Armed with Info, Now Take ACTION!

As 2009 winds down, many of us in the weight loss blogging community are looking ahead to 2010 and probably thinking about the goals and resolutions we’ll make for the new year.  I know I am.  I have several in mind, one that I’m going to “unveil” on December 28th (do you like that little teaser?).  In keeping with this, yesterday I was listening to old Fat2FitRadio podcasts from the past year while I cleaned the house.

Just as I was about to finish, the first show of January 2009 came on, and the timing really couldn’t have been better.  They titled it The Most Important Show of the Year, and they were right.  The show discussed how to make weight loss goals that would be achievable.  Things I’m sure that many of you have heard or practiced before, but it’s always nice to have a refresher.  Rather than talking about SMART (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely) goals, they said that you should set 3 types of goals:

1. Long-Term Goal – this would be your over-arching goal for the year.  For example, mine is to lose at least 80 pounds by December 2010.
2. Mid-Range Goal – this goal is something that you can accomplish in 3-4 months’ time.  My first one for 2010 is to lose 2 pants sizes by the end of March 2010.
3. Short-Term/Daily Goals – these are the goals that you make that you can achieve each day.  Mine are to drink 8 glasses of water, stay within and track my points, and to move my body in some form or fashion 6 days a week.

They also mentioned that your goals should answer What, When, and How.  And they said that the How is the most important way for you to  stay motivated to reach the What.  For example for my long-term goal:

What: lose at least 80 pounds

When: by December 2010

How: eating within my points (5-6 servings of fruit/veg, 8 glasses of water, multivitamin, lay off the carbs at night, no out-of-control eating), tracking what I eat, moving my body at least 6 days a week (personal training, cardio, Wii, walking), blogging 5 times a week, staying motivated through rewards.

I like this setup of goal creation because it’s simple and easy to follow.  It makes sense.  It hits all of the SMART goal ideas, without being overly complicated.

But it was something they mentioned in the middle of the show that actually resonated with me the most.  They said that people are armed with tons of good information from so many sources, but many of them never reach their goals because they never put that knowledge into ACTION.  Did this hit home for me!  That’s the story of my life for this past year.

Which is not to say that I didn’t take any action in 2009, because I did, but I guess I didn’t take enough action on a consistent basis to see real results.  Because I’m basically ending 2009 the same weight as I was in 2008.  Although I do feel so much stronger, healthier, and more active, which shows progress.  I’m not disappointed in myself, although sure, it would be great to be 80 pounds lighter by now, but as I have said before, I believe 2009  was the year for me to start making my lifestyle ready to lose the weight.  I put a lot of systems into practice that will allow me to succeed. One of my main goals for 2009 was learning and living moderation, and I think I did fairly well with that one.

But now that I’m armed with the knowledge and have put the routines in place to lead a healthier lifestyle, 2010 has to be the year of ACTION.  So that is my mantra for the upcoming year.

Take Action!

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