Joan is driving home in her new car and she loves it. It has cost her most of her savings and a lot of missed nights out with her friends, but she had enough to buy it outright.
It’s a small, sporty convertible and today is the perfect day for driving. The sun is beaming down and, as she accelerates, the noise of the engine and the wind in her hair make her beam with joy.
Then….BANG!
She pulls over to the side of the road and gets out to see what has happened. As she walks around the car she sees that the left rear tyre has a puncture. Joan takes out a penknife, proceeds to slash all the other tyres of her car. She reaches inside the car, takes her keys, throws them into the hedge and then proceeds to walk home.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?
But let’s change the scenario to Joan trying to lose weight. She is going well for the first few weeks, feels great and is being encouraged by everyone. Then, all of a sudden…. nothing, her weight stays the same, or has gone up slightly.
Joan automatically goes back to her old habits, and subsequently, back to her old weight.
She gives up.
Does this sound familiar? How many of you reading this has done this once in your life?
How many of you have done this on numerous occasions, only to enthusiastically start again the next time a new fad comes along?
Weight loss isn’t linear, but everyone would have you believe that it is.
If you gave a two year old a crayon and a blank piece of paper, the resulting, scrawling, circular scribbles would be a more accurate representation of how weight loss actually goes.
Your weight will fluctuate day to day and week to week.
People have a preconceived notion that the scale has to consistently go down or else what they are doing has failed.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
To expect a constant loss is to assume that you are a complete saint who knows exactly how many calories they need per day, and will only eat the right foods that you need to eat in order for this to happen.
This is impossible for anyone.
When you decide on a goal, you must allow the appropriate amount of time to achieve that goal.
If you have consistently gained weight over a number of years, don’t expect to lose all of it over a 6 week period.
Goal setting is a great way to motivate yourself and keep on track of your overall goals, but it is doomed to failure if the goal is unrealistic.
Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T
S – Specific;
A general goal is I want to lose weight.
A specific goal is, I will join a gym and work out 3 days per week in order to lose weight.
M – Measurable;
How much will it cost me? How long will it take? How will I know when I have reached my goal?
A – Attainable;
Do I have everything in place that I need in order to reach my goals?
R – Realistic;
You have to allow an appropriate amount of time to reach it, but you also have to be willing and able to reach your goal.
T – Timely;
Your goal should have a suitable time frame. It should be long enough to allow you to reach it, but not too far away so you don’t lose the sense of urgency needed to motivate you to get there.
Weight loss isn’t always easy, but as long as you allow for a few bumps in the road along the way you can always reach your destination.
#TrainSmart
For further information on Personal Training and Nutrition you can contact me through the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Personal-Training-and-Performance/120518884715118
* Emmet is the owner and operator of Rushe Personal Training and Performance
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