Planning Is A Surefire Way To Achieve Any Goal You Set
Failure to plan leads to disappointment, defeat and giving up
I received this message from one of my clients last week:
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Planning in advance eliminates worry, disappointment and defeat.[/caption]
I made a very bad decision... What do I do? How can I combat these urges? This has been a never ending story for me, and I'm really tired of it. It's like a bad habit that I don't realize I'm doing until its already been done.
Haven’t we all been there? As a personal trainer and lifestyle and wellness coach, I encounter this a lot — my client makes a mistake, many times instinctively. The mistake takes her or him down a spiral of despair, disappointment and defeat, many times leading to giving up on a goal completely. Shoot, this is an ongoing battle for me. It’s always easier to throw up my hands, say I gave an honest effort and move on to the next challenge.
But whenever we fall short of a goal, most times it can be linked to one thing: a failure to plan properly.
Committing To A Plan
We’ve all heard the commonly-used quote, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” But let’s take a little time to actually ponder this message and note how it’s so applicable to our lives. Remember last week when you ate poorly during lunch? That’s because you didn’t plan what you were going to eat for the week. Remember when life got so busy, you looked up and it was Friday already and you hadn’t gone for a run or worked out once? That’s because you didn’t plan for a workout in your day. Notice the pattern?
You will achieve your goals when you make a specific plan to do so. Plain and simple. Here are two ways to keep you consistently on track with your healthy eating and exercise goals:
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Do meal prep at the beginning of each week. Eliminate surprises and “oopsies” by preparing all of your meals in advance. Every Sunday or Monday, cook and store your food in individual containers for each meal of every day for the week. You won’t have to worry about consuming more than your calorie limit because you already know what you’ll be eating for your next meal. Didn’t make time for food prep or have a job that requires you to be on the road a lot? Do a little background work at the beginning of the week and decide where you can eat and what you’ll eat there. Many restaurants’ online menus count the calories for you.
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Plan out your day the night before. Decide when you’re going to workout the next day and block out that time in your schedule. No matter what comes up, that time is reserved for your run or your hour-long cardio class at the gym. Forget trying to “squeeze in” time for a workout. Plan for it and commit.
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