New Year's resolution? Have a plan of action to succeed
ninerbuff
Posts: 49,043 Member
Whenever I take on a new client or ask a gym member their purpose, they all give the basic answer "I want to lose weight and get fit."
But when asked how they are going to do it, many don't have a specific plan of action. So here is a basic way to create a specific plan of action:
1. Write it down and keep records (daily if possible)
Goal
Milestones
Daily schedule
Month to month schedule
Research to go to if you need help
2. Be specific in your planning
Know how you're going to achieve your goal
Set achievable way to do it
Implement plan consistently
3. Set measurable milestones
It may be weight loss per week (though it's not linear), it may be how much weight you can lift,
how far you want to run by then, what your clothing size is, etc. Don't get overzealous though.
4. Schedule how your day goes
If exercise is going to be part of it, MAKE A SPECIFIC TIME for it. Same with sleep, work, and
time with family or hobbies.
5. Put timelines on everything.
Don't lollygag on something like watching TV too long. It's easy to get lazy if one spends too much
time on not doing something conducive towards their goal.
6. Celebrate your successes
Small ones matter and help create confidence on other harder goals.
7. Know that there will be obstacles and deterrences and have a back up plan
Things aren't always in your control, so have options available in case this does happen. My kid
hasn't stayed home sick for a long time (almost 5 years now), but I do have a plan set aside if she
does. Same with party invitationals and eating out.
8. Don't stop till you make it!
If you follow your plan consistently, you should reach your goal. Even if you don't meet it at the
proposed timeline, DON'T STOP till you do!
Hope this helps.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
But when asked how they are going to do it, many don't have a specific plan of action. So here is a basic way to create a specific plan of action:
1. Write it down and keep records (daily if possible)
Goal
Milestones
Daily schedule
