It’s the last day of school
vacation for most kids in North Texas. Teachers are back today and busy Moms
can’t wait until they put the kids back on the bus tomorrow after more than 2
weeks of Christmas vacation.
This is the time that many of
us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions and are trying to motivate
ourselves to change a bad habit or start a new one. It turns out that 67% of
resolutions are not to stop doing something, but to start a new good habit.
Exercise tops the list. Unfortunately almost 95% of people will not reach their
goals in 2013. Why?
- Lack of motivation to change
- Unrealistic goals
- Focusing on goals and not behaviors
- Change is uncomfortable
- Excuses, excuses, excuses
- Lack of accountability coach
- Procrastination
Let’s take these 7 reasons for
failure and work on 7 tips for positive change. Let’s make 2013 the year that
you reach your goals and find a whole new you! Whether your goal is to lose 10
pounds, run your first 5K, finish your first marathon or break 12 hours in an
Ironman triathlon; these tips still hold true.
1. What is your motivation for change? Examine it. Are you
just feeling full and bloated at this moment? Do you have a hangover from last
night? Was your last race truly unfulfilling and your time disappointing? Or is
there a more enduring reason for your desire to change? If you can't think of a
better reason than the fact that you're uncomfortable at this moment, then
you're better off not making promises to yourself that you probably won't keep.
However, if you are realistic and accept the responsibility of discipline
required for change, your motivation will be sustained long after the
discomfort from over-indulgence has passed. Let’s face it, most of us feel fat
and out of shape when the holidays end and the New Year dawns. Mom’s apple pie
gives quite the hangover for weeks!
2. Make realistic goals. Habits
and behaviors that are changed gradually have a greater chance of success.
Don’t decide that you are going to lose 100 pounds or run a marathon when you
haven’t even gotten off the couch in a year! Make a resolution to run 5 out of
7 days a week. Lose 10 pounds in 30 days. Do a speed play session at least once
a week. You get the idea….. Bottom line: write your goals down! A goal not
written down is a mere wish!
3. Focus on the behavior more than on the goal. For
example, if you decide to control your diet, your goal for the day is not to
lose a specific number of pounds, but to stick to your program. Make sure you
have a written program to follow! Such focus on your behavior will help you
feel in control of your life. You will gain satisfaction from making sensible
choices several times throughout the day. Then the pounds will fall off as you
accomplish a change in your behavior.
4. Learn to redefine physical sensations of discomfort.
Whenever we restrict ourselves or change a behavior, we have both physical and
mental reactions. For example, a new runner feels aching and soreness when he
start to increase his workouts. However, he has a choice as to how he
interprets these symptoms. He can define them as extremely unpleasant, or
alternatively he can interpret them as his body growing stronger. Someone who
is restricting food intake will also feel physical discomfort. However, the
successful dieter tells himself that his growling stomach is a sign that his
body must go to the fat reserves for energy. Bottom line: change is painful but
worth it!
5. Make tasks non-negotiable. Forget excuses. I can come up with some really good ones to stay in bed! People
who are most successful at implementing such changes are those who make their
tasks non-negotiable. For example, if you debate with yourself at 5:30 a.m.
whether you feel like getting up to run, you will probably opt for staying in
bed for another half hour. But if getting up for exercise is no more negotiable
than getting up for work, then you'll do it regardless of how you feel about
it. The same goes for organizing your closet or taking charge of your finances.
One can almost always find an excuse not to do these things. However, if you
make a non-negotiable decision that's based on a sound logical reason rather
than on how you feel at the moment, you will be successful.
6. Be accountable to someone else and allow for
imperfection. It is important to profess your goals to the world and
ask for help. Your family and friends can be motivators but often they are the
greatest naysayers. A couch or personal trainer can be helpful to get you on
track. No one is exactly on target all the time. In fact you should expect to
falter every now and then. If you give in to temptation, do not use this as an
excuse to abandon the whole program. Learn from your mistake and move on.
7. Do it now. If you're waiting for a more
convenient time to begin, it won't happen. It's almost never convenient to
change ingrained habits or build new ones. Now is just as convenient as any
time. And if you begin now rather than later, you'll have a jump on a more
satisfying future. Make a plan and start today!
Kids are back in school tomorrow. Time for me to get back to
work and put a race on the calendar! Make 2013 your most successful year yet!
Run Happy!! And often…….
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