Have you ever had that moment when you look at your to do list, schedule or inbox and feel entirely overwhelmed? Have you ever had a project that you put off because of how long it would take to complete? Fitness and weight loss goals can often feel overwhelming because they are complicated tasks that require an investment of time. If you are like me, you prefer tasks that can be completed quickly and easily (which is likely why diet pills are so popular despite the risks and lack of long-term effectiveness).

Losing 20 pounds, being able to complete 10 pull ups, running a marathon, eliminating trans fats, or being able to terminate certain medications can seem like overwhelming tasks. It is not surprising that so few people actually make changes recommended by their doctors if they believe it would be too difficult. If you can break these tasks into smaller steps, they can seem more manageable.

Instead of contemplating the overwhelming goal of 20 pounds, could you focus on losing five pounds per month or one each week? Can you break it down to eating 100-500 less calories per day?

I am not yet able to do a pull-up. I can complete five to seven with the assistance of a chair, but I had no idea until Tony Horton (of P90X) explained that was an appropriate stepping stone. I continuously push the chair further back and will some day be able to do an entire set unassisted.

Celebrate each day you stick with your plan, every inch closer to a pull-up, every block run while training for the marathon, or every time you choose a food without trans fats. Instead of focing on your long-term goal, keep your mind focused on the next step. Life is happier when you are under less pressure; and when you are feeling less stressed, you are more likely to succeed. You are most likely to stick with a plan if you believe it is manageable.

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Making Weight Loss Goals Manageable

My friend Suzi stated on Twitter that she had not changed the number on her driver’s license when she had gained weight, not out of embarrassment but because she had hoped she would get back to that weight. She announced this on Twitter because she was celebrating that as she went to renew her driver’s license she is back at that weight.

Can you be like Suzi and use the number that was once reality as motivation? First, consider if it is an appropriate weight for you. Your weight as a teenager is likely inappropriate for an adult. Perhaps, the weight that you have listed is from sometime in your adulthood or perhaps there is a weight from adulthood which would be a more appropriate goal. Wouldn’t it be great to know with certainty that when you are asked at the DMV that all the information listed is still correct, or to tell them that your address has changed but be able to state that your weight is correct?

I am proud of Suzi and how she has worked for this achievement, and that she is not stopping here. She has made several small dietary changes which have added up to a large change. She slowly built in an exercise plan and recently completed her first 5k race, raising money for Loving South Africa. She has a few more races planned, including the Indy Mini Marathon with me in May. In just seven months, she has lost 20-30 pounds and seven inches! You can acheive amazing things when you find what motivates you!

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What’s Driving Your Motivation to Lose Weight?

Again, this is a goal to motivate those who need a little extra kick in the butt to get moving. Set a goal for walking 10,000 steps and once you beat that for a week straight, up your goal to 11,000 steps per day.

I trust it would be fairly difficult to calculate the steps in your head or on paper, so a pedometer is very useful. A pedometer is a device that calculates the amount of steps that you take. Most pedometers allow you to set your actual stride length so that it can correctly calculate distances and various other elements. Pedometers come in all shapes and sizes as well as cheap or expensive. You can pick one up for five bucks or you can spent a couple hundred; whatever makes you happy. Good luck, and below are a few examples of how you can achieve your goal.

• Take your dog for a walk

• Go for a stroll with a loved one after dinner

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator

• Park in the furthest parking spot possible

• Mow the lawn with a push mower

• Get up to change the channel instead of using the remote

Ready to get started? Then check-out these pedometers.

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The 10,000 Steps a Day Walking Program

• Buy a new exercise DVD
• Try a new class – if you are walking, try a spin or martial arts class – think outside your comfort zone!
• A new outfit to set off your new shape
• New music for your iPod or MP3 player
• Get a massage. After all, you are working your muscles – isn’t it time to reward them?
• Change your look with a new or different hair style or color, not a complete makeover
• Start a savings account by putting aside a small amount of money for each pound lost – between $1 and $5.  At the end of your weight loss journey, donate that money to your local food bank.
• Do something daring, something you never had the courage to do when you were heavy. What about hang gliding, sky diving, or parasailing ?
• Get a new tattoo or piercing
• Schedule a time to meet with friends in a non-food atmosphere.  Why not catch up while hiking?

What are some of the ways that you have rewarded yourself for all of your hard work?

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10 Ways to Reward Yourself Without Food

In general people do not pay enough attention to how successful and powerful they actually are already. Preparing a healthy lunch rather than stopping at Taco Bell just one day is a major change for that day. A smaller change would be to go to the same eating establishment, but order lighter fare instead of the usual. Too often people do not even consider the accomplishment of altering one’s daily pattern and do not count a change until it is a habit. When you are not giving yourself credit for our achievements along the path to a larger goal, you will feel like you have not made any progress and all your hard work has been for naught. Reaching high goals takes time, but you can progress down the path every day. Recognize what you are doing and what you have done. This will encourage you to keep going and increase your self-esteem.

In the same way, recognizing your achievements can encourage you to undertake even higher goals and take bigger steps at a time. As I started back into my running habit, I remembered how far I had run during the Indy Mini without training or preparation. I doubled my normal first day’s run and felt fine the next day. I realized that my endurance is higher than that with which I was crediting myself, and I immediately achieved more. How much more quickly will I meet my recovery goals at this pace?

It is my guess that you have achieved more than you are considering. How have you been successful in your career? What have you done right? What do you do well on a regular basis? On what aspects do you receive compliments? Highlight your achievements, even the small ones. Every day (or every hour!) take stock of what you have done well. Did you order water rather than soda? Did you take the stairs rather than the escalator? Did you order your dressing on the side? These were conscious choices that took effort and discipline. Well done!

