How to Plan and Achieve a Healthier You

So...it is a new year, and you have decided it's time to be a healthier you.  You need a plan, and not just any plan, but a good one!

To do this, look at where you are now and then consider all the things you would need to achieve the goal you envision.  For instance, you may need to buy all those supplements you have been wanting to try or join a gym to become more physically fit. 

 Or maybe you need more education or a specific program to assist you in becoming healthier.  Then you realize there are too many options, so you do nothing. 

Remember to focus on creating small steps or goals that are workable instead of one overall goal.  If you create a manageable framework of a few goals, then it is easier to achieve.  You know the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant?"  The answer is, "One bite at a time."  If your elephant is too big, it is too overwhelming to get started.

With that in mind, you need to break those smaller steps down even further. Now, the objective is to look at the smallest possible steps that you need to take. Maybe a daily goal or perhaps a weekly goal. Say your long-range goal is to have a body like Jennifer Aniston, then the smallest daily step is simply diet and exercise. 

Look around. Make a commitment to find a training plan and diet that works for you.  Then, make a quality decision to stick to that plan every single day without fail.  Make the goals easy to accomplish, but ensure that you take positive—even small—steps in the right direction. 

This is the key, the primary directive.  You’ll imagine that vision and let it motivate you when the times get rough. But you will forget anything other than the daily target. Right now, that is all that matters. 

Dream/Vision (Overarching Goal) > Plan (Stepping Stone Goals) > Daily Target (Daily/ Weekly Goal) 

So why is this change in thinking so important? Focusing too much on a distant goal will make you too detached from what you’re trying to accomplish. 

For instance, if your only ‘goal’ is to become healthy, you lack any real structure or realistic plan. 

This will make it very hard for you to strive toward your goal. It is very easy to get lazy, take shortcuts, or even forget all about it. Even if your goal is more specific and time-sensitive – such as losing 20lbs in 4 months – you are still too detached from it.  Why?  Because: a) you might still think it’s okay to skip a workout or b) cheat on your diet one day, and then it's easier to 'put off’ the goal. 

For example, you might give up if you have 1 month left and are still no lighter.  Or what if you stick to the plan as much as possible but still don’t see the desired results?  How disheartening is that?  So, instead, the goal is the target.  You focus just on that one day. 

You either succeed or fail. It is entirely your decision. Please do it for yourself, not because someone else suggests you do it or suggests you need to do it. It’s entirely your responsibility, and no excuses cut it. But if you keep focusing on the daily targets, you will find that the overarching vision takes care of itself. It’s like building a house brick by brick or eating an elephant one bite at a time. 

One: Keep your daily targets easy to accomplish.  Introduce them slowly.  Don’t be in a rush to get anywhere.  It is better to just start to enjoy exercise than let yourself get burned out or put off. 

Two: Keep track of the days you succeed and lose.  Jerry Seinfeld uses this technique and calls it ‘the chain.’ 

Every day, he accomplishes what he sets out to do and puts a big cross on his calendar.  This is rewarding and addictive in and of itself, and his desire to ‘not break the chain’ is reportedly enough to keep him from giving up. 

Three: Use the most practical and proven methods to achieve your goals.  You must also believe in your plan. 

Why are we willing to go to work every day but not work on a plan we enjoy and that could make us more prosperous?  Simple.  When we go to work, we get paid.  You need a similar plan.   Something that will help you get where you need to be, at least in your mind. So you need a reward!  Please don't say, "If I lose five pounds, I splurge on eating my favorite dessert."  Instead, say, "If I lose five pounds, I'll treat myself to a day at the spa!"

Four:  Say daily affirmations out loud to yourself. If you don't know this already, we, as women, are verbal creatures. We are designed that way. We have a lot of white matter in our brains that has to be fed with verbal cues. Start with four positive affirmations about your goal.  Each morning, say something like, "I see myself wearing that bathing suit I bought two years ago," or "I love how I feel when I know I'm eating right."  Then, follow up with four affirmations at the end of the day about what you did to meet your goal.  "I made time in my schedule to go to the gym today. I'm on my way to my goal."  "I made it through the day avoiding sugar."  Then pat yourself on the back!

And finally: Don’t get disheartened if you miss one day.  The aim is not to, of course.