Think All You Want

So many people keep thinking about making changes. They think about eating healthier. Or think about making a better choice at a restaurant. Or, my favorite, many people think about getting healthy after the next vacation. But when it comes right down to it, you can think all you want but if you don't actually do it, then it doesn't matter! Thinking about it is definitely a good first step, but 95% of people stop right there. They keep thinking about what they should be doing or thinking about what could happen or thinking about if they did something. I am telling you right now you can think all you want but until you actually start doing you won't see any changes and you won't reach your goals.

So how do you go from thinking about it to actually doing it? There are lots of ways and I will give you some tools that I hope will help you get off the "thinking chair" and into the "doing lane".

1. Write out your goals. Take those goals and create immediate (in the next 1-2 weeks), short (1-3 months) and long term goals (6+ months). But don't stop there. Dig into each of those goals and make a plan. Plan out how you are going to get there. For example:

•  Immediate goals: start to make better food choices, workout more often
• Plan: get rid of all of the junk food in the house, clean out refrigerator, make a menu plan (sit down on Sunday afternoon for 2 hours to plan our meals for the week)
• Plan: schedule in 2 workouts a week into my calendar with a reminder. Treat it like the most important meeting in the world.

2.Write out a plan for all of your goals. Then don't just set this paper aside. Take a picture of it so you always have it in your phone. Fold it up and keep it with you, or set it by your bedside to review the minute you wake up and the minute you go to sleep.

3. Make a list. The most successful people will actually take these goals and plans and then make a list and set dates and deadlines. Make it more detailed to include daily tasks and cross them off. This fuels your drive for success! And when you cross things off, and check them off as done, you not only feel more successful but you are more likely to keep going!

Think about WHY. Another way to stop thinking about it and actually start doing it is to take your goals, and really think about what it is that you want and WHY you want it. So if your goals are to lose 20 pounds and eat better and workout more, WHY do you want to lose 20 pounds. WHY do you want to eat better? WHY do you want to workout more? If I want to lose 20 pounds because I have a trip coming up and I know that the only way I am going to do that is to eat better and workout more... that isn't going to work. Re-read that. You read it correctly. That "WHY" is going to back-fire and it isn't going to work. If you have ever set a goal that is superficial like that: for a reunion, or a wedding, or a trip, think about if that was good enough. Did you reach that goal? More importantly, did you keep it off? Probably not. That's because those superficial short-term WHY's don't work. They don't dig into why you really want these things. When I had 140 pounds to lose I didn't just think about doing it, I actually did it. I set goals and did it. To lose that last stubborn 15 pounds, I again thought about why I wanted to get rid of them. It wasn't just because I wanted to have a healthier body fat, and look better in my swimsuit. It was because I wanted to NEVER, EVER, EVER again feel down about myself and have such low self-esteem for not reaching my goals and for not liking my body. I wanted to always feel good about my body, my image and then portray that onto my children. I wanted to once and for all reach my goals, not give up and teach my children that being healthy is a lifestyle. I want to teach them these skills so they never feel the way I felt when I was heavy. My WHY is for my longevity of my life, my health and my kids' health. My WHY is so much bigger than the now and the next trip, it's about the rest of my life being healthy and happy and able to do whatever I want, to be as active as I want and to go on trips and not having it always revolve around my weight and food. That is a powerful WHY. And it is finding your WHY that will help you realize how to stop just thinking about it and actually do it.

Do you have the tools, the resources and the support to do this? If you answered no, then you need to get in touch with me. That is what I do. I help you figure out the best course of action to help you reach your goals. Whether that be through personal training, nutritional coaching or meal planning consultations. Don't do it on your own if you don't have to. It's easier with a network of support and someone encouraging you and being your ally. So stop just thinking about it and reach out to me to help you start doing.

Just knowing how to lose weight and eat healthy doesn't mean you are actually going to do it. What is it going to take to get you to stop thinking about it and actually do it? A person who knows how only has the knowledge, but the person who knows why will always be empowered to reach their goals and be successful for a lifetime.

P.S. Ask me about the AMAZING PROMO on my nutrition program going on this week only (ends 10/26)!

Laura Gifford
Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach
laura@fitnesswithlaura.com
763-248-6574 cell