So we are now well and truly into 2018 and hands up how many of us have already gone astray with our New Year goals? Life has a funny way of getting in the way and for mums that means dealing with whatever is thrown at us and our kids for example the dreaded back to school bugs (Here’s a few that the Kalila team are currently dealing with…the never-ending flu which keeps coming back, vomiting bugs, high fever, and uurgh head lice!. With kids home sick how easy is it to fall off the wagon and skip a fitness session or opt for comfort food rather than that healthy plate you’d visualised in your head. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter! The year is still young and there is plenty of time to get back on track and we’re here to help.
Here are our top tips for getting back on track…
State your goal in the positive
One of the most common things we do when making goals is to state them in the “negative”. It is so much more motivating to have something positive to aim for. A good way of doing this is…
a) to identify something you would rather have in place of the thing you wish to give up
b) ask yourself what doing X would get for you?
See what a difference it can make in the examples below;
- I want to give up eating cakes and biscuits = ask yourself what that would get for you = I’d prefer to snack on healthy fruit and vegetables = NEW GOAL = I wish to snack healthily in 2018
- I want to lose X pounds or kilos = ask yourself what you would rather have = NEW GOAL – I want to feel toned and healthier in my body
- I’d like to drop 3 dress sizes= ask yourself what that would get for you = NEW GOAL = I want to feel fabulous in my clothes.
Positive goals are much more rewarding to work towards and can often be achieved in more than one way.
Add rather than subtract
Whether your goal is fitness related or healthy eating or work-life balance it is always easier to add something rather than stop doing something. Nobody likes to feel deprived of something they enjoy so instead aim to add something new each week to help you towards your goal. For example;
- Healthy Eating – Add a new “healthy” food each week
- Fitness – Add an extra 5-10 minutes to your workout, add a new move to your routine, add more reps
- Work-life balance – Add an activity to your diary or dedicate special time to yourself.
Be Realistic – A stretch target can be motivating but if it strays too far from reality then it’s easy to lose motivation. Make realistic goals with realistic timings and realistic steps to help you track your progress.
Identify Challenges – It’s helpful to identify potential challenges and barriers before you get started so that you can make plans to overcome them. These can include anything from financial barriers (is gym membership within budget or not?), to time restraints (only have 20 mins between finishing work and getting back for the babysitter), to family (you want to eat a certain way but your partner hates those foods) to many other social, ethical and religious considerations. Identifying challenges up front helps acknowledge they exist and from here you can find solutions to help you towards your goal.
Own up – Your goal, your responsibility! Own it and the rewards will be all the greater when you achieve it.
And most of all…keep moving forwards. The goal is the target but it’s the journey that makes you.
