Goal setting

I read a blog post from my friend that I absolutely loved. I asked if I could share it on my wellness blog and she agreed. Here I am about a year later finally writing about it. I have been keeping up with my other blog that sometimes this one gets neglected. Sorry.

My friend Candi came across a new way to set goals and she writes some wonderful things about it here. I just want to write about MTO goal setting.

MTO stands for Minimum, Target, & Outrageous. It replaces the all-or-nothing mindset of goal setting. Instead of telling your self that you are not going to eat any sweets this week, then you eat one and feel as though you have failed and eat more, you think in MTO.

Candi gives these examples:

MTO for exercise this week
Minimum: Some movember everyday this week (Walking, movement time)
Target: 15-30 minutes of Jillian 3 times this week, walk 3 times this week
Outrageous: 30 minutes of Jillian 6 days this week, walks with her kids

MTO for eating in moderation
Minimum: Not binging (eating over 2 servings of anything)
Target: Eat six small meals in appropriate servings, treats 2 times this week
Outrageous: Six small high protein meals- on servcing and 1 treat this week

MTO for eating for health
Minimum: 1 piece of fruit, 1 veggie per day, 64 oz water
Target: Drink 1 gallon of water, 2 veggies and 2 fruits, Bed by 10:30
Outrageous: 50% of plate are fruit and/or veggies, 1 gallon of water, six small meals, Bed by 10:00

I have fallen into the all-or-nothing way of thinking many times. When I learned of MTO I started to apply it in my own goal setting. It really has helped and it doesn't make me feel as guilty when I eat those yummy homemade cookies. I still have so much to improve upon, but each day is a clean slate to choose to become better.

Each person is different and each person is trying to accomplish different things. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or eat better, you can incorporate MTO in your own goal setting. Thanks Candi for letting me share :)

Challenge: Incorporate MTO in your own goal setting. If you need help with this let me know!

"I AM AWESOME!"

I just read a blog from a woman that was very inspiring and it applies to wellness. She talks about being positive and thinking good about yourself. If we are always thinking the negative, then how are we ever going to feel good about ourselves? How will we have the motivation to work out or to eat better? How will we have the confidence to perform well in our career or think clearly? Being Positive is one of the keys to improve your emotional health and overall wellness. Here is the link to her post. It is a little long, but WORTH the read.

A story that popped into mind while I was reading is from my cousin. She went into Subway to get a sandwich and the kid behind the counter was very precise about putting her sandwich together. After he got her order right he he wrapped it up nicely and said to himself, "I am AWESOME!" I wonder what his emotional health is like.

Challenge: Put at least two "Drops of Awesome" in your bucket right now.

Namaste

This blog post has reference to my religion. I am not trying to force what I believe upon you. I feel that it ties in with Namaste and is a very important subject that applies to mental health.

"I honor the place within you where the entire Universe resides; I honor the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace; I honor the place within you, where, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us"   -- Mahatma Gandi 

Namaste is the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us. In Yoga, we use Namaste to begin meditation and to become unified. However, if you stop and think about it, shouldn't we think of Namaste always? Each day we have multiple opportunities to build friendships, help others, strengthen ourselves, and succeed. We cannot go through life alone. We are here on earth to help and support others. By serving others, we in turn receive. We begin to understand who we are we have purpose. We then have the confidence to achieve our dreams and our goals. It builds trust, it brings love, and it unifies us.

I am a girl, and lets face it, there are forces out there trying to bring us down. Telling us we can't, telling us we aren't pretty enough, telling us we aren't skinny enough, and even telling us who we should be. I feel that it is more prevalent in women than in men, but sometimes we all can become down.

I feel that I have been blessed because of the religion that I have had in my life. When I was a young woman I would stand each week with the other women in my ward and say "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love him..." As I think back, I really didn't understand the power in that phrase. I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. He knows me, he loves me, and I have a divine purpose! So powerful! It gets even better though; it's not just me who is a daughter (or son) of God, it is EVERY person that I meet! EVERY person that I walk by is a child of God, EVERY person I see has a divine purpose, and EVERY person I meet has light and love in them, but do they know that? Do they have the confidence to be themselves and to love life? I am not too sure each person does. It has taken me a while to truly accept who I am and that I don't have to be a stick to be pretty. I don't have to have the latest fashion to fit it. I don't have to be sad when I am alone. I have a purpose. I know I have not even had a glimpse of the potential I have with that purpose, but by helping others, I have found out who I am. I have been assured that I have a divine purpose. I have grown to love others and have peace and be happy!

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all understood Namaste and used it in our everyday dealings? YOU have a purpose. YOU have potential. YOU are beautiful. YOU are here because others need you. Namaste brings peace, love and happiness to you and others around you.

Challenge: Write down one thing that you are good at (don't compare how good at it you are with anyone else!) and share it with someone. Write down how you feel after you help that person so you will remember it. 

Courage to start

I saw this on Everyday Health's Facebook page and thought I would share. This is so true. You never know what you can accomplish if you never start. You don't know the lives you can touch, the places you will go, the people that will come into your life, the goals you will accomplish, etc... so if you don't know, why not try and see what will come of it?

Challenge: Have courage to start/change/do something new.

Happy and Accomplished

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon with one of my good friends, Valerie. It was the Tommy Vaughn's Marathon and More and it was such a fun race! We were trying to run it in 2:10 or under and we were making really great time, until my IT band started to hurt me. I told Val to go ahead of me and I ended up with 2 hours 13 minutes. I wish I could have done better, but considering the circumstances, I am still happy with the results. 

Challenge: Participate in a race whether it be to actually run/walk or just being a volunteer. Both will make you feel happy and accomplished!

Be happy

So I stumbled upon this article and it is quite interesting. Basically it is saying how people have this ideal body image that they are trying to achieve but do not want to put in the work to do so. If you want to change, you have to put in the work and change one thing at a time. It takes baby steps, so it will take time. You just have to keep a positive attitude and love yourself. The article says that most people have this idea that when they lose those 5 pounds that their life will change. Truth is, it will probably be the same. YOU have to be the one who makes your life different. Go out there and be happy with who you are. Take care of yourself. Make sure you are clean and work hard to accomplish the goals that you have. Like I said before, it will take time. Eventually you will get where you want to be and love life as you are getting there. I love this picture. It gives me motivation on those days that I really need it.

Challenge: Be happy while you are working towards your new goal.

Disability?

I came across this picture today from Ben Davis Chevrolet Buick. I think it is very inspiring. Whatever your goals are, have a positive attitude and it makes it easier to accomplish them!

Challenge: Have a better attitude.

Five Good Minutes....

So as I was wandering in the library last night I came upon this book...

I haven't read a lot of it but I find it interesting. One thing that the author pointed out is that your body is always with you, wherever you are, you can't get away from it. So the relationship you have with your body is important. Wellness helps you have a positive outlook about yourself, others, and life. I will probably post some other things that I find intriguing later, but I just wanted to get you thinking; what kind of relationship do you have with yourself?

Challenge: Answer the question above. Is it a positive one or does it cause you to be upset? Figure out the answer and stay posted for some ways to improve your mindset!