Ready, Set, GOAL! How Weight Loss Goals Really Work!

Proper goal-setting can be underestimated, but the difference between those who succeed in life and those who don't, are intelligent goals set properly with a strategy in place. 

Not having a goal is like getting in your car and just driving. You could spend a lot of time and money driving, but you might not end up anywhere you actually want to be. 

Want to know a goal-setting technique that really works? Read on.....

1) WHAT, WHY and WHEN

It's really important when setting any goal that you make a firm decision that you are committing to. Write down WHAT it is you want to achieve, WHEN you want to achieve it by and most importantly all the reasons WHY you want to achieve it. The WHY is your motivation! 

2) MAKE IT POSITIVE AND IN THE PRESENT

A technique that many successful athletes use is to visualize in great detail achieving their goal as the mind can not tell the difference between really feeling like you have achieved something and actually achieving it - it fires off all the same neurons and really works to help you achieve your goal as it gets your body believing it is already slim, fit and healthy and therefore acting accordingly.

Close your eyes and imagine how you will look, feel and act when you achieve your goal. Visualize the journey of how you got to that point and how proud of yourself you feel. It's a really good idea to focus on the positive outcome so when you write your goal, make sure it is full of positivity and written in the present like you have already achieved it. Get emotionally committed to achieving your goal! For example rather than writing:

I will lose weight in the future

Commit to:

I am a slim, healthy and fit size (fill in the gap) where my healthy eating habits and boundless energy attracts compliments daily and inspires others.

3) ADD VISUAL MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

Use pictures from magazines of bodies you admire, pictures of healthy meals, strong fit women working out, that will help to inspire you on your journey.

Use Pinterest to create a 'My Healthy Lifestyle' board and every day add a couple of pictures of things that inspire you.

4) COMMIT!

Commit to your goal so that there is no turning back! Burn all your bridges so you HAVE TO move forward with your goal.
Take action the moment you have finished writing your health goal so that your mind and body know you mean business.

Ideas could be to tell a friend or family member your goal, who you know will give you a hard time if you don't achieve it! Just the thought of them making fun of you if you don't reach your goal will spur you on! A great person to hold you to your goal is your Personal Trainer! That's why many people hire Magic Fitness as they feel that having someone to be accountable to will help them to stick to what they need to do!

Pull out all of the bad food in your kitchen, box it up and donate it to people who need it (because you don't anymore!) then stock your cupboards with healthful food and pictures / recipe ideas for nutritious meals.

Go through your wardrobe and pull out all of the clothes that make you feel bad about yourself - put them on! Take photos in them and then take bag them up and take them to a charity (obviously leave yourself with some things to wear!) Then buy a load of fashion magazines and cut out looks that you will go and buy when you achieve your goal and stick them all over your wardrobes - then set up a 'shopping spree jar' and add $10 to a jar each time you lose 1kilo and keep it next to your wardrobe. A great way to motivate yourself to move away from the person you aren't happy with and towards your more positive self!

5) SETTING MILESTONES

The last tip I have for goal-setting is to challenge yourself, but ensure that deep-down you actually feel like your goal is something you can achieve if you work hard. There is no point saying 'I want to look like Elle MacPhereson' if you are 5 foot. 

Your goals need to be  life-changing enough to inspire you (hence why point 1) the WHY is so important) but they also can't seem too big that they overwhelm you. Think of it as a long car journey from Perth to Adelaide. It's unllikely you'd plan to drive all the way there without a stop as you would never WANT to do it! However stopping off along the way makes it more enjoyable and achievable - hence the term milestones! This way of losing weight can feel much more rewarding. 

A way of doing this is to use 'chunking'. A method of breaking down a big goal in to smaller, more manageable chunks. For example, you want to lose 20kilos - that may seem overwhelming. So for the first month your goal is to simply do 10 minutes of exercise that gets your heart rate up, every single day. This is most definitely achievable every single day - whether its jogging on the spot in front of the TV; walking the stairs at work or getting off the bus a stop early and power walking home.

As you reach each small goal reward yourself - even plan the rewards for each small goal in advance for example a massage for the first 1 kilo lost; a manicure for the 2nd etc.

HAPPY GOAL SETTING LADIES!

x

"GOAL SETTING IS THE FIRST STEP IN TURNING THE INVISIBLE INTO THE VISIBLE" Tony Robbins.