Coach Me RD

Did you set a New Years resolution last year that didn’t quite come to fruition? Making a resolution is only the first step. Now comes the hard part–making it a reality. You are going to need a plan.

First understand where you ultimately see yourself living this new resolution. Make sure your resolution is not vague but specific. Is it realistic? Is this something that is authentic to you? Will you really do it? Think about how this plays out in your life. Consider your circumstances, your relationships, your environment, the possibilities and the barriers. Put a reasonable timeline on it. If it is to be achieved in phases, consider how long each phase might take. How will you track your progress and when will you know you’ve reached your goal? Do you write in a journal? Check off a list? Mark it on your calendar? Tell a friend?

Next you will need to determine your action steps. What does the first step need to be? Brainstorm the different actions needed and prioritize them. If list making is not your thing, what works? Sticky notes on your refrigerator? Using your refrigerator? Is there “an app for that?” Choose one small short-term action goal to start with; you will be more likely to succeed. For example, if you’ve never exercised on the treadmill you bought three years ago that makes a not-so-lovely coat hanger, instead of setting a goal to walk on it for 60-minutes a day 3 days per week, make an appointment to step onto it at the same time every day for 3 weeks. Once you are on it, you might decide to walk for a few minutes. Regardless whether you do or don’t walk on it, you will have begun to establish a new pattern. Once you have this pattern, you can build on it but adding a certain amount of time you will spend on the treadmill. Once you accomplish even one small goal, you must celebrate it with an acknowledgement of your accomplishment.

If you happen to make simultaneous changes, you may move more quickly toward your ultimate resolution-goal. The point is you will be much more energized to continue in the right direction if you have a series of small victories for which you acknowledge yourself. Consider establishing a trustworthy confidante or partner with whom you can share your victories and remain accountable.

Want help setting your goals and achieving your resolution? Contact Lizette at 503-348-7344, or email coach@coachmerd.com or lizette@damzil.com. First 15-minute laser coaching session for new clients is offered at no charge.

Whether you have fat loss goals or desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as you navigate through the season, expect some days will be better than others.  To ensure more of your days go according to plan, choose to think about what you did not those successful days, measure your progress, and celebrate your victories.  On which days do you tend to focus?  I am suspecting, the days that don’t go quite as planned, when you end up feeling frustrated or disappointed in the choices you made.  If you choose to focus on the more successful days, you may discover what was different about these days that made them successful.  You’ll find it more energizing and enthusing to consider your successes and strengths than failures and weaknesses.  Thinking about your success brings celebration; thinking about failure brings punishment. 

So what do you choose to think about? Emotions and actions can follow our thoughts.  (Thoughts can also follow emotion, but you can influence your emotion by choosing different thoughts.)  Which thoughts are more likely to lead to the actions that result in achievement of your goals?  Consider the result of spending time dwelling on failures and the resulting self-punishment.  Do these thoughts kick you into enthusiastic action?  Maybe for some.  But for many, this causes a delay in ”getting back on track.”  Spend some time reflecting on what has brought you the results you wanted in the past.  What were your thoughts? What were your actions?  What tools did you use?  Focus on the actions that brought success, and choose to repeat these.

If you read Part 1 and have already set up a plan for the season, how do you know you are following your plan?  If you are not sure, or the only days you can remember are the ones that might be considered failures, keeping a journal can help to keep  you on track and bring reality to memory (which really isn’t very reliable).  If you are serious about successful navigation through the temptations of the season, your journal is your best tool.  The most effective journal is one you will keep.  However, including elements such as the time and details of meals and comments about thoughts, emotions, and actions surrounding them will prove useful for choosing to repeat more successful meals, actions, and thoughts.  This will help you identify which meals were satisfying, satiating, energizing and that met your guidelines. You will also be more likely to understand what made them so if you include details about the circumstances surrounding them. 

Part of goal setting and planning is establishing a method of measurement.  How do you know you met your goal or followed your plan?  Keep this in mind when you set your goals, big and small.  Are you weighing on a scale?  Are you tracking how well you are staying within certain food guidelines? Are you keeping a check list or marking completed work outs on your calendar? 

A final word about measurement.  If you find your journalling and measuring is working to keep you on track, don’t stop.  Many stop using these highly effective tools as soon as goals begin to be met.  Does it make sense to stop doing something that is working because it is working?   Most people who have met their weight goals in the past, quickly lose ground when they stop using the simple tools that were working for them.  These tools are as useful for maintaining a healthy weight and wellness lifestyle as achieving these goals in the first place.  Don’t give up. 

I’ll leave you with one more thought.  Celebrate your victories, even your small ones.  But choose your celebration carefully and make it appropriate to the size of the met goal.  A simple self-acknowledgement or sharing your accomplishment with a trusted friend can be a perfect celebration.  So make your plan, measure your progress, focus on your successes and strengths, and celebrate your victories.  Don’t give up and I’ll see you on the other side.

Need help with your plan, journaling, or celebrations?  Lizette can be reached by phone/text 503-348-7344 or email coach@coachmerd.com.

Feel like you’re entering the gauntlet during this season that surrounds us with scents, sights and sounds, enticing you to indulge in every fashion of taste sensation? Make a plan for the entire season, a strategy to guide you successfully through to the other side.

To begin, clearly define your goals. One overarching goal you can clearly define in one short statement will be your anchor to remind you why you make the choices you do. In addition you can set action goals that support that larger goal. Set parameters around which you can have an occasional treat. Make a committment to your goal, look at it every day and plan your choices for that day carefully.

If you currently have a workout routine, make it a priority. If you don’t yet have a routine, start with a simple walking program. Schedule your workouts and honor that schedule as you would honor any appointment. Get a workout buddy with whom you can commit the appointed time. That sense of responsibility not to let your buddy down is a powerful motivator when you “don’t feel like” working out (or whatever else you to which commit). If you need a stronger commitment, get involved with a trainer or a training group. If you simply can’t get to the gym, make an effort to get physical activity into your day: schedule “walking” meetings, take the stairs, park at the farthest end of the lot, get an extra walk in where you can, do a set of jumping jacks/squats/crunches/push-ups while you’re at home waiting for the cookies to bake (make sure you warm up first).

One more idea for today: choose your responses now to tempting offers of food and drink. Have an occasional, well-planned treat, but accepting everying offering will remove you from the success track. It’s easier to give in that to come up with a graceful refusal on the spot. Practice what you will say so you can feel confident in the response when the time comes and avoid default indulgences.

Need help with your plan? Contact Lizette by phone or text at 503-348-7344 or email coach@coachmerd.com.

Lizette DuBay, RD, LD, dietitian and wellness coach invites you to contact her for information on performance nutrition and behavior change for the recreational and competitive athlete.

Offering complimentary 20-minutes consultations to new clients. Request a 15-minute laser-focus coaching session and experience the power of making lifestyle changes in only 15 minutes.

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email: coach@CoachMeRD.com
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