By setting goals, I am forcing myself to make sacrifices to improve on certain aspects of my life, but the trick in setting goals is this ; set them too high or too vague and you will break it or not achieve it very quickly and come down to earth. Setting it too low, and you will feel that you have not really achieved anything. So the main essence of setting resolutions are :
1. Set real, achievable goals within this year 2011.
2. Break them down into personal, family, business and financial
3. DO NOT set vague goals such as "I want to lose weight" this year. Set measurable goals
such as "I want to lose 3,4 or 5 kg" this year and with that goal in mind, then break it down
further into current weight, monthly reduction (say 1/2 kg), quarterly reduction (1 kg) and
yearly reduction (4 kg).
Coupled with the goal of, say, losing 4 kg in 1 year, you should then make real plans to lose
that 4 kg. For me, it would be a combination and reinforcement every meal to eat 1/2 a
bowl or rice when previously it was 1 bowl.
Then, I would start a walk/run program for 4 to 5 times a week each alternate day, no
excuses. Starting with1/2 hour walk, each day to slowly making it to 1/2 hour run and
increasing the run time and distance time slowly bit by bit.
Do a run log and write how your run went. What was the weather like and were you
struggling or pleased with the run after you finished it ? Find a partner to motivate you and
you have no excuses not to wake up early to go for that run.
4. Set up these realistic goals and review them every week, fortnight and month and so on.
5. Give yourself a small reward once you hit the small goals. Go and have a pizza once you
have lost say 2 kg. Stay off alcohol and binge parties. They do you no good. !!
6. Surround yourself with people who will motivate you or like minded people. If you want to
quit smoking, do not hang out so much with your smoker friends and try to go to the gym or
sports center and make new friends there.
7. Convince yourself by finding role models who have successfully achieved the goal of
losing 5kg or quit smoking and ask them for reassurance or moral support.
8. Can you 'backslide', well that depends on the circumstance, for sure, it is never easy to quit
smoking and then BANG, once Chinese New Year or a stressful period comes, you hit the
packs again.
9. Find another activity to do - instead of snacking, or smoking go and read a book or go for a
run - this replaces your focus point with another activity ; convince yourself that the new
activity is much better and REINFORCE that belief.
Since I lost weight by running, I have looked better, am more healthy, suffer less gastric problems and made many more new friends through running groups, marathons and also like minded colleagues. So, I can say that my resolution to start running and lose 5 kg around 10 years ago has reaped benefits.
1 comment:
Thanks for the informative. Fantastic blog. Congratulations!!!
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