GOALS

So in my initial consultation with my personal trainer Mark, his first question to me was "What are your goals?". My obvious answer was "to lose weight", I thought that was an adequate answer, but I wasn't even close. That answer was way to vague. It had no definition. It was like telling the Captain of a ship to go west, with no definite destination, he 's surely going to get lost at sea.

He gave me a list of steps in setting my goals to follow, and Mark and I started plotting on paper some things to accomplish.

1. Set specific goals, know exactly what you want and where you want to be. Down to the very digit. How many pounds do you want to lose? How much fat do you want to lose? What size clothes do you want to wear?

2. Set measurable goals, you have to be able to see and chart your progress or you will never feel like you are getting any closer to your goal.

3. Set big goals, if you want to lose 200 pounds, make that your goal. Do not settle for low expectations, or people telling you to "be realistic". Nothing was ever accomplished being realistic, "realistic" goals aren't motivating. WANTS are motivating.

4. Set realistic deadlines - Don't be afraid to set big goals, but always set realistic time frames for achieving them. There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines. Be patient: There are
definite limitations to how quickly the human body can safely lose fat.

5. Set long and short term goals - There are six types of short and long-term goals you can include:
1. Your ultimate long-term goal
2. 12 month goal
3. Three month goals
4. Weekly goals (Weekly body composition test and weigh-in)
5. Daily goals (habits to develop, things to do every day repeatedly)
6. The goal of beating your personal best.

These goals now are something that I think about all the time. When I feel like quitting and giving up, there is this thing hanging over my head that I think about. It drives me, and forces me to think about why I'm doing this and what I want to accomplish. I've never set a goal before when trying to lose weight, which could be a big factor in why I never succeeded. I can definitely see why having them is so important. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the treadmill and been only 10 minutes into it and wanted to just stop and be done for the day. But then that goal comes into my head, and reminds me that the only way I'm going to accomplish it, is by pushing through it and working hard, finishing what I started and in the end I'll get what I want....A healthier me.