7-Day Motivational Thread Starting 1/24
#143
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 168
Motivation starts with Goal Setting.
Goal achievement, especially when it comes to health and fitness, can be a mystery. Most of us have no trouble with Step 1 (Setting the Goal). Setting a goal is the easy part, it's those other steps that can be a puzzle. But you CAN turn achieving your goals into a science with the right strategies. Here are a few favorites:
DO create a plan. DON’T wait for "someday" to roll around.
Setting the goal is just the first step. Know where you’re going, what resources you’ll need, who can help and – most importantly – what Plan B is when life throws a monkey wrench into Plan A.
DO start small. DON’T focus on too many things at once.
Try focusing on one goal at a time. Use a small goal that you know you can do each day for the next two weeks, like getting up without the snooze or drinking eight cups of water. Build that first habit to boost your confidence and pick up speed.
DO write it down. DON’T forget to give yourself a deadline.
Deadlines turn wishes into goals. The act of writing down your goal is powerful enough to keep you committed and focused. Better yet, find a visual that represents your goal or how your life will be different. Seeing it makes it seem more possible.
DO create a plan. DON’T wait for "someday" to roll around.
Setting the goal is just the first step. Know where you’re going, what resources you’ll need, who can help and – most importantly – what Plan B is when life throws a monkey wrench into Plan A.
DO start small. DON’T focus on too many things at once.
Try focusing on one goal at a time. Use a small goal that you know you can do each day for the next two weeks, like getting up without the snooze or drinking eight cups of water. Build that first habit to boost your confidence and pick up speed.
DO write it down. DON’T forget to give yourself a deadline.
Deadlines turn wishes into goals. The act of writing down your goal is powerful enough to keep you committed and focused. Better yet, find a visual that represents your goal or how your life will be different. Seeing it makes it seem more possible.
#144
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 168
My Goals for the next 4 weeks (28 days)
I have just finished my first set of goals...very basic to ensure success and build new healthy habits. So for the encore, let's see...what my new or enhanced goals are for finding a healthier, happier me:
- 1000 calorie deficit each day
- elliptical 3-4 times per week (work up to 20 minutes)
- balance ball workout 30 min - 4-5 times per week
- eat breakfast
- limit grain products to one high fibre portion per day
#145
Friday Report Card:
For a health & body:
1. Keep calories 1,500 or less. YES 1,466, NO 1,983, YES 1,476, NO 1,785, NO 1,796
2. Drink 96 oz of water YES, YES, YES, NO short by 24 oz, YES
3. Pie at 40/40/20. 45/38/17, 45/24/30,44/36/20, 48/27/25, 49/24/27
4. Get in 6 hours of exercise. 90 min, 60 min, 90 min, 30 min, 60 min (total 5:30) Not going to the gym on Sat. taking the kids skiing instead
5. Get elliptical machine up & put back together. OH YEAH BABY!!!
6. No more than 2 servings of grain based carbs per day. YES 1.5, NO 3, YES 1, YES 2, YES 2
7. Maintain calorie deficit of 500 minimum. YES -1,099 NO -303, YES -1,230, NO -446, YES -616
For peace of mind and spirit:
8. Take a load into Goodwill, maybe 2? NO, YES!!! NO, NO,YES
9. Gather up coats/hats/mittens for Boy Scout coat project. Some, NO, NO, NO, NO
10. Gather up non-perishables for Boy Scout food drive. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO
11. Make at least 2 pieces for DD's Bloomer dress costume. NO, NO, Started the bloomers, Worked on Bloomers some more, NO
12. Average 6 things from the to-do "list" per day. NO 2, NO YES 9, NO 1, NO 1
I had one of those days on Friday, the kind where you just want to eat the house down. I knew I was over-budget, but I tried to keep in under control. I didn't even weigh/measure everything, we had a bit of a crazy afternoon. Surprisingly I was not over by that much +300 calories. So in a certain way, even though I was over budget, it was a win for me.
Cassie, I've given some thought as to why I struggle with keeping to my calorie budget and why I just can't get things done sometimes, so here goes nothing. I was raised on a farm, we worked long hard hours, much of the work fit for grown men, but my brothers and I all grew up doing as much of it as we could. All 3 of us were freakishly strong and still are. Anyway when you spend your day burning thousands of calories, you have to eat. So mom fed us, not junk food but old fashioned home cooked meals and plenty of it, mom is a "feeder". We ate 3-4 meals/day and I'm not talking "snacks" here. When I went away to college, I was still working like a maniac, but it was all sitting and studying, that's when I started to really pack on the weight. After graduating I had a desk job, so more weight, then 3 children, which added even more weight. My lifestyle has changed many times over since I lived on the farm, but somehow my eating habits/philosophy never really have. I have this fundamentally ingrained feeling that if I don't eat enough I won't make it through what's coming next. I also think my upbringing helped to feed an inherent tendency towards carbaholism. I do not blame my mother for my weight, when I left home I weighed 118 pounds and was as strong as an ox. What she did was right for us at that time. What I did not have were the tools to live a much more sedentary life, that I've had to gain on my own after learning the hard way that I even needed to.
