Measuring Your Way to Success!

“Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so.” ~ Galileo

One of the biggest reasons that people experience “fall off” from their intended programs or routines is that they haven’t made their goals MEASUREABLE. As the adage goes, “What gets measured , gets done” – setting a way to quantify your progress lets you know how you’re doing along the way and sets the stage for means to identify potential areas for improvement. Think about it this way, one of the ways that a parent keeps track of their child’s growth along the way is to periodically have that child stand against a wall and make markings to identify how tall he/she is. Financially, we determine the strength of a stock by how well it performs each day and subsequently looking at trends over time whether it is weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.


Whatever way you look at it, measurements help us track progress. The same applies when it comes to our health and fitness. When setting your goals ask yourself this question “Is this measureable?” If it’s not, then make it so. Here’s an example:

 GOAL: “I want to have more energy?” This statement alone is not measureable, but it can be made into something that can be measured by going deeper and asking more questions of that goal such as: “How can I measure my energy levels so that I know that my energy has increased?” “How many flights of stairs can I climb before I get winded, or how far can I walk or run before it becomes too much to handle?” By doing this, you begin to set the parameters for making your overall goal MEASUREABLE which ultimately leads to your success.

What Is Your Vision for 2011?

“Without a clear vision, every road seems like a destination” ~ David Winston.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The month of January is the first month of the New Year and for this reason is associated with “new beginnings”. After all, the month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, who himself was the god of new beginnings. So as we start out 2011 and begin to wipe the 2010 slate clean and start anew, the one thing that must be stressed is the need to have a clear vision in mind before you set your goals or resolutions for the year.

If your desire is to get a new job, focus on what that job is, begin to network now so that you have people in your resource pool that can help to identify potential jobs for you and act as an advocate. Find mentors or advisors, people who can help to determine what your areas of strengths or weaknesses are so that you can improve yourself and be prepared for that next opportunity.

If your desire is to go back to school, know what skill sets you will need to learn so that you can be an effective student. Likewise, if your desire is to get healthy and fit, enlist the help of someone like a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor or Dietian who can help you. But first and foremost, have a goal in mind so that you are not wandering aimlessly and lose your way along the journey. This is one of the main reasons why people don’t stick to their goals; they didn’t have a clear vision from the start. So think about your vision, consider the question “What does success look like to you?” and begin to design a step by step plan of attack to execute that vision. This month, we’ll devote all of our Fitness Tips to making certain that you know how to set SMART goals and how to make them even SMARTER. So what is your vision? It’s now time to transform it into a reality. Are you ready? Let’s GO!

4 Simple Ways to Beat the Resolution Drop-off

It's February and only a few weeks into the New Year. The parking lot is still at capacity on most days at the health club, but this is about the time that we begin to see the numbers start to drop. We've set our resolutions at the beginning of the year, but what do we need to do to make certain that we stick with it?

1. Review and revise current goals: Set real goals and make certain that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timed (SMART). Rather than say I want to lose weight, change it to "I want to lose 3 dress sizes by Suzy's wedding in June". This makes the goal real as it can be measured and you now have a deadline.

2. Make yourself a priority: why should anyone else be more important than you? If you can commit to a dental appointment, why not commit to you? Is a root canal really more inviting than your own company? Commit to an appointment with yourself to get fit and stay healthy.

3. Commit to movement: you don't have to go to the gym. Inspired by Dancing with the Stars? Sign up for a dance class. Dancing burns a considerable amount of calories, AND it's fun! Break out of your good girl shell and get a little naughty by participating in a "pole dancing" class. They're fun, empowering and are great for toning and firming the entire body.

4. Try new hobbies: choose 3 things that you've been wanting to try and schedule them out. This way, you're doing something new each month and adding variety to your schedule. Nothing can be more daunting than realizing that you have to run on the treadmill AGAIN for the twentieth time this month! Sounds like a scene from the movie Groundhog Day! Here’s a sample schedule:

• February: Ballroom Dance Lessons

• March: Pilates Lessons

• April: Golf Lessons