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!

The key to success

To Be successful, all you have to do are two things: 1) Do the work when you feel like it; and 2) Do the work when you don't feel like it. - Peter Vidmar

I came across this quote today and started to think about it. To be honest, I really have never had a hard time working out and working on my wellness. However, lately it has been so hard. Why? There could be many reasons, but the main one is that I just don't feel like it. I make up excuses and then the day is gone and I tell myself I will do it tomorrow. Finally I got sick of that so I made a goal for myself. It is still hard, but I gotta do the work when I don't feel like it because that is what brings me one step closer to my end goal. So what are you trying to work on?

Challenge: Remember this little advice from Peter Vidmar next time you don't want to work towards your goal.

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.

Don't Quit!

I feel like I have abandoned you all. I'm sorry! Life just gets so crazy busy, but I always think of writing. I have a few ideas that I have written down that I want to share, but first I will write about motivation again. I recently returned from a trip to San Diego. The drive was great, but long, so I had a lot of time to think. One thing that I was thinking about are things that I want to accomplish during the year 2012. I wrote a list of about 20 things. I kept debating whether or not to write this down, but I decided that I am going to do 2 half marathons and 2 triathalons this summer. Each time I thought "naw, I don't think I can do that," this movie clip came to mind. I love this movie! It is so inspirational!

Challenge: Make a goal for yourself that will push you to your limits. You can do anything you want... DON'T QUIT!

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!

Life is precious

I have been reading my friends blog lately. Long story short, her husband was diagnosed with cancer and they have been at the Huntsman Institute getting treatment for a while now. At the end of her last blog post she wrote, "Life is precious. Everyday is a gift." It really hit me hard. It is a gift. I hope you realize that too. We really don't know what is going to happen to us. We may get another day to live and become better, or we may not.

I have been studying Gerontology (the study of aging) in school and 70% of diseases we get are because of our lifestyle. 70 percent!! If you think about it, I would say we have a pretty good chance of how we want our lives to end up. I mean, there is always genetics that play a big part, too, but I just want to encourage you to be better. Live each day as if it were your last.

What are you going to change? Think of your goals...

Do you want to climb to the top of the world?

Do you want to run a race?

Do you want to play with your grandchildren?

What are you going to do? I would love to hear from you!

Challenge: Make a change for the better!

Goals

With the new year just around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about goals. The top goal on most everyone's list is always to either loose x number of pounds or to hit the gym. The gas usually runs out within the first month. Here are a few things to take into consideration when making those wellness goals:

1-Set your goals high enough to make you work hard for them, but low enough so that they are reachable. Too often we set these crazy goals and we are unable to achieve them because we get discouraged or we realize that we have a busy life. This is what I like to do. I usually have a big goal that I want to achieve. I write it down on a sticky note or an index card and put it where I can see it every day. I set monthly, weekly, and even daily goals on how I can reach that overall goal. This helps me see the progress that I am making while keeping the main goal in mind, without getting discouraged.

2- Don't set a deadline on your overall goal. Sometimes deadlines can cause discouragement and stress. This can cause you to take things to the extreme. Some react to this by overeating and some can react by undereating. This can take a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health. However, sometimes deadlines motivate you. So you can set a realative deadline on your small goals and eventually you will achieve your overall goal.

3-Write your goals down. It is proven that writing down your goals will help you accomplish them. Put them somewhere where you will see them daily and when you see them you can make a mental note of how you are doing. Even share with a friend, spouse, or child so they can help you achieve your goals, too.

4- Don't be afraid. Don't let the fear of failing keep you from reaching your goal. If you mess up, brush it off and start over. Turn that failure into determination... determination to succeed! This movie clip is amazing! Watch it if you want, it does have a boxing scene from the movie snatch, so if you don't like to watch that stuff, just download it and listen to it.

Challenge: Make goals that you want to accomplish this year or over the next few years. Post them up and get to work! Good luck! Let me know how it goes!

"It's the Holiday Season"

Yep, it's here! The time for giving and sharing. Along with this also comes all the sweets! I came home the other day to find some Christmas tree sugar cookies and peanut butter bars. How am I suppose to lose weight when they are constantly calling my name? Well I gave in and had a cookie, but that's not the point. I have been thinking of ways that I can control my weight and not pig out or go without this holiday season.

1. You are not alone

Challenge family members or friends to a competition or write down everything that you ate that day and send it to someone you can trust and who you know will help you to control yourself. When you do eat out or have dinner with the family, plan what and how much you are going to eat and then tell someone so that they can help you keep your goal.

2. Don't eliminate, proportionate

Ok I don't know if thats a word or not, but its all about the proportions that you are eating. If you worked hard that day and feel that its ok to eat ONE cookie, then do it. Don't eliminate things you love completely because it will backfire on you and you will binge one day. I LOVE my cookies, so what I have challenged myself to do is throughout the week, I don't eat sweets and if I succeed, I can have one on Sunday. If you want to stop eating something, then don't buy it. Most likely if you do, when you get a craving you will eat it and then feel guilty. If you want to eat healthy, then buy healthy things instead of candy bars and chips. Again, don't eliminate it completely just control yourself.

3. Be Positive 

I have found that it is easier to do this with a good attitude. Think of that dress you want to fit into or think about how you want to fit into those pants. Sometimes it's not about how much you weigh, it's how you have been toning yourself. Post little note around your house where you know you will see them. I have posted them on mirrors, on the fridge, and even in my car. Keep your goal in mind and be positive and eventually it will come. 

Happy Holidays!