What is your personal wellness goal this year?
Posted by Jessica Messenger on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 @ 02:24 PM
Guest Blog: Scott Andrews, Engagement Manager at Preventure
You might have started off the New Year by announcing, "I'm going to lose 30lbs this year!" It seems appropriate; a new year, a new resolution - means a new you. "Right?" says your wellness coach, "Maybe not."
Let's take a look at where you’re focusing your energy. Are you focused on the outcome goals (things you don't have direct control over) or are you focused on performance goals (things you directly control)?
It's something thousands of people do every year. What are you really accomplishing this year that you didn't last year? Wait, I know, this year you're going to keep the weight off (outcome goal). But, how likely is that to happen? You start off great. You go walking, running, you're eating healthy, get lots of rest and drink plenty of water. But before the geese fly north for the summer you get bored with being healthy. Now you start to let negative thoughts creep in. Things like: "It's too much work to make lunches the night before", "I'm too tired to get out of bed to exercise in the morning". Before you started you set yourself up for failure because you either reach your goal or you don't; even though you didn't have direct control. Performance goals on the other hand are more realistic goals. These are things we have direct control over.
For example; if you don't eat breakfast, don't exercise, eat a bowl of ice cream every night a 9pm the outcome is that your weight will go up. You didn't directly cause your weight to go up, it happened because you didn't control your performance. Consistently control your performance and you influence your outcome.
Ask yourself a couple of questions: How does it feel when you miss your expected weight loss goal for the week or month? Do you feel like giving up on your resolution? Yes? How much different would you feel if you focused on a realistic lifestyle change (performance goal)? You decide what you are willing to change about your lifestyle. Let's use breakfast as an example. You've determined that you don't eat breakfast everyday and that it is something that you should start doing in order to be healthier. You've been to the market to stock up on cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. Now you're into your second week when you realize you left the house without eating breakfast. What now? Do you feel like you failed or do you simply eat breakfast the next day? I'm willing to bet that if you simply started fresh again the next day, that you wouldn't feel too bad. However, if you weighed yourself and didn't lose as much as you wanted to, that you would be ready to give up. You can fill in any example to satisfy the same scenario; exercise, snack choices, lunch menu, portion size, etc.
Keep in mind that the problem with outcome goals is that it doesn't mean that you've made any realistic changes to your lifestyle habits and choices. So that once you meet your goal, you start to believe that you can go back to living the way you did before you reached your goal. Once you do, your weight, in this scenario, starts to go back up.
Change lifestyle choices and you change a lifestyle habit. Make a healthy habit and you're healthier for the rest of your life!
Scott Andrews, MSS, ATC
Scott Andrews is an Engagement Manager with more than 15 years experience as a health care professional. For more information contact him at: sandrews@preventure.com