Yesterday, I started talking about goals but decided I had more I wanted to say on the subject so I decided to write it as a separate post. It should be common sense that if you are trying to get somewhere specific, it helps to have an idea where you are and where you are going. You could head out without a plan, wandering aimlessly until you hopefully get there… and you might even eventually make it to where you want to go… but it’s much more efficient to use a map. That’s what a goal is.
Staying with the geography analogy, say you want to go to Dallas (not sure why you’d want to, but hey, why not and just for the sake of the story… we’re all going to Dallas). Does wishing you were there get you there? No? Ok. So where is Dallas? Is it west, east, north, or south of here? Well, it depends on where you’re coming from, doesn’t it? How far away is it? Is it on the other side of the world or within walking distance? Once you determine where you are, how do you get there? Will you need an airplane, or can you get there by car? Do you have a teleporter that can take you from where you are to there in the blink of an eye? No? Well, you’ll need to know the route and if there are any landmarks along the way.
Plotting a map for weight loss is much the same. Is it possible to drop from 300 pounds to 150? Sure it is, but it could take a lot longer than dropping to 150 from 170. How far do you have to go? How are you getting there? Can you run a marathon? Walk around the block? Increasing intensity of your workouts could help you get there sooner, but you could also risk injury and setbacks. For me, it has helped to set incremental goals… maybe 5-10 pounds at a time. It’s pretty daunting to look at your weight map and see you need to lose 150 pounds (or more). But can you do 5 pounds? By when? At work I use the SMART model for writing goals and objectives. SMART goals should be:
Specific: Where do you want to go? Setting a goal of “getting skinny” or “being healthy” is a pretty weak target. How much do you want to weigh? Or maybe, what body fat percentage do you want to maintain? You’ll have no idea if you’ve arrived if you’re not really sure where you’re headed.
Measurable: This goes back what I was talking about yesterday with the stuff about documentation as well as the stuff here about maps. And it’s hard. I can tell you from experience that it’s terrifying to get on the scale for the first time in years… or to get a body fat analysis done for the first time ever. But honestly, what you don’t know can hurt you. Know where you’ve started, where you’re going, and take measure along the way.
Achievable: It’s good to have a long range vision of what you want to be, but it’s just as important to have achievable stops along the way. Just like driving 40 hours without stopping to rest or refuel is pretty close to un-achievable, transforming from a couch potato to a marathon runner overnight is not going to happen.
Realistic: You aren’t going to look like a supermodel. Supermodels don’t even look like supermodels. And honestly, if this is about looking hot or trying to be who you were when you were 19… forget it. Well, don’t give up… but take some time to reassess. This is a lifestyle change, not a time machine, those standards are impossible.
Time-oriented: Unless you set a time frame within which you want to achieve these things, it’s not going to happen. It has to be specific, achievable, and realistic… but unless you put in some time parameters, the goal sits out there unattended and in some cases slipping further from your reach.
Some of the talk about SMART goals adds a few letters to make SMARTER goals… and I like the “ER” in this application:
Enjoyable: Going back to the trip to Dallas, how miserable will you be if you drive straight through and don’t make any stops to rest or even enjoy the trip in some way. Make it fun, or you are doomed to fail. You will fall off the wagon. If you spend years, months, or even days depriving yourself of everything you find enjoyable, you will resent every second of the journey and it will become easier and easier to slip back into bad habits. If you are having fun and tasting new and delicious things (literally and figuratively) you will find the trip not only bearable, but…weirdly… kind of fun! So enjoy a side trip to the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota… metaphorically speaking.
Revisit or Reward: Sure hard work is its own reward… but you know what’s also good? Prizes! When I re-started this journey a year ago, I determined where I would stop and look at whether I need to adjust my goals, either by time or specificity, or some other reason… and more importantly… at what points I would get prizes. If only this were third-party funded! We budgeted out some money for the prizes I’d earn along the way. At my -10% mark, I bought a kayak. At -25% I bought a Wii Fit. I’m 4 pounds away from the next prize… a new bike. The only rule we made was that the prizes had to support the new healthy, active lifestyle.
It doesn’t have to be about weight loss. It can be anything. Figure out where you’re going. Figure out how you’re going to get there. Go.
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