Ugh. Did the title of that post make you not even want to read any further?
That word has some ugly connotations, most often associated with "failure," right?
The time most people make the most goals is for New Year's. Only we call them "resolutions." Then on January 5th when the holidays are over, the bills are due, the decorations taken down, kids are back in school and we return to work, what's left? Broken resolutions ... either because we didn't have time, or we set unrealistic expectations.
Here are some ideas on making SMART goals without it seeming like a fright fest at Halloween.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Time-bound
Be specific in your goal. If for example your goal is weight loss, don't simply say you want to lose weight. Say exactly how much you want to lose. That goes along with making it measurable. Don't make it an amount that's so much it seems insurmountable, and give yourself a time goal to do it in.
Compare these two statements:
"I'm gonna eat healthier so I can lose some weight."
versus
"I will lose 10 pounds by the end of February. I will do this by making healthier food choices, throwing out the junk food and buying fruits and veggies instead, exercising a minimum of three times a week and holding myself accountable to a friend."
Which person will lose the weight she wants to?
Goals are awesome to document because it gives you something to work towards. The scary part about saying them out loud is that we all know there's a potential for not achieving them as we'd like to, and then we equate that with failure. It's only failure if you give up.
To keep trying is to keep achieving.
A setback does not equal failure and is not an excuse to give up. It just means you get another chance.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Making It Fun
We all know we're supposed to exercise. And sometimes that's exactly what makes it the easiest thing to put off -- the fact that it's a "have to" not a "get to." When something is an obligation, it's easy to put more fun and enjoyable priorities in front of them.
So let's change our cumulative mindset. If being more active (call it exercising if that term doesn't turn you off) would be easier to do by having more fun doing it, how can you turn it into a fun experience?
Spring is here -- maybe you could take a walk in your neighborhood...not for the exercise aspect, but to enjoy seeing the new plant life, blossoms, active animals -- whatever would bring you joy in that walk.
We can't all build a gigantic piano on stairs:
...but if you know taking the stairs vs. the escalator will give you more activity that day, then find a way to make taking the stairs fun. Sing your favorite song while you walk up them and smile while you're doing it! People will want to know what you're singing and laughing about and it will become contagious!
Find a friend to do SOMETHING with -- play frisbee, go to the gym, whatever! If it's someone you like being with, you're twice as likely to have fun.
Play -- a word from the previous paragraph. Playing isn't exercise, right? It's just fun. Find something you like doing and do it some more.
Go to the gym -- if you can't find a friend who wants to go on a walk with you, make a new friend at a group exercise class at your local gym.
Make yourself a new playlist on your iPod or whatever music player you use. If you use songs you love the time will pass more quickly.
What works for you?
So let's change our cumulative mindset. If being more active (call it exercising if that term doesn't turn you off) would be easier to do by having more fun doing it, how can you turn it into a fun experience?
Spring is here -- maybe you could take a walk in your neighborhood...not for the exercise aspect, but to enjoy seeing the new plant life, blossoms, active animals -- whatever would bring you joy in that walk.
We can't all build a gigantic piano on stairs:
...but if you know taking the stairs vs. the escalator will give you more activity that day, then find a way to make taking the stairs fun. Sing your favorite song while you walk up them and smile while you're doing it! People will want to know what you're singing and laughing about and it will become contagious!
Find a friend to do SOMETHING with -- play frisbee, go to the gym, whatever! If it's someone you like being with, you're twice as likely to have fun.
Play -- a word from the previous paragraph. Playing isn't exercise, right? It's just fun. Find something you like doing and do it some more.
Go to the gym -- if you can't find a friend who wants to go on a walk with you, make a new friend at a group exercise class at your local gym.
Make yourself a new playlist on your iPod or whatever music player you use. If you use songs you love the time will pass more quickly.
What works for you?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
When 2% Equals 38%
One of the most important things you can do when you're trying to watch what you eat is to know how to read food labels. The most shocking example I can think of for this is 2% milk.
The common perception is that when you buy 2% milk in the store, it means the milk you are getting only has 2% fat in it. That's because the pretty pictures on the front look something like this:
What a savvy consumer needs to do, rather than be taken in by the marketing information on the front, is to turn the product around and read and interpret the information on the nutritional label.
Let's take a look at the actual label for 2% milk.
The percentages down the right side mean how much of your daily intake you're getting from one serving. Those percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. If you are actually trying to lose weight, you probably need less than 2,000 calories per day, so that's the first thing to be aware of.
The key things to look for here are calories and fat from calories. The rest of it is simple math. Divide the "calories from fat" amount by total calories: 45 / 120 = 37.5%.
And there you have it. The total fat in 2% milk is actually 37.5% of its total calories. That formula works for any food product.
No, the milk board is not lying when they say that 2& milk is lower fat. It IS lower fat than whole milk.
But that fat content is much much higher than 1% or skim milk. Skim milk really IS fat free, as its label will attest. It has 80 calories, none of which come from fat.
You should have three servings of dairy (skim or low-fat) products (three cups) per day. Milk and dairy products provide an easy source of calcium. Obviously if you're lactose intolerant or something similar you need to seek another easy source of calcium. So get your dairy, but be wise about it. Read the label!
The common perception is that when you buy 2% milk in the store, it means the milk you are getting only has 2% fat in it. That's because the pretty pictures on the front look something like this:
What a savvy consumer needs to do, rather than be taken in by the marketing information on the front, is to turn the product around and read and interpret the information on the nutritional label.
Let's take a look at the actual label for 2% milk.
The percentages down the right side mean how much of your daily intake you're getting from one serving. Those percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. If you are actually trying to lose weight, you probably need less than 2,000 calories per day, so that's the first thing to be aware of.
The key things to look for here are calories and fat from calories. The rest of it is simple math. Divide the "calories from fat" amount by total calories: 45 / 120 = 37.5%.
And there you have it. The total fat in 2% milk is actually 37.5% of its total calories. That formula works for any food product.
No, the milk board is not lying when they say that 2& milk is lower fat. It IS lower fat than whole milk.
But that fat content is much much higher than 1% or skim milk. Skim milk really IS fat free, as its label will attest. It has 80 calories, none of which come from fat.
You should have three servings of dairy (skim or low-fat) products (three cups) per day. Milk and dairy products provide an easy source of calcium. Obviously if you're lactose intolerant or something similar you need to seek another easy source of calcium. So get your dairy, but be wise about it. Read the label!
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