Whoooooaaaaa! September's here!

Another September is here! It tends to be a time of renewal; starting fresh and making new goals. I must admit, this time of year I tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. In the biz I'm in, it is our "new year"; where Clients come back revitalized after summer with their children. Many work with me through the summer....but for all of them, I like to have new ideas, plans, goals. So on top of helping others with these, I need to sit down and make my own goals to avoid that feeing of powerlessness when you find there is too much on your plate! So I will share with you how I'm going to get through the next couple of weeks - where there is a LOT to do with new programs, ideas, workshops and more.....and hopefully this will be of some help to you!

Choose your goals:

What is it you wish to do? You don't have to stop at one goal..you can have multiple; as long as you don't overwhelm yourself in the process!!

Make them S.M.A.R.T:

This stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. In other words, don't just state you want to lose 30 pounds in 6 months. This doesn't say how you are going to do it, it's not specific enough and there is nothing in the statement to keep you accountable. Perhaps you want to lost "x" amount of pounds or inches; or you wish to be able to play on the floor (and get back up!) with children/ grandchildren. Maybe you want to be able to run a certain amount of distance in a certain amount of time.....or be able to do "x" number of pushups? Goals can be anything! From something like being able to walk up the stairs without losing breath to running a marathon. Pick what it is you wish to do, improve or change and begin small'n'smart!

For instance: "I will exercise 3 x a week for an hour doing (for example) strength training and cardio with an end-goal of losing 10 pounds in 2 months (or whatever your timeline is).

Or perhaps: "My goal is to cut out pop by October 31st. I will begin by decreasing one pop a day for 2 weeks, then decreasing by another pop each week, until I no longer have it as part of my eating strategy".

Write them down:

It has been proven that writing your goals down is super-effective. Why? A couple of reasons. One is that it makes you more accountable to yourself if you put it on paper. Your goal will seem more "real" in a sense. The other is that by taking the time to write it, you are thinking about it - and visualizing yourself being successful; it pumps you up for success! Another reason I believe it helps is it gives your brain a break. By taking the thought out of your head and writing it down...you feel less overwhelmed. There is less in your head and you can be far more productive.

Take baby steps:

Don't make your goals so large that they are just too impossible. There is something to be said for small successes - they are so VERY important and each small success adds up to the end result. So don't go for the gusto right off the bat. Many have failed, given up and felt disillusioned by doing so. Make each step small; so you can accomplish it and go on to the next one....with each step being conquered comes more confidence and more desire to succeed and before you know it - you will be slamming through that goal in no time!

I hope this has been of some help. It's been almost cathartic for me too! Writing down the steps has allowed me to take a deep breath so I am now going to practice what I preach and write out my SMART goals! I wish you luck! Let me know if you have any questions......

Yours "shining" in health,
CM