I need you to help me understand something. Almost everything we do in life revolves around goals. Those goals could be weight loss or even as simple as driving to work. Goals state what we are seeking to do, and ultimately where we plan to end up. What I don’t understand is how we expect to get there when we don’t have a solid plan. Bear with me here.
If you work in Houston, you know to drive that direction when you are heading to work. That’s logical, right? You have a route you take that will deliver you to the destination in a particular time frame. However, if you had moved in here from overseas and didn’t really have a clue where you were in relation to Houston, you would have a difficult time making it to work if you didn’t have a map or directions. You could drive the wrong way, estimate incorrectly on how long it will take to get there, or even get stuck in a loop on the Beltway! The key is that you have a good map, good directions, or maybe even a friend to tell you how to get there. Well weight loss is very similar.
When you are trying to lose weight, there are elements you have to have in order to get results. For instance, you have to:
1. Consume healthy food (gasoline in the car)
2. Exercise (starting and driving the car)
3. Have a well structured exercise program (Follow a map/plan)
4. Understand what a reasonable goal is for your body (know how long it takes to reach your destination)
5. Understand what your body is capable of and how to get it there safely (Know how to drive in Houston traffic fast enough to get there but without overheating or crashing)
Is this a fool proof plan? No, but it’s a start. Often times in life we have detours in our fitness program (just like traffic jams and car wrecks delay us while driving). When we encounter something unexpected while driving, does it mean we just turn around and go back home? Of course not. Your health and fitness plan should be the same way. You shouldn’t just stop because you encounter a problem along the way. It may take you a little longer to get there than you anticipated, but it doesn’t permanently prevent you from reaching your destination.
Understand that you will run over potholes in your program. It usually doesn’t go as smooth as planned. We all have different places we want to go, and our cars don’t all move at the same speed. (I have so much I want to say about this, but I’ll talk more about that in an upcoming article instead.) But no matter what, you should have a solid plan to help you reach your ultimate destination.
So tell me, if someone doesn’t know for sure how to reach their destination, and they haven’t found someone to tell them how to get there, how can they expect to reach their goal?