take us to our desired end result.

In the Old Testament, there are numerous examples of God giving direct and specific instructions (think of Adam & Eve, Noah, Moses, Joshua....etc). In Genesis chapters 6 & 7, God gives Noah a precise plan for building the ark and gathering the animals. Nehemiah had a well thought out plan for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and obtaining the resources to execute his plan.

We need to have a clear vision of our goal and result, and a purposeful plan of how to get there.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals:

Specfic: What exactly do you want to accomplish? Be clear, concise, and straight forward.
Measurable: How will you know when you have met your goal? The measure can be quantitative or qualitative, but you must decide ahead of time how you will measure progress.
Attainable: Is my goal should be attainable (realistic) but challenging?
Relevant: Does my goal relate to my dreams, interests and lifestyle?
Time-bound: When do I hope to accomplish my goal? No deadline inevitably leads to procrastination...

Read more about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals here: http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/pdfs/fitfacts/itemid_2637.pdf

Another element of goal setting is breaking down bigger goals (I want to lose 100 pounds, I want to run a marathon) into short-term goals and manageable chunks...more about that coming soon!