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Weekly Planner
Goal Setting
It is recommended you follow the SMART format for goal setting, to make sure you set specific and meaningful targets (3).
For example:
“I had a goal to lose weight, so six months later I hopped on the scales and found that I lost 100 grams, so technically I had satisfied my goal!”
But did it really satisfy what you wanted to achieve? A better example of a weight loss goal would have been:
“I want to decrease my body weight by five kilograms in 10 weeks time (XX/XX/XX) to help me keep up with my nephews when they come to stay with me. Once achieved, I will reward myself by getting a full body massage.”
Example Strategies:
- Commit to three half hour bike rides per week
- Commit to three half hour weight training sessions per week
- Reduce alcohol intake to two mid strength beers per sitting
- Only drink alcohol on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
- Have a high fibre cereal Monday - Saturday of the week
- Only dine out (lunch/dinner/breakfast) twice a week
The above goal is very specific, as it states what is going to be achieved (lose weight). It clearly states the motivation for achieving the goal (to keep up with nephews). There are strategies in place to work towards achieving the goal. It is measurable as there is a numerical value to the goal (5kg’s) and it’s attainable as it’s based on a weight loss of 0.5kg’s per week over the 10 weeks. There is a set criterion to establish how the end result meets expectations. The strategies selected are attainable, as they are well within the person’s capabilities and, importantly, there is a set timeframe to achieve the goal by and a reward for making the achievement.
The SMART format for goal setting:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Reward
Time bound
Specific
By writing down specifics it helps you to clearly define what we are going to achieve.
Specific is the What, Why and How:
WHAT are you going to do?
WHY is this important to achieve?
HOW are you going to do it? (Your strategy that you need to commit to)
Measurable
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it (3). Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see if a change has occurred. You can add another field to gauge how successful you’ve been, eg. poor, average, good or excellent (3).
Attainable
If you set goals too far out of reach, then you probably won't commit to achieving them. Sometimes you need to break goals down so you can check your results more frequently to make sure you are on track. Even though you might start with the best intentions, feeling that the goal is too hard can stop you from giving it your best effort. But it shouldn’t be too easy! A goal should stretch your abilities slightly so that you feel you can do it, if you really give it a go. And your success should hopefully keep you motivated!
Attainable is not another word for ‘easy’. In this case, it means achievable. The tools and skills you need should be available and should compliment your strategy. An attainable target may push the capabilities and resources available however shouldn't exceed them (3).
The goal needs to be realistic for you at this moment in your life. Don’t get caught up in trying to be as fit as you were in your youth. You might have once been able to run 10 km in under 40 minutes, but this might not be appropriate for your age/condition now.
Another unrealistic goal is to “never again eat sweets, cakes, crisps and chocolate”. There is no need to banish these items. They are simply reward items that should be enjoyed in moderation. Instead, try limiting them to just once/twice per week. Pick a sweets night, or a drinking night. Or you could have quota of how many portions you eat in a week.
Reward
To achieve your goals sometimes sacrifices have to be made. The result at the end of the day is hopefully worth it! Just to make sure, pick a reward for when you achieve you goal. A reward will help give you that little bit extra motivation.
Time bound
Set a timeframe for the goal. A set time period makes it easier for you to commit by giving you a clear target, and helping you to assess your progress along the way (3). Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start making the changes (3).
Weekly Planner
Have a weekly planner to help you commit to your strategies. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail (3). You should plot your regular routine so you can identify when you have time to do the activities needed to achieve your goals. It’s also a great time management tool, and may help you squeeze more into your week.
Plot when you plan to:
To Do List
You may find it easier to have a ‘To Do List’ of activities that you need to do during your day. A checklist should help motivate you to complete your activities and also help to ‘jog’ your memory. It’s also a good idea to rank these activities by importance. Less important activities can be carried over to the next day (preferably not exercise routines!). If there are activities you don’t particularly enjoy doing, get them out of the way early so you can get on with your day.
Exercise Plan
Exercise can sometimes be overwhelming, so start slowly. It’s a good idea to seek expert advice or join a supervised exercise program. Medicare may provide some limited cover, compensating you for some visits to exercise professionals, depending on your situation. You can ask your GP for a referral to an exercise specialist.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What days are you going to exercise?
- What time of day do you plan to exercise?
- What is the duration of each session?
- Where are you going to exercise and what equipment do I need?
- Are you going to exercise by yourself, with someone else or at a club?
Exercise Logging
Establish a routine so you have a time and destination to commit to. It’s too easy to say ‘I’ll do that later’ because before you know it’s the end of the day. Another common excuse is ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’, but tomorrow never comes. If you want to see results you’ll need to be consistent with your physical activity and team it with healthy eating. Physical activity should be an ongoing commitment. It can go a long way towards maintaining a healthy weight, and will give better results than experimenting with short term fixes like fad diets and/or exercise routines.
What days are you going to exercise?
Try to develop a routine and plan ahead. Know when you have to pack extra clothes appropriate for physical activity. If you have to go home to pick up your gym clothes then you may be tempted to stay there, skipping your exercise session. Pick days that are realistic. Consider doing two things at once, like riding your bike to work. If you miss a planned session, try to make up for it, otherwise ‘slacking off’ might become a habit.
What time of day do you plan to exercise?
Perform physical activity at a time of day that suits you. Mornings are ideal for some as you can tick it off the ‘to do list’ straight away. But if you prefer afternoons that’s fine. You should enjoy exercise, give it a bit of time and you will. By finding the right time of day, you will be more consistent and get better results which will drive you to keep it up.
