We had our second Health and Fitness chat last night in the Meeting Room at Cache' Connections. There were a couple people who were brave enough to return from last week's chats and a also some newbies. So, after last week's homework assignment of "thought analysis" and "replacement," a few people said they worked on it, but commented what an eye-opener it was and pretty gosh-darned hard! Well...this could be the hardest thing about the whole program. The mind is a stubborn thing to train. I'm still working on it and I'm probably sure I will until the day I die.
So this week, we started with the boring subject of "setting goals." Oops, did I really say that? Well, if I were an attendee and didn't know the program, that's probably what I would think. Actually, our chatters seemed to get into it and had a lot of comments even though I seem to be pounding away at the keyboard most of the time trying to get all the information out that I needed to share. So, here's some highlights of the goals Tom Venuto sets out for everyone in the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program.
1. Set specific goals - how much weight do you want to lose down to the digit and/or what size clothes do you want to wear? Otherwise if you don't have clear, specific goals, it's like a ship's captain saying he needs to head West, which he does, but he never gets to his specific destination.
2. Set measurable goals - everyone must have a way to measure their goals. Yeeks, yes we are talking about a scale, measuring tape or something to measure body fat. Most of us agreed a scale and tape measure are no problem to have around.
3. Set BIG goals - okay, I think this was a surprise to everyone. We're talking setting goals for not what you think you can achieve, but what you really want! Tom says puny goals are NOT motivating. Wants are. This is a little scary, but scary is exciting. You shouldn't let the fear of failure or discomfort prevent you from going after what you really want... do I need to talk about the power of the mind again...?
4. Set realistic deadlines - Ignore the ads that promote losing 10 lbs. in 10 days. It can be done, but it isn't true fat loss. This is weight loss from dehydration that only lasts until you stop what you're doing and then it all comes back. The American College of Sports Medicine has established guidelines for healthy weight loss which is one to two lbs. per week. There are definite limitations to how quickly the human body can safely lose fat.
5. Set long-term and short-term goals - Everyone really enjoyed this advice. We broke it down into these 6 goals:
*your ultimate long-term goal
*12 month goal
*3 month goal
*weekly goals
*daily goals
*the goal of beating your personal best
We decided the most important goal is the 3 month goal. Three months is the perfect time frame because most people can completely transform their bodies in 90 days. Boy this got the chatter going... one person in "the box" commented that 90 days sounds easier than 3 months.
We agreed that our daily habits are what we focus on with the longer term goals in mind because without time pressure, we will rationalize missing workouts or cheating on eating well. With a deadline right in front of us, we'll know that every workout counts and every meal counts. Okay, so the pressure sets in!
In other words, you know the old saying, "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer is "one bite at a time." Well, the same is true of this plan. Break the larger goals down into smaller parts and focus on one little step at a time, so we won't be overwhelmed.
And then lastly, we talked about getting emotionally involved with our goal and deciding WHY we wanted to lose weight. Is it because you want to look great at a wedding or vacation or attract a member of the opposite sex? Getting emotionally involved in a goal impresses it deeper into your subconscious and we know what happens when our "sub" gets hold of in idea - the only thing it can do - act on it!
So in conclusion, personally, even though I know this program, it still got me excited and I even went out afterward for a walk under the stars:) I encourage everyone to join us for this chat next week. It's so fun to talk with others who share the same goals and get excited about getting healthy.
Now, time to work out! Get up and move everyone... it feels great!
Kim
Cache' Connections
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