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Are You Already Closer to Your Goal Than You Think?

As you all know, I am a personal trainer and I have trained a young lady for a couple years now. When we started, she had set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight (more than 100 pounds) and her reward for doing so would be to go skydiving. Well, we hit the goal and we hit the air. Good overall experience!! My point is to set a goal and go for it, don’t give up or lose motivation until you hit that certain goal. Hard work does pay off, just ask my client.

I have put together a list of exercises that isolate certain muscle groups that are engaged (legs, shoulder, back, abdominal) during the process of skydiving. So, if you ever get the wild hair to skydive, make sure you try this workout for a couple weeks before you go. I recommend performing two sets of 20 repetitions. Good Luck!!

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The Pre-Skydiving Workout

Did you know that healthy weight loss (depending on how overweight you are) is aimed at 1-2 pounds a week?  You didn’t gain the weight over night so don’t expect to lose it that quickly either.  Know your body, a lot of us will never be a size 0 or 2 so don’t have that as your goal and just because someone is thin does not mean that they are healthy.  I personally have seen the leanest of people scarf down a plate of bacon for breakfast.  Your focus needs to be on getting healthier instead of total pounds lost.

Below are a few tips to keep in mind in your realistic weight loss journey.

• Know it’s going to take time.  Be mentally prepared that you are going to have to be dedicated in order for you to reach you goal.

• Don’t beat yourself up when you slip up.  Slipping up on a diet is normal and will happen.  It’s how you get back on track that’s important.

• As I said before, aim to lose 1-2 pounds a week.  It would be best to meet with a nutritionist or dietitian upon entering this journey.  They are the nutrition experts that you can collaborate with to get personalized strategies and goals.  A broad goal is to eat 500 calories less a day than you are now to promote weight loss (exercising will help you drop weight quicker, too!). If you’re eating 2,000 calories per day, reduce to 1,500 calories per day.

• Set short- and long-term goals.  The long-term goal would be the total pounds you want to drop, where as a short-term goal would be to exercise four times a week.  Achieving short-term goals fuels the fire to attaining the long-term goal.

• Keep track. Keeping a food and exercise journal/log/diary has been proved to aid in successful weight loss and maintenance.

• Have a support system.  Whether it be a significant other, friend, group of friends, or family, you need to surround yourself with positive and encouraging influences.

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6 Tips to Get Realistic with Your Weight Loss Goal

Our thoughts are more powerful than you likely think. Have you ever sat around telling ghost stories? Did you feel scared? Have you ever had a physical reaction while reading a romance novel? Your body responds to your thoughts. Your emotions respond to your body. Although emotions create a physiological change, creating a physiological change can alter your emotions because they are so tightly paired. Research has shown that simply arranging your facial muscles into a smile sends a message to your brain that you are experiencing happiness, and your brain then releases the chemicals that induce happy feelings.

Have you harnessed the power of your thoughts? Do you believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals? Can you visualize what you want to achieve? Do you know how to think yourself happier?

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The Power of Sweet and Sour Thoughts

• Poor Nutrition. Nutrition is just as, if not more important than exercise itself. Finding the right diet for the level and type of exercise routine you are doing is crucial to helping you reach your goals.

• Length of Exercise. Another big mistake is exercising for too long or too short a time. You should find a length of workout time that is suitable for your current level of fitness and goal. This will help you by not over-doing it or under-doing it.

• Unrealistic Goals. Set short-term and long-term goals. Don’t make them too easy or too hard because you will more than likely give up due to lack of motivation. Set a goal that is right for you and go get it!

• Poor Exercise Selection. Lastly, poor exercise selection is huge. Everybody has different goals and styles of exercising. You need to find the proper exercises that fit you, your body, and your goal. Contact a personal trainer, physical therapist, or your physician if you have questions.

Good luck!

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The 4 Most Common Workout Mistakes

Today’s guest blogger is Josh Graston, a fitness enthusiast and triathlete from Sioux Falls, SD who remains active in a variety of sports while striving toward his goal weight.

Josh Graston at the finish line.

More than 70% of Americans report that they are active in trying to lose weight. When most people think of losing weight, they lean primarily toward nutrition. Nutrition is a vital part of healthy weight management, but a proper training regimen is also paramount to long-term success.

The fact is that regardless of your current fitness level or age, you can safely push yourself in the gym. One of my passions has always been doing things that people have said that I couldn’t. Just like in customer service you try to exceed your customer’s expectations, in fitness we try to exceed our own! For most people, the primary goal is going to be losing weight and inches. But having a secondary fitness goal is a great way to stay motivated when the scale stops budging.

The first step is to find what we call a ‘non-scale’ goal. For me, my first non-scale goal was to complete a triathlon. In the beginning even the WORD triathlon scared me. I had never actually completed a single lap of swimming, I hadn’t biked since middle school, and the word run was not in my vocabulary. However, I knew that if I put in the work, completing a triathlon could become a reality.

The next step is to find a plan that works with your current fitness level. Since I was not an endurance athlete, my training plan took a bit longer – 18 weeks instead of 8 or 12. But by using a gradual training plan, I was able to avoid injury, lose weight, and build my endurance before the event.

When race day came I was scared, but I was confident in how prepared I had become. Fast-forward the clock two hours later and I crossed the finishing line busting open my own previously-held physical and mental barriers. My mantra at the finish line was “Impossible is nothing!” and I stand by that to this day.

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Don’t Let Weight Limit Your Health Goals