Lexington, KY - It's a simple concept that is well accepted: if you want to achieve a goal, then you should make a plan. Setting a goal is easy; it's working through a plan to reach that goal that creates a bump in the road for many.
Losing weight and getting in better physical shape are two of the most common goals people set. Other goals high on the list are quitting smoking, making more money and meeting the perfect person to spend the rest of your life with. You don't have to be a marketing research wizard to determine what goals are the most desired, just watch TV. Watch the prevalence of commercials and infomercials geared toward achieving these goals. How many messages do you get a day about having perfect abs, losing those unwanted pounds, becoming a millionaire overnight, meeting the perfect person and quitting smoking for good? They are everywhere. And for a very good reason, people want an easy way to reach their goals. They want someone else to develop their plan and they want very little work involved with the plan. In short, most of us are instant gratification junkies - we want it now (and without too much work).
Now, here's the ugly truth: most of these mass-produced and mass-marketed plans don't work for most people. Not that they are all bad, but even a good plan won't work without proper effort on your part, especially when it comes to plans concerning losing weight and getting in better shape. If you are not 100 percent sure that claims of "losing all the weight you want with no exercise" and "getting in great shape with just two minutes a day" are bogus, then let me tell you now - they are. There is no use reading on if you believe that there is a "no effort on your part" solution.
So, how do you make a plan that will work? The first step is to paint a picture of what the future is going to look like when you have achieved your goal. Spend a little time imagining your life as it would be when you do lose the weight and are in better shape. What do you look like? What kinds of things are you wearing? What is surrounding you? What kind of things are you involved in? Who is there with you? What kinds of things are you eating?
After you spend some time visualizing you and your post-goal life, pay attention to how the future picture differs from your life now. It may take awhile to allow yourself to really look at your life now and see these differences, but you must identify them if you are going to be successful.
Look at things like the food and the settings where you eat. If you really want to lose weight, can you continue doing what you are currently doing, with regards to meals? If you eat out four nights a week now, is that part of your success picture? If you snack on chips, is this part of your future?
Look at exercise habits and recreation. Are you good about regular exercise now? Do you have both a cardio routine and a strength training routine? What about recreation; do you golf and ride a cart? Maybe your new picture includes walking nine of 18 holes.
These are just a few questions you should ask yourself before you get started making your plan for the future. I really believe in this concept and see value in the exercise presented here. You cannot make major changes in your life without a clear plan, and I do not believe you can make a plan without a vision of where you want to end up compared to where you are now.
Give yourself the best chance for success, paint your own picture, then jump right in and start living it.