Goals Revisited...

I recently read a book called the Body Fat Solution.  It was an interesting read, it rehashed a lot of information that I already knew...the importance of weight lifting, not cutting calories drastically, increasing protein intake.  My biggest take away was from a section on mental training.  It talks about how elite athletes say that they get "in the zone" where it is like their bodies just do what needs to be done without much deliberate thought. It goes a little new agey with the visualizations and the law of attraction type talk, but something in it clicked for me.

One of the tips was to write down your goals...1 year, 6 month, 12 week, 1 week and daily goals.  That was nothing new, but then it said to rewrite them everyday.  The reasoning is that taking the time to rewrite our goals each day refocuses us on the goals. It helps make them a part of our subconscious so that it becomes automatic.

This really clicked and made sense to me.  I have so often wondered how/why people (including me) can follow a diet/exercise plan for months then fall of the wagon and gain the weight back.  I mean they say it takes 21 days to form a habit.  I have done Weight Watchers and exercise programs for waaayyyyy longer than 21 days and yet I always seem to revert back to my previous habits.  I realize that these changes are conscious choices and that we force ourselves to make them with an end goal in mind.  For most of us that means that once the end goal is reached or we get tired of making that choice we go back to our subconscious programming.

One of the awesome examples was driving home everyday and not remembering parts of the ride.  You have done it so often and know the route so well you can do it without even thinking about it.  But when you are going somewhere new it takes deliberate thought and sometimes if the route is similar, we end up at home instead of where we planned to go.

It also clicked because for as long as I can remember if I took notes in a class, I rarely needed to study for a test in that class.  It's like the act of writing it down made it stick in my head.  Why wouldn't that work with my goals too??

The last part was to frame goals in the present tense and as a positive statement.  The power of words is amazing. Writing goals in present tense puts you in a mindset of something being doable.  "I am" is sooooo much more powerful than "I want to" or "I plan to".

1. I plan to workout 3 times/week. (this implies ifs...if work doesn't get in the way, if the kids cooperate, if I find the time.)
2. I am working out 3 times/week. (no if, ands or buts about it)

Positively worded goals bring about a feelings of excitement and joy.  Negatively worded goals feel like a chore.

1. I am going to lose 40 pounds. (makse me think about how long it is going to take and how hard it is going to be.)
2. I will weigh 150 pounds (makes me think of cute clothes that fit well and not being self-conscious in my swim suit)

So I'm giving it a try.  It definitely can't hurt, but if it helps how awesome is that!