A Participant’s View: Smart Goals & Strategies

In this week, which is called “Week Two” but is really the first week of putting the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less philosophy into action, I looked back on the week(s) before and planned ahead for the week ahead.

1. I did my homework:
   1. I filled out the Eat Smart, Move More Weigh Less Online Weekly Tracker for the week before Session one, marking how many days in the last week I had done things like eaten at least 1 1/2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables, and participated in conscious exercise.
   2. Put together a Buddy Chart for me and my buddies which was pretty much like the booklet Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less had sent me, but is on Google Docs,  so that my buddy and I can see each other’s entries.  There is a place for each of us to put our actual strength -training exercises and type of aerobic exercise we are doing, and a spot to check them off each day that we do them.
2.  I chose my strategy for the week
   1. I decided to pay attention to portion sizes and weigh or measure so that I could record accurate calories on My Fitness App.
   2. And I decided to concentrate on my strength training … mostly to help my upper body strength.

This is where the “healthy” part of moving more kicks in.  I realize that now that I am over 65, I am beginning to lose muscle mass.  And, I’d like to be able to get down under the table to pick up something I dropped…OR.. get in and out of a kayak, without hearing myself sound like that lady on TV who fell and can’t get up.  I’d like to be able to push myself up on my knees (or on my butt) without groaning too much and without having to grab onto someone or something.

To help me build my core and arm muscles,  I am doing 20 push ups, 20 sit ups, and 20 “chair squats” , 20 curls, and 5 squat thrusts, and holding plank for 45 seconds – at least 5 days out of the week.

The photos for this week show me pretending to work on my upper body strength by “flying an old -timey plane” while visiting an aviation museum (A)  and doing some real arm bends (B).   I was traveling and forgot to bring my weights, so I used water bottles.

And, of course, at the end of this week, I weighed myself and went to class.

Thumbs up, on both!

Here are my notes from Session 2, and my SMART GOAL for the program, and my Strategy for the upcoming week.

Setting your program goal

Your goal often has something to do with the pounds you’d like to lose over the 15 weeks.   If you are already at the weight you want to be, then the goal would be more about maintaining your current weight. But the goal can also be about changes you’d like to make in a clothing size or could be about fitting into something in your closet that you haven’t fit into for a long time. We will work on strategies  to reach your goal should change each week – they should be action steps you are taking to reach your goals. But  long-term goal  (within and beyond the program ) should be ultimately about health, not really just about weight.

Rachel shared something in her life which helped form her resolve to not only be healthy herself, but to help others learn how to achieve a healthy life.  She talked about when she was in college, she learned that her grandfather —who had seemed resolute throughout his life that he could do nothing about his diabetes — could have probably taken more control of his health…because he had type 2 diabetes, and not type 1.  But, no one ever told him that he could manage it somewhat and be healthier and happier than he was.

What are realistic weight goals?

Women – 1/2 to 1 pound a week

Men – 2 lbs a week might be do-able

Don’t plan to lose more than 10% of your weight. If you wanted to lose more than a pound ( or two, if male) a week , you’d need a physician.

SMART Goal

Your goal should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable,Realistic, and Timely.

Set a goal of lbs you plan to lose in the 15 weeks; but remember, no more than 1 lb a week for women and no more than 2 pounds a week for men. Rachel asked us all to think of what is motivating us to be healthier and perhaps incorporate that into the SMART GOAL as well. Don’t forget — PLAN, TRACK, BE MINDFUL.

My Strategies:

• SMART GOAL for program –  I plan to be able to fit into the size 12 black dress hanging in my closet and wear it to the holiday party in early December, by losing 12 pounds and getting firmer through my strength training.

• Strategy for the week: Remove the high fat, high calorie food items from my pantry and refrigerator.