Do you ever feel like you need some assistance to reach your goals? Following are some tips that can help you:
First, what is it you want to accomplish? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to add muscle? Do you want to reduce your blood pressure or relieve stress?
What I find works well is to focus on positive thoughts, such as, “I want to maintain body fat of a certain percentage,” or “I want to wear the cute jeans I bought from the second hand store,” rather than focusing on losing 10 pounds in order to do so. This creates a positive thought to focus on rather than a negative. Focus your energy on what you want, not what you don’t want.
Next, what are your reasons for wanting to make a change? Decide what reasons are motivating you and it write them down. It can help you to work toward your goal. Be patient with yourself and forgiving. Find balance in your life. If you become obsessed with losing weight, or whatever your goal is, it can end up being more discouraging to you than not. You do need to be committed to the goal and keep your mind on what you want to achieve, but you also need to have some down time from thinking about it.
Plan! What barriers have you run into in the past that kept you from your goal? Write down what you want your life to look like and the steps that you need to take to create that in your life. Get a workout program down in writing and track what you do each day and keep a food journal.
Make sure you have a support system. Tell people you care about what you want to achieve and why. This is also a good reason to hire a personal trainer, someone to help you be accountable. Maybe you need some help setting realistic yet challenging goals in the first place. A trainer can also help you to make sure you are using proper form, lifting enough weight or doing enough cardio (or if you are doing too much), and can help keep your workouts interesting and fun.
(Right now we have a special for new clients at the YMCA until April 30th- 3 personal training sessions for $99- which is a great deal). We also offer Wellness Coaching as a free part of YMCA membership. A Wellness Coach can help you set goals, set up an electronic program to track your workouts called Mobilefit, help you learn how to use equipment, be a support person for you as you work toward what you want to achieve.
If you ever have any questions or need encouragement, you can also e-mail me at ejones@ymcadallas.org.
Blue Ribbon News special contributor Liz Jones is the Membership and Wellness Director at the Rockwall YMCA, located at 1210 N. Goliad. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership.
She is trained in Reiki, Guided Imagery, and various healing methods. She has trained in Shotokan karate, other forms of martial arts and self-defense.
Connect with Liz Jones at ejones@ymcadallas.org or 972-772-9622.
More from Liz Jones:
- Change in season, change your life
- To run or not to run, that is the question
- Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself
To submit your news and events or a guest column on your area of expertise, email editor@BlueRibbonNews.com.
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