What is the duration of each session?
Keep in mind some is better than none and more is better than some, within reason. It is recommended you do 30 minutes of physical activity each day, which isn’t much. Five half hour sessions is only a total of 150 minutes. A lot of films run longer than that! Alternatively, you could do 3-5 vigorous hour long sessions. Obviously if you did one session per week for an hour it’s better than nothing, but it might not help you reach your goals. You probably wouldn’t be using enough energy to make up for how much food you eat. If you eat energy rich items such as sweets, alcohol and soft drink, you are making it much harder to balance it out with exercise. If you can find the right balance you are more likely to see the results you want. Remember your ambitions have to be realistic. Start off slow and build it up. If you have to, start with two days per week and gradually increase it to three days a week and so on. It’s a great start towards improved quality and length of life!
Where are you going to exercise and what equipment do I need?
Try different locations to keep things interesting. You may prefer to walk, jog, ride a bike or run amongst the trees instead of being in a gymnasium. But you should have a contingency plan for those days when it’s boiling hot, raining or blowing a gale. Unfortunately, you can’t pause your fitness levels over the extremes of summer and winter. It’s been proven that it only takes a week or two before all your hard work starts to come undone (2). After several months without training, most of your benefits are lost (2). You may wish to use some of the specially-designed exercise programs on this site to keep you going. A gym membership or becoming a casual gym user is another option. Or you may decide to purchase home based exercise equipment. But don’t invest too much money too quick, make sure you can commit to the program first. Also, be wary of marketing! An abdominal crunch machine is not the best way to trim fat from your waist line. When you perform abdominal crunches you are using energy, and burning up fat stores, but this fat isn’t necessarily coming from your waist. For a good home workout all you need to start with is an adjustable dumbbell set and possibly a fit ball. It doesn’t have to be new, weights are weights regardless of how shiny they are. Look in the classifieds or at garage sales to find a bargain! Get yourself some appropriate shoes, a podiatrist or reputable shoe shop can help. Wear loose and light clothing so you don’t get too hot and so your range of movement is not restricted. Heart rate monitors are not necessary but may be helpful. Instead you can measure the intensity of your exercise using the talk test, rating of perceived exertion scale, OMNI scales or by manually counting your heart beats.
Are you going to exercise by yourself, with someone else or at a club?
Some people are disciplined enough to motivate themselves to exercise regularly. If you know this isn’t you then consider joining a club, finding a training partner or hiring a professional trainer. By having a partner to train with, you have to commit to every session so you don’t let your partner down. It’s also a great way to socialise and meet new people. If you can’t think of someone to train with, try joining a club or association specialising in an activity you enjoy. This can be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests, improving your social network as well as your physical fitness. You could even attend group sessions supervised by an exercise physiologist at a clinic. You may even be eligible for rebates through Medicare and/or your health fund. Your GP can refer you to exercise professionals.
Exercise Logging
It is a great idea to record your weekly physical activity on an Exercise Log. This way you can track your progress to check if you are meeting your goals. If you don’t meet your goal, you can go back and find what went wrong.
Healthy or ‘Healthier’ Eating
- Planning meals in advance
It may be a good idea to keep a record of what you typically eat over a standard week. You can do this by keeping a food diary. Once you have a log of what you eat you could visit a dietitian/nutritionist and they can highlight strengths and weaknesses in your weekly diet. Once weaknesses are identified an action plan can be developed to help you on your way. A food diary isn’t essential just helpful. Most people have weaknesses in your food selections that can be identified by your dietitian/nutritionist.
Planning meals in advance
Get a hold of some good healthy simple recipes and become familiar with what ingredients you need to make them. Plan your meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks) on a weekly meal planner. Create a shopping list by writing down what ingredients you need to make the meals with. If you are organised, you are much more likely to cook healthy and avoid take away food. Treat yourself occasionally with a reward item. Even on reward occasions you can choose healthier options such as lean bacon shoulder, complemented with a grilled tomato and mushroom, poached egg and a scoop of baked beans on a slice of multigrain toast with no butter. There are plenty of other healthy options. If you are busy and quite often don’t have time to cook every day of the week then cook in bulk and freeze portions in meal sizes.
It may be a good idea to designate a time such as Sunday afternoon to have a ‘cook up’ where you prepare a number of meals for the week. You may invest in a slow cooker as these are great if you prepare dishes the night before, refrigerate and turn on in the morning, coming home to a cooked meal.
Reading Food Labels
Always read labels on food items and compare a couple of options. Sometimes items you think are really bad aren’t so bad and vice versa. A certain food might not be the healthiest item available but it might be healthier than the food option that you would normally have. Always compare food items by the 100g column rather than per serving column as serving sizes vary amongst products.
When looking at nutrition labels review per 100g:
For a copy of this wallet sized label reading card, or more information on reading food labels, visit www.drawthelinewa.com.au
Getting Value for Money
Don’t forget to compare the price of the item to its weight to make sure you get value for money. The foodcents website has more information.
References
(1) Draw the Line. (2009). Reading food labels. Retrieved 17th July, 2009, from http://www.drawthelinewa.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=24
(2) McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I. & Katch, V. L. (2007). Exercise physiology: Energy, nutrition & human performance. Baltimore, Maryland: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
(3) Posavac, E. J. & Carey, R. G. (2003). Program evaluation: Method and case studies (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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