Friday, April 8, 2011

"Weight Loss Plan of Attack"

After your initial go ahead from your physician to begin a fitness program, the first and foremost step in beginning any type of fitness or lifestyle change is to plan ahead.  Studies show that when people are given a specific target they are 30% more successful than people who just jump in with both feet and start to swim.  In order to plan your journey, you have to know your starting point, so that involves assessing your current level of health.



Assessment:
Several questions should be answered in order to know what your starting point is. 
1.  What is your height?
2.  What is your weight?
3.  What is your resting heart rate?  This can be done by counting your pulse for 60 seconds after you have been sitting or resting for 2 to 3 hours.  A more accurate measure would be to wake up on your own after a good night sleep and roll over and check your pulse for 60 seconds. 
4.  What is your percentage of body fat?  This can be done by an exercise physiologist who has the proper tools to measure skin folds, or underwater weighing.  You can also do this yourself by purchasing an inexpensive body composition scale that will assess your weight and fat percentage, but make sure you are hydrated well and avoid alcohol at least 24 hours before testing.
5.  What is your BMI (Body Mass Index)?  This is found by typing body mass calculator in a search engine and entering your height and weight.  The guidelines from the National Health Institute will be used and you will be given a number.  The guidelines are also on the website to help you utilize the number to see where you stand in your weight category.
6.  What is your blood Pressure?  You can do this at any pharmacy for free with the machines that they offer to their customers. 
Once you have assessed these things, you have a snapshot of your overall weight and health status.  Keep these numbers in a fitness journal or notebook.  Label this page “Initial Assessment,” and make sure it is dated with the day and year.  These numbers will be used later to re-assess where you are in relation to when you started.

Once your initial assessment is done, it is time to set some goals and rewards for achieving those goals.  We want to set long-term goals that we hope to reach over an 8 week time, and then set some short-term goals that we can meet weekly or bi-monthly to help us stay motivated for the long haul.  

Long-Term Goal Setting:
As I stated before, our long-term goal should start with a plan for a period of 8 weeks.  Make your goals realistic and achievable.  We don’t want to plan to run a marathon in 8 weeks if we have never been a runner before, but running or walking a 5k in 8 weeks is very realistic.  Think of these long-term goals as stepping stones to your ultimate life-term goals which are the goals you set out to achieve and maintain for a lifetime.  Make sure these goals are challenging and meaningful, and make sure to WRITE THEM DOWN IN YOUR JOURNAL.  Writing them down and being able to review them will help us to stay motivated and on track. 
 
Short-Term Goal Setting:

Having your long-term goals broken down into smaller steps will help us to feel success along the way.  When we learned to swim, we didn’t just get in the water and start swimming until finally one day we were able to stay above water.  We first learned to put our face in the water and blow bubbles, then, we learned to kick and move our arms.  We had to learn to hold our breath and float.  Treading water was probably a step for some of us also.  Then one day we took each of those pieces and put them together and became a swimmer.  Short-term goals work the same way.  Each small step will add up to our ultimate goal, but along the way we won’t be drowning in frustration and impatience because we will be able to chart our progress and see that we are moving in the right direction.  Short-term goals can be things like, “I will do at least 30 minutes of walking three times during the first 2 weeks,” or “I will do 2 spinning classes each week for 2 weeks.”  Whatever they are, I will repeat that it is important to make them realistic and put them in our journal to review and check off as we go.

Rewards:
When setting rewards for your goals, you want to make sure you have your short and long term goals written with the rewards for each goal beside them.  8 weeks is a long time to wait for results, so by putting them in the open, on a vanity mirror, refrigerator or computer, then you are able to continue to see, track and reward your results along the way.  One of my clients put a dollar in a jar for every mile she ran and after 2 weeks she would take the money and get a manicure or go to a movie with a friend.  It wasn’t a lot, but it kept her motivated and allowed her to enjoy the fruits of her labor.  The one thing I will encourage you to not to do is reward yourself with junk food or eating out.  Keep your rewards in line with your long-term goals which are to feel better, lose weight and be healthy.

Keep in mind, always keep a workout journal so you can mark your goals and rewards, and you can also look at what you have accomplished each day to keep you motivated for the next day.  Workout journals can be found at any bookstore, or you can use a workout app on your phone or join an online workout tracking website to help you if you prefer to keep things off paper.

Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve.



Take your FREE health assessment at:  www.coachellen.idlife.com




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