It All Starts Here!

You’ve decided to take control of your health, whether you’re a Baby Boomer or older adult–congratulations!  Last week I talked about my 5-step SHINE system, the blueprint for your fitness journey.  As I said, all parts must be in place for your successful wellness transformation.

Today I’ll look at the first step.

A personal trainer can provide the support to help you start your health journey.

S–START BY LAYING YOUR FOUNDATION

Discover your big WHY

“Why?”  It’s that simple: why do you want to …(fill in the blank)?  It doesn’t matter if you desire to lose weight or get stronger.  The key to your success will be to honestly answer this question.  You’ll have to dig deep, because it may not be obvious at first.

Why do you want to invest in going down the road of changing lifelong habits–be they eating or physical activity?  Why do you want to invest the time (we’re talking months initially, then maintaining new lifestyle changes forever)?  What about the money it might cost? Changing lifestyle behaviors takes a lot of effort!  There’s no way around it.

For me, getting in shape and staying healthy means being around as long as possible to enjoy my family, especially the beautiful grandchildren.

Can you find your big “why?”

Develop SMART Goals

It’s important to identify where you want to go, and then to break it down to workable chunks.  The best way to do this is to come up with SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Here’s an example of a client who was overweight and took medications for Type 2 diabetes.  Her first weekly goal was to decrease her soda intake from two 20-oz. servings per day to one.

  • Specific (decrease from one to two)
  • Measurable (track soda intake)
  • Achievable (we’re not asking her to change her entire eating pattern)
  • Relevant (sodas contribute lots of calories and sugar to the diet–important for a gal with Type 2 diabetes who carries extra weight)
  • Time-bound (one week timeframe)

It Takes a Community

One of the best predictors of success in a behavior-change program is support.  That support can take the form of family members, friends, social media groups, gym members, etc.  Buddies can support you in many ways:

  • They help keep you motivated and accountable.
  • Researchers know that people tend to exhibit health behaviors similar to those around them.
  • Buddies can help you through challenging situations, listening without judgement and offering encouragement.

“Stack” the Odds in Your Favor

You’ve identified a specific behavior you wish to change, and you’ve enlisted friends and family for support, but how are you going to make it a habit?

An easy way to establish a new habit is to link it to an existing one–“stacking.”  The theory is that your brain is already wired to do certain tasks every day.  If you tack a new behavior onto a well-established routine, you’re much more likely to accomplish it.

The keys to successful stacking include:

  • Start by making a list of your existing routines, for example, brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, making coffee each day or checking your email.
  • Next, be specific and look for a “stack” that makes sense.  For example, I’ll drink 8 ounces of water every time I check my email, or I’ll take a 15-minute walk after doing the dishes.
  • Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many behaviors.

Parts of this article were excerpted from my new book, Building Your Enduring Fitness.  You can purchase it here!

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