Make the commitment to make the change.

Happy New Year!!  I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year.  I saw in the New Year kid-free (well until 4am lol) and it was great to have a night with hubby and a group of my most loved adults.  So the first blog for 2012 is the perfect time to run through some hints and tips on how to set your goals AND more importantly how to work towards them to make them happen.  If I lost 100g every time I had heard/read the new years resolution "I'm going to lose my baby weight", I would be one very skinny girl lol.  So this blog is aimed for all those mums who have set this as their new years resolution. 

I absolutely dislike the term "new years resolution".  I believe "goal setting" is a much more realistic and achievable approach to staying committed and motivated.  So I am going to run through the process of aiming for and achieving the goal of "losing my baby weight".  I'm going to use myself as an example as I still have 5kg to lose to get back to my pre-babyweight. 
When setting goals you need to be S.M.A.R.T about it.  I have covered this briefly before in previous blogs. 
S - Specific - make it specific, such as a number eg 65kg or to fit back into your fav pair of Pre-pregnancy jeans or to return to your pre-pregnancy weight (remember this WILL take time as your body and hormones have been through alot of stress and changes).
M - Measurable - using a number on the scales or a favourite article of clothing makes your goal measurable.
A - Achievable - DON'T SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE!!  Make your goal achievable to keep you committed and motivated.  If you put on 20kg during your pregnancy and set the goal of being back to pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months, you're setting yourself up for potential failure.  Sure, some mums do drop their weight in weeks.  Others (like me) take months, and months, and months of bloody hard slog to lose it.  Remember also that if your goal is to lose your baby weight, there is one HUGE priority that needs to be considered.  That is your precious little bundle of joy, who on some days I can guarantee will test your commitment to your goal with lack of sleep, lack of time and lack of energy.  As a new mum you must take things slow and not put too much pressure on yourself as bub's priorities and your own health and well being needs to come first. 
R - Realistic - This comes under the same principles of achievable.  If you set the goal of being 50kg, but you haven't been 50kg since grade 10 and your pre-pregnancy weight was 60kg, you are not being realistic. 
T - Time frame - always select a time frame to achieve your goal by ie 4 weeks. 

First of all I'm going to break it down into short term and long term goals.  Short term is usually between 4 - 12 weeks and long term between 6 - 12 months (time frames can differ, this is just as a guide). 
SHORT TERM GOAL - Lose 2kg by my birthday (mid February).
LONG TERM GOAL - Lose 5kg by end of June (6 months) OR Fit into my "skinny skirt".  As I do a bit of weight training I know it will be hard for me to drop the numbers on the scales, and to be honest I don't care about the numbers.  But I know I will hit my goal when I can get back into my last pile of pre-pregnancy clothes.  And I'm being more realistic by having a goal of "clothing" as opposed to "scales" as I have not lost any weight on the scales for weeks now, but I know I have definately lost size and I'm happy with that. 

My "skinny skirt" which I have hanging up in a spot I see it numerous times a day

Setting the goal and time frame is the easy part.  You then need to set some plans in place to help achieve this.  If you don't PLAN, PLAN, PLAN you are setting yourself up for failure.  You need to plan training sessions, you need to plan meals, you need to plan recovery times etc.  I'll run through my plans to help me achieve my short term goal:

*  Complete  a weekly Training Schedule every Sunday night. 

*  Complete the i365 Workout of the day (iPhone application) every day (if I miss a workout I have to make it up).  I will be printing up a table so I can record the workout and my time and keep track of the ones I've missed and need to make up.

http://workout-of-the-day.com/2009/01/17/i365-workout-of-the-day-iphone-app/

*  Monitor and track my calories for the first week to make sure I am staying in line with where I should be.

*  Complete a weekly meal plan (for night dinners) every Sunday night.  I do this on a Sunday night as I usually do my grocery shop on a Monday.  As I plan my meals, I also write my shopping list. 

Example of a training schedule

I'm not going to set too many points, as I need to keep it achievable and realistic, as I will be returning to work next week too so I know life is going to be a whole lot more chaotic!!!

I really hope this helps some of you to achieve your goal this year.  I set up this blog to help inspire others, who like me, have always had to work hard to lose the beloved baby weight.  Please feel free to email me if you want any more advice bh@behotpersonaltraining.com.au I'm only too happy to help :)

Until next time, get those goals set and start working towards them!!  Just think in a months time how awesome it will feel.

Bec