Tag Archives: smart goals

The Beauty Of Pre Planning Your Meals and Exercise

I was recently asked if it was better to have an end goal in mind or to just try to make one good health choice after another throughout the day with no particular goal in mind. My response was that although making good health choices throughout the day is a great idea, having an end goal is an even better idea. I mean, when we are on the other side of the 2020 Election process and the COVID 19 Pandemic, where do you want to be? So, you can drift through the day with no objective other than to get through it, or, you can move in the direction of your goals. In other words, you can swirl safely in an eddy or be out swimming in the stream moving towards whatever it is you want to achieve. Either way, it is going to change the way your mind is swirling. I would encourage you to be proactive in choosing your own direction. Of course, setting up those small SMART goals and rewards as we discussed in an earlier blog (https://platinummusecom.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/weight-loss-smart-goals-and-rewards/) will mess with your mind in a good way.

If you have not already tried pre planning your meals and exercise in advance, give it a whirl! It’s a great way to make tomorrow or even the whole next week flow pretty effortlessly for you. It is helpful in getting over a hunger hump or curb stress eating if you already know the plan for the day. It will help you knock off your daily walk, run, or workout that you want to do too! Write your plan down, schedule it in your planner, and cross things off your “to do” list as you go. It’s a great tool and super effective in nailing down new healthy habits!

Thank you for reading the Platinum Muse and for those of you in the U.S. we will meet up again on the otherside of the 2020 Elections–well, at least on the other side of Election Day. Please vote! And remember it is not our place to judge. We are all in this together and diversity and differing opinions are our strength. Stay strong and focused!

Are You Moving Forward With Your Health and Wellness or Slipping Backwards?

Leave a reply

I sometimes hear people say the are “on a break” from their diet and exercise plan. Good health choices have become a struggle and they are backing off for a bit. Can you take a break? That’s the question I am asking you today. In this fast flowing river of life, can you really slip in to an eddy and remain unchanged? I’m not sure. Do the swirling waters around you continue to shape you even though you are relaxing in an eddy? Maybe “taking a break” is making a decision not to think about your wellness plan. You continue to get twirled around like a stick in a river eddy while the eddy continues to shape and redirect you and have it’s way with you. Maybe, if you are not moving forward with your health and wellness plan you are actually moving backward. Maybe it’s more about pacing yourself for the long haul and continuing the wellness journey even if you are not sprinting. Maybe it’s just continuing to put one foot in front of the other to just keep taking those steps, big or small, towards your end goal.

I challenge you today to make mindful choices towards your end goal. Stay the course. Follow the plan. Get your head in the game. Schedule in your activity for this coming week and mindfully plan out your meals. Your body was designed to move and eat clean. Set yourself up with a SMART goal this week and reward yourself when you reach you goal. It’s important. You are important. Take care of yourself.

Thank you for taking this moment with me to reflect on your wellness journey. We are all works in progress. Have an awesome week and I will see you again next weekend! I am interested in your wellness journey. Leave me a comment! Follow me for weekly positive health and wellness encouragement. I am here to cheer you on and celebrate your achievements.

Weight Loss SMART Goals and Rewards

1 Reply

I always stress to people embarking on a weight loss journey how important it is to set a weight loss goal. The same goes for activity. Statistically, your odds of success are greater if you have a goal in mind and write it down along with the steps you will take to achieve that goal. You likely have heard about SMART goals: S = specific, M = measurable, A = attainable, R = relevant, T = time-based. It’s what nurses do when they write up your care plan in the hospital. Say you want to loose weight, for example. You might set your first goal at 5% or 10% of your body weight. Both goals have significant beneficial effects to your health. So, maybe your S = you want to loose 8#, your M = 6 weeks from now, your A = 8# in 6 weeks is healthy and doable, your R = it makes good sense, and, your T = you have set your target date 6 weeks from now. There! Simple!

Next, write down some interventions. How are you going to achieve your SMART goal? Your interventions can be a simple list of things to move you toward your goal like drink 8-8oz glasses of water a day, walking 30 minutes a day, limiting fast food to 1 time per week. It’s whatever changes you are going to implement to achieve your SMART goal. Simple but very important to the process.

Don’t forget to set rewards for yourself along the way for staying on track with your weight loss journey! It’s important. Just like chocolate and sugar can light up the pleasure centers in your brain, so can non-food rewards. Your brain doesn’t know the difference, just that you are being rewarded. Your reward can be anything. Say for example, after every 5# loss your are going to reward yourself. A bubble bath, a new outfit, the sky’s the limit! Be creative!

So, set your SMART goal, your interventions (how are you going to get to your SMART goal) and, set your rewards at specific times along your journey! Then GO!

I will see you back here next week! Thank you for spending time with me today.