1. Have You Come Up With A Plan?
You know yourself better than anyone. Consider if you are an extrovert or introvert. Are you energised by being with others, or do you need time alone to recharge? Finding a weight loss or exercise that suits your personality and temperament makes you infinitely more likely to stick with it. To introverts, things like walking and running can hold great appeal: it's time out from the demands of others. It provides you with time to reflect, mull things over and decide courses of action. An extrovert is more likely to enjoy team sports, dance classes, boot camps. Consider also if you are a leader or follower: a leader finds it harder to be told what to do and how to do it and may enjoy self direction or the nature of one-on-one programmes where you work with one other. Others succeed with someone else giving them guidance and instruction and feel encouraged by the stories of their peers. One non-negotiable: you must consider becoming and staying active as absolutely imperative to maintaining your new lifestyle, so pick something you can build on and stick with.
2. Have You Set A Realistic Goal?
It's easy to pick a size or number we'd like to be, but whether that is a good goal is up for some debate. Common wisdom is to aim for an initial 10% reduction in weight. This has proven health benefits, and it is a good jumping off point for further goals. My own goal was to achieve a number I would feel happy weighing myself at the Doctor's office at, but I started with the round numbers: every drop to a new number ending in 0 was cause to celebrate!
3. Is Your Support Network Running?
Whether you are a busy parent, a student or an executive: we all have many demands on our time and places we need to be. Some weeks come along and slam you sideways. This is where you need someone in your corner to pick up the slack and enable you to focus on your own goals - a neighbour or grandparent to do the school run so you can squeeze in a workout, a spouse who will make school lunches and get the kids dressed so that early morning run can get crossed off the list, a colleague who will agree to walk with you in your lunch break. You can do it on your own, but it is a lot easier if you don't have to do it on your own all the time!
4. Are You Accountable?
It could be to a personal trainer or coach, it could be to a Nurse in your Doctor's office, it could be to a friend or family member, it could be to the members of an online forum, but we all need someone to tell how we're going. Knowing that you have to tell someone makes it easier to close the refrigerator door at 9pm. They don't need to know specifics if you don't want them to...a percentage, or even just an acknowledgement of a loss or gain is all it takes. It is a great opportunity to inspire others.
5. Are You Prepared For Setbacks?
No one plan is foolproof, there will be times when it all goes wrong. You didn't get to the supermarket, you were up all night with a sick toddler, a friend got a promotion and opened a bottle of champagne. All you can do is count it in and move on. You don't have to be perfect all the time to be successful, you just have to be prepared to accept bad days (or weeks!) and keep on trying.
In the end, it is cultivating a spirit of self belief that will be crucial in order for you to achieve your weight loss goals, and a willingness to keep on trying. Find something that suits you and your lifestyle: I'm sure I'd like stand up paddle boarding, but living far from the ocean and fitting it in with the demands of a young family means workout DVD's I can do while the baby sleeps is more realistic. Be honest about what you want to achieve, and what you can achieve. Enlist the support of someone who will cheer you on and provide you with encouragement. Be ready to take each day as it comes and embrace the concept of making the best of it. Acknowledge no one else can do this for you: it is up to you.
Bridget Roper is a busy Mum, student, writer and advocate for healthy living. She reached her goal weight in 2011, losing a total of 52kg/114lb.
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