Hot Health Tips

Are You Still On Track?
By Dr. Marissa Bentham

It's hard to believe, but we're now mid-way through 2005! This is a perfect time to review your goals and refocus your energy onto what you want to accomplish this year. For one reason or another, people tend to fall off the exercise "band wagon" during the summer, and inevitably get out of the "habit" of working out. We know that the hardest part of working out and eating right is sticking with it. Do you find yourself drifting from one program to another? Maybe working out for 3 months at a time has become habitual for you. You don't even realize that you have a problem staying committed. Maybe in the past few months you've resolved to cut back on desserts, stop drinking coffee, get into the gym 3 days a week, or cut out sugary foods...but before you know it, you are back to your old ways. Why do you get caught in this "yo-yo" cycle? Perhaps it's because you've lost focus on what motivated you in the first place.

Why do most people seem to follow this routine (excluding those dedicated few)? The problem is motivation. The core of any fitness or nutrition program is staying interested. Our goal and the goal of your Curves staff is to help you stay motivated and keep your momentum going. To stay motivated in the arena of fitness and nutrition one needs to set goals on regular basis. We had mentioned in our January article that we should revise our goals quarterly. If you can consistently practice setting and reviewing your goals--there is no limit to what you can accomplish! There are, however, some key factors that are essential in setting effective goals and achieving results. As you review your goals, pay particular attention to whether or not they meet the following criteria.

1. Goals Need to be SPECIFIC
A specific goal is one that takes the key component of the overall goal and states it. For instance, a goal stating "I want to lose weight" is just not effective. You need to be more specific than that. How much do you want to lose...exactly? Why do you want to lose this weight? A good example is "I want to lose 10 pounds, in 4 months, for my son's graduation!"

2. Goals Need to be MEASURABLE
You need to come up with a goal that is measurable. This could refer to how much you'd like to lose, how many times per week you are going to work out, and/or the number of repetitions you plan on accomplishing in the gym. These goals should push you out of your comfort zone. I want you to work in a place of dis-comfort...because "comfortable" is where you are right now. If you really want to reach your goal and move to a new level in your life, you must break through your comfort zone and practice doing things that are not comfortable...like pushing yourself in the gym!

3. Goals Need to be ACTION-ORIENTED
This means that you have to physically get yourself into the gym and tackle that squat machine! As you already know, it is essential to get in 3 workouts a week to maximize your results. Another important factor in meeting your fitness and weight loss goals is good nutrition. If you want your results to skyrocket, nutrition is the key ingredient. So, an action-oriented step would be to cut out sugary foods and eat 6 smaller meals per day. If you would like more guidance, please refer back to our nutrition articles at www.curveshealthclub.com.

4. Goals Need to be REALISTIC
Obviously with any goal it is important to be realistic with yourself. If you want to lose weight, "10 pounds in 10 days" is probably not realistic. If you're having difficulty determining what's realistic for you, take a look at our "Success Stories" on our Website for some inspiration! In regards to improving your performance in the gym, there is nothing wrong with developing a strategy to gradually increase the amount of repetitions until you reach your goal.

5. Goals Need to be TIME-DEPENDENT
How long will it take you to reach your goal? Is this something you can do in six weeks or will it take six months? I highly recommend that you keep it within six months, because if the goal is to far away it is easy to lose your focus and motivation. This is why we've always recommended smaller sub-goals that will help you reach your ultimate goal. For example, if I want to get into shape for a Caribbean cruise this December, I will first set a smaller goal with a target date in September. (As always, try to find a special event to tie your goal to in order to keep you on track.) Once I reach that benchmark, then I'll get refocused on my ultimate goal!

So let's put this all together now. If you include all five aspects into your power statement, it should look something like this:

"Within three months, I will focus on increasing my repetitions and continue to train at least three days a week at Curves. I will cut out sugary foods, and eat six smaller meals per day. I WILL LOSE 10 POUNDS AND FIT INTO MY FAVORITE JEANS!"

If at the end of the three months you've reached your goal, evaluate how this fits in with your overall goal of looking your best, feeling great, having more energy, and most importantly being healthy! Remember, we are all creatures of habit, but what you may not realize is that there are actually two kinds of habits: doing habits and not-doing habits. Everything you are not doing right now, you are in the habit of not doing. The only way to change this is to set a goal, review it often, and commit to making it happen! We're behind you all the way!