As to why I don't get things done, well that is a two part answer. For starters most of the organizational/cleaning tasks done in this house get undone very rapidly, so it always feels like pointless (thankless) uphill battle. Also my days are packed with activity/chores/children/etc. so in order to get anything extra accomplished I have to work faster and make a serious mental effort to focus on achieving one more task. In other words I have to "make" the time to do it, which usually leaves me short somewhere else. So what would normally leave me with a sense of satisfaction, nowadays leaves me feeling exhausted and further behind than ever.
For a health & body:
1. Keep calories 1,500 or less. YES 1,466, NO 1,983, YES 1,476, NO 1,785, NO 1,796
2. Drink 96 oz of water YES, YES, YES, NO short by 24 oz, YES
3. Pie at 40/40/20. 45/38/17, 45/24/30,44/36/20, 48/27/25, 49/24/27
4. Get in 6 hours of exercise. 90 min, 60 min, 90 min, 30 min, 60 min (total 5:30) Not going to the gym on Sat. taking the kids skiing instead
5. Get elliptical machine up & put back together. OH YEAH BABY!!!
6. No more than 2 servings of grain based carbs per day. YES 1.5, NO 3, YES 1, YES 2, YES 2
7. Maintain calorie deficit of 500 minimum. YES -1,099 NO -303, YES -1,230, NO -446, YES -616
For peace of mind and spirit:
8. Take a load into Goodwill, maybe 2? NO, YES!!! NO, NO,YES
9. Gather up coats/hats/mittens for Boy Scout coat project. Some, NO, NO, NO, NO
10. Gather up non-perishables for Boy Scout food drive. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO
11. Make at least 2 pieces for DD's Bloomer dress costume. NO, NO, Started the bloomers, Worked on Bloomers some more, NO
12. Average 6 things from the to-do "list" per day. NO 2, NO YES 9, NO 1, NO 1
I had one of those days on Friday, the kind where you just want to eat the house down. I knew I was over-budget, but I tried to keep in under control. I didn't even weigh/measure everything, we had a bit of a crazy afternoon. Surprisingly I was not over by that much +300 calories. So in a certain way, even though I was over budget, it was a win for me.
Cassie, I've given some thought as to why I struggle with keeping to my calorie budget and why I just can't get things done sometimes, so here goes nothing. I was raised on a farm, we worked long hard hours, much of the work fit for grown men, but my brothers and I all grew up doing as much of it as we could. All 3 of us were freakishly strong and still are. Anyway when you spend your day burning thousands of calories, you have to eat. So mom fed us, not junk food but old fashioned home cooked meals and plenty of it, mom is a "feeder". We ate 3-4 meals/day and I'm not talking "snacks" here. When I went away to college, I was still working like a maniac, but it was all sitting and studying, that's when I started to really pack on the weight. After graduating I had a desk job, so more weight, then 3 children, which added even more weight. My lifestyle has changed many times over since I lived on the farm, but somehow my eating habits/philosophy never really have. I have this fundamentally ingrained feeling that if I don't eat enough I won't make it through what's coming next. I also think my upbringing helped to feed an inherent tendency towards carbaholism. I do not blame my mother for my weight, when I left home I weighed 118 pounds and was as strong as an ox. What she did was right for us at that time. What I did not have were the tools to live a much more sedentary life, that I've had to gain on my own after learning the hard way that I even needed to.
As to why I don't get things done, well that is a two part answer. For starters most of the organizational/cleaning tasks done in this house get undone very rapidly, so it always feels like pointless (thankless) uphill battle. Also my days are packed with activity/chores/children/etc. so in order to get anything extra accomplished I have to work faster and make a serious mental effort to focus on achieving one more task. In other words I have to "make" the time to do it, which usually leaves me short somewhere else. So what would normally leave me with a sense of satisfaction, nowadays leaves me feeling exhausted and further behind than ever.
Last edited by almeeker; 01-29-2011 at 01:29 AM.
#146
My Goals For The Week:
1. Eat at least 3 fruit and 2 vegetable servings a day. close, close, yes, yes, no
2. Limit bread to one serving a day. yes, yes, yes, yes, no
3. Carry a water bottle with me at all times. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
4. Get out walking, weather permitting. (It's been below zero.) too cold, too cold, hopefully today, no, but spent the afternoon outside at the recycling center, no
5. Take multi-vitamin daily. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
6. Move from "healthy eating mode" to "weight loss mode" to shed a few holiday pounds. no, sort of, again, sort of, no, have accepted that this will have to wait until Monday when I will kick my own butt to get motivated.
Hubby had yesterday afternoon off and we spent a wonderful day together, albeit high calorie, fun and no exercise. Ugh! Received about 5" of snow during the night... may be the perfect day to break out the snowshoes and play. A great way to burn calories, too. 400-700 cal. an hour, depending on speed and terrain.
quinn
1. Eat at least 3 fruit and 2 vegetable servings a day. close, close, yes, yes, no
2. Limit bread to one serving a day. yes, yes, yes, yes, no
3. Carry a water bottle with me at all times. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
4. Get out walking, weather permitting. (It's been below zero.) too cold, too cold, hopefully today, no, but spent the afternoon outside at the recycling center, no
5. Take multi-vitamin daily. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
6. Move from "healthy eating mode" to "weight loss mode" to shed a few holiday pounds. no, sort of, again, sort of, no, have accepted that this will have to wait until Monday when I will kick my own butt to get motivated.
Hubby had yesterday afternoon off and we spent a wonderful day together, albeit high calorie, fun and no exercise. Ugh! Received about 5" of snow during the night... may be the perfect day to break out the snowshoes and play. A great way to burn calories, too. 400-700 cal. an hour, depending on speed and terrain.
quinn
Last edited by quinnesec; 01-29-2011 at 01:59 AM.
#147
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 24
For a healthy body:
1. 1600-1700 calories a day Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
2. water, water, water, water, water 64oz or more Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
3. only one fudgecicle this week Tomorrow!
4. go to the gym 4 times this week 3 days so far, definitely this morning, and probably tomorrow too!
For peace of mind and spirit:
1. one fudgecicle this week Tomorrow! Yay!
2. demand quiet time at home Yep
3. weigh in once on Saturday morning Did it this morning 2.2 pounds lost! My goals is only 1 pound per week!
4. everything listed above!
Big Fat Nagging Task:
1. Cleaning under the bed. This probably won't happen, but all get a ton of other stuff done, but there's plent of time left!
1. 1600-1700 calories a day Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
2. water, water, water, water, water 64oz or more Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
3. only one fudgecicle this week Tomorrow!
4. go to the gym 4 times this week 3 days so far, definitely this morning, and probably tomorrow too!
For peace of mind and spirit:
1. one fudgecicle this week Tomorrow! Yay!
2. demand quiet time at home Yep
3. weigh in once on Saturday morning Did it this morning 2.2 pounds lost! My goals is only 1 pound per week!
4. everything listed above!
Big Fat Nagging Task:
1. Cleaning under the bed. This probably won't happen, but all get a ton of other stuff done, but there's plent of time left!
#148
I had a BAD DAY!
I had a visitor last night. No, it's wasn't Aunt Flo, more like Uncle Upchuck. I though I pushed myself too hard b/c I gave a double unit of blood on Wednesday, played tennis, walked AND worked out on Thursday, knocked out 7.86 miles AND worked out Friday, oh yeah I forgot to mention that I wrote myself another life insurance policy so last week I had a few vials of blood drawn. I tend to overdo it and many times I feel like I'm about to get sick when I leave the gym.
Well, on top of that there's been a stomach virus going around so needless to say, my Uncle visited SEVERAL times.
So I'm giving myself a big zero, Nada... a goose egg if you will, for water, protein and as much as I wish I could have... I could get myself up to floss.
I think my uncle took everything that I had in me so this left me with a huge deficit, and big weight loss. I don't know if I'll have the energy to rip out the last 4.14 miles of my goal, so once again I may fall short! If I can do it, you can bet your ass that I will!
1) drink a gallon of water per day yes 138.3oz, yes 202.8oz,no 101.4oz,yes 135.2oz,No 0 oz.
2) work out 3 days no (but I did cardio for 30 mins),yes + 30mins recumbent bike, nope, yes + 1hr tennis + walked a mile, yes + nearly 2 hrs. of walking
3) walk 15 miles 0,2mi,0mi,1mi,7.86mi
4) floss 6 times 1,1,1,1,Nope
5) average at least 300 cals deficient per day for 6 days (this number will reflect sleep being added in, making it harder to get to the #) -209, -375, -322, -871, -3207!!
6) take in at least 145g of protein per day yes 185.3, yes 165.2,yes 159.6, yes 165.8,Nada
7) go two days without bread (last week I went one day w00t!) yes, yes
8) Finish the week no higher than 173# yes last night I was 177.4, this morning 172.0!
9) save a life... give blood yes
10) 6 random acts of kindness 0,1,2,0,0
11) keep spammers under control Yes -there weren't any
Good bye peeps, I'm going back to bed. I'm so dehydrated and my muscles are all cramped up. I feel like I'm such a wuss... I'm a guy, what did you expect?
Well, on top of that there's been a stomach virus going around so needless to say, my Uncle visited SEVERAL times.
So I'm giving myself a big zero, Nada... a goose egg if you will, for water, protein and as much as I wish I could have... I could get myself up to floss.
I think my uncle took everything that I had in me so this left me with a huge deficit, and big weight loss. I don't know if I'll have the energy to rip out the last 4.14 miles of my goal, so once again I may fall short! If I can do it, you can bet your ass that I will!
1) drink a gallon of water per day yes 138.3oz, yes 202.8oz,no 101.4oz,yes 135.2oz,No 0 oz.
2) work out 3 days no (but I did cardio for 30 mins),yes + 30mins recumbent bike, nope, yes + 1hr tennis + walked a mile, yes + nearly 2 hrs. of walking
3) walk 15 miles 0,2mi,0mi,1mi,7.86mi
4) floss 6 times 1,1,1,1,Nope
5) average at least 300 cals deficient per day for 6 days (this number will reflect sleep being added in, making it harder to get to the #) -209, -375, -322, -871, -3207!!
6) take in at least 145g of protein per day yes 185.3, yes 165.2,yes 159.6, yes 165.8,Nada
7) go two days without bread (last week I went one day w00t!) yes, yes
8) Finish the week no higher than 173# yes last night I was 177.4, this morning 172.0!
9) save a life... give blood yes
10) 6 random acts of kindness 0,1,2,0,0
11) keep spammers under control Yes -there weren't any
Good bye peeps, I'm going back to bed. I'm so dehydrated and my muscles are all cramped up. I feel like I'm such a wuss... I'm a guy, what did you expect?
Last edited by 01gt4.6; 01-29-2011 at 02:39 AM.
#149
Saturday:
1) eat under 1900kcal yes
2) burn at least 2500kcal yes
3) continue being vegetarian (vegan where possible) not today - chilli prawn soup
4) increase water intake!! oops not much
5) exercise daily (walking doesn't count) yes
6) catch up with my paperwork uff...... not really
I became very lazy during this week, did only 3 workouts instead of usual 6, and I also crave sugar like mad. DH and I fight almost every day, on top of all the misery we already have we had to take some pay cuts AND rent increase. Good school of patience
Bubbs21, i totally love your post about setting goals. Did you write this yourself? It's so nice and so true (deadlines turn wishes into goals).
Mike, take it easy man get well soon. Tummy bug is no fun indeed. Somebody once said, that if men were to give birth, humankind would die out
1) eat under 1900kcal yes
2) burn at least 2500kcal yes
3) continue being vegetarian (vegan where possible) not today - chilli prawn soup
4) increase water intake!! oops not much
5) exercise daily (walking doesn't count) yes
6) catch up with my paperwork uff...... not really
I became very lazy during this week, did only 3 workouts instead of usual 6, and I also crave sugar like mad. DH and I fight almost every day, on top of all the misery we already have we had to take some pay cuts AND rent increase. Good school of patience
Bubbs21, i totally love your post about setting goals. Did you write this yourself? It's so nice and so true (deadlines turn wishes into goals).
Mike, take it easy man get well soon. Tummy bug is no fun indeed. Somebody once said, that if men were to give birth, humankind would die out
Last edited by MunaAmin; 01-29-2011 at 08:17 AM.
#150
Muna and Mike, big hug to both of you. I hope your troubles are resolved soon.
Friday's achievements:
Food
Calories limit 1600, actual 1608
Net Carbs (carbs less fiber) limit 25, actual 19.8
Protein target at least 100-120, actual 154.6
Exercise target (working on walking stamina) goal 10 minutes at 4MPH achieved
Water goal at least 40 oz.--achieved several ounces past that.
Friday's achievements:
Food
Calories limit 1600, actual 1608
Net Carbs (carbs less fiber) limit 25, actual 19.8
Protein target at least 100-120, actual 154.6
Exercise target (working on walking stamina) goal 10 minutes at 4MPH achieved
Water goal at least 40 oz.--achieved several ounces past that.