How to Reach Your Goals This New Year’s

Tis' the time of the season that the year ends and people start to make their goals that they wish to achieve for the upcoming year. We have all done it, our New Year’s Resolutions. They will tend to be: “I want to be fitter, healthier, weigh less, run more, go to the gym more, eat better, etc.” and the list can go on and on. The problem with this is not that people have these goals or even that these goals are unrealistic but the problem tends to be that people go head first into the deep end and they get burnt out which leads them to giving up too soon.

Now, we have all had this happen to us at one time or another. Whether it is getting burned out, never quite making it to the gym, or maybe you are wanting to begin eating better next week, there are ways to make you successful in achieving your goals, whatever they may be.

1.      You need to MAKE THE DECISION FOR YOURSELF TO DO IT.  You need to consciously make it a part of your routine and changing your lifestyle to accommodate it. Make yourself WANT TO DO IT and NOT “have to do it”. This self-talk will help you change the way you look at it, especially if it is a goal that may be good for you but it is not something that you originally are really wanting to do.

2.      FIND WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR NEW ACTIVITY.  Whether it is with a friend or a big group of people, going outside (biking, hiking, rowing, running, etc.), listening to music, or even having little rewards for your successes to motivate you, you need to find ways that will motivate you to stay on the path.

3.      One of the most important parts of setting goals and new resolutions is that you MUST MAKE THEM REALSITIC.  By setting realistic goals they are less intimidating and you are also more likely to go after them. With goals that were already too intense for you reach, you might start out discouraged, intimated, or unsure if you are even going to reach it.

4.      FIND YOUR INSPIRATION. Music, quotes, movies, books, etc. find something that is inspiring to you and is something that will fuel you in your lowest of low moments.

5.      ENVISION YOURSELF SUCCEEDING! This is very important because if you can’t see yourself succeeding then how are you going to succeed? You need to believe that you can do it so much so that you can actually see yourself doing it.

6.      Last but not least, you need to MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO DO IT.  This is pretty self-explanatory but it is also one of the hardest steps to do. So, make a pledge to yourself that when you make the commitment then you stick with it and achieve it!

Remember that you can do anything that you set your mind to and that you need to believe that you can complete your goals and make them come into reality. Getting your mindset and having the will power to do all this will go up and down but you will find the strength that you need to make it happen. You just need to make sure that you take that first step.

Good Luck and remember we are always here to help you on your health journey

Committed to your health and fitness goals,

Justin and Angie LaPointe

Habits: The Break Them before They Break You!

It's hard to break those pesky old habits!  Especially those habits that are negatively impacting our lives. Every New Year's we set out to 'break' them with a new resolution, life goal or crash diet.  We try to look, act, and be different.  We are going to talk more about how to break the habits that are not benefiting your mind or body.

This transition will not be easy. It will take work, dedication and sacrifice.  But it will only benefit you and your health at the end of the day.

1.      IDENTIFY the habit that you want to break, alter or start. 

a.      Be specific.  If you are not specific then you have wiggle room to get sidetracked. For example: rather than setting a goal of eating healthy, establish exactly what specific changes you are going to make to your diet. (No bread or only 1 serving of grain a day.)

b.      Do your research . If you don’t have the information to work with you are not going to be able to set yourself up on a plan that is going to make you successful.

2.      Have the DESIRE to take action. If you are not fully in it, you are going to fail before you begin.

3.      Think POSITIVE! Overcome all negatives (thoughts, people, beliefs, etc.) that you have in your life that might stop you.

a.      If you start to go negative add a ‘but’ to the end of that sentence. For example: “I am just feeling too tired to work out today BUT I am going to go because I will not regret it."

b.      Have helpful inspirations available. Quotes, Bible verses, an image, etc. that will keep you thinking positive and moving forward. It will help pick you up when you are down and keep you going strong. It should be part of your plan to succeed.

4.      REINFORCE all your behaviors, good or bad. If you succeed, what is your reward? If you have a faltered moment, are there consequences? Make an outline or even call it a contract, but make it with yourself and stick to it and no reason not to.

5.      Take RESPONSIBITY for your actions.  If you fall off the horse be honest about it but figure out why it happened and get right back on and start again.  A slight set back is not a reason to fore go your decision to make a positive change. 

6.      Find ACCOUNTABILITYand REINFORCEMENT. Whether it is your friends, family, co-workers; a group or individual we all need someone to be accountable to.

7.      ALLOW that there may be grief moments for you for what you had to give up. This is part of the process when you acknowledge that you are in fact giving something up.

8.      Try to create CHECK POINTS (30 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year.)

9.      The biggest thing to helping you get to the other side of kicking out a bad habit or starting a new one is to DO IT ONE AT A TIME. Don’t try to change more than one thing at a time because  even one change one is going to take a lot of time, energy, focus, and determination.

You can do anything you set your mind to and if you have enough desire and drive you CAN get there. Once you start taking steps in the right direction you might even realize it's not as bad or hard as you thought it was going to be. In order to live life to its fullest we need to be healthy in the body, mind, and spirit.

In closing, remember this:

“Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.”

Committed to your health and fitness goals,

Justin and Angie LaPointe