Welcome to my Wednesday Weekly post in which I pontificate about the WW weekly topic.
In this week's meetings we are discussing making goals that you will actually achieve.
I think we can all relate, right? We set a goal, we want to see it to the end, we have the best of intentions, and then life happens, old habits happen, and we never get to where we want to be, or we find ourselves even further away than when we started in the first place.
So what's to be done?
WW has some tips to get around these obstacles. You can read about them here:
https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/m/cms/article/how-create-goals-future-you-will-actually-do
They also talk about the intention-action gap - meaning, the disconnect between what you want to do and what you actually do. WW says that by having a realistic goal and breaking into small steps it will be more likely you'll achieve it.
They also recommend visualizing how you will feel when you achieve your goal, and visualizing how you will respond to any obstacles can help you as well.
This is all well and good, so let's come up with some concrete examples to help us out. I'll share some real world examples that have worked, and not worked, for me.
Exercise
These tips have helped me to make exercise a permanent part of my routine. My goal was simple - I wanted to work out three days a week (though now I'm up to 5-7 depending on the workout program that I'm doing on BOD). I knew that if I waited until after work I'd be too tired so I wanted to workout at 5 am before work. I also knew that I was not a morning person and a chronic snoozer. So what small steps did I take to make this happen? I put my alarm across the room so I had to physically get up out of bed to turn it off. Then I put my workout clothes right next to my alarm so I'd be ready to go in the morning. I set up a dedicated workout space. These were all very helpful in reaching my goal. But, what about the mornings where I just didn't feel like it? The alarm would go off, I'd walk across the room to get it and seriously think about going right back to bed. I would take a moment and visualize how good it feels to finish a good workout. I used to joke that I wish they could put that feeling in a bottle so I could take it out and smell it whenever I needed that little boost of motivation. But really thinking about the end result was really helpful in keeping me going on the mornings I just didn't feel like it. And now, it's a habit. It has become one of those things I do like taking a shower. But it could easily slip away - I have to continue to choose to make it a priority for myself.
Social Eating
This is a goal that's hit or miss for me. When I have a goal to control my food choices at a social gathering - whether it's eating out or a party - the first thing I'll do is try to figure out what's being served. If it's a restaurant I'll look up the menu ahead of time. If it's a party, depending on how well I know the host I'll flat out ask what's being served, and I'll usually bring something that I won't mind eating. But sometimes, even though I try to visualize myself staying in control of my food choices, or I'll visualize saying no thanks to something, but sometimes it still goes awry. I know what to do, but at some point along the way I'll let go of the goal and just enjoy myself. Of course, this usually results in my beating myself up over it. Maybe I should try to visualize how pissed off I'll be if I stray from my plan, instead of trying to visualize carrying out my plan, lol. Of course, there are times when my goal is not not track a thing and just eat (WDW vacay and LB cookie party I'm looking at you!). And that's ok too. Sometimes, that's the goal that works!
Water
This is a goal that I consistently miss. They say you should drink 1/2 your body weight in water. For me, that's about 66 oz. So what small steps did I take? I bought fun, color changing water bottles, with a straw (it's easier to suck down water through a straw). I downloaded a cute little app that reminds me to drink water. Every two hours my phone alerts me. And yet, every day I fall short by about half of my goal. I tried visualizing how I'd feel reaching my goal - but that's the thing - I don't feel very impressed or satisfied. If I do reach my goal (because some days I do), I'm not super excited or proud. I'm just like "That's nice". So maybe this goal isn't very relevant to me. Which now has me thinking, why is it a goal? Maybe I should just drink when I'm thirsty and leave it at that.
At the end of the day, I think goals need to align with your priorities. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way. If you don't want it, you'll find an excuse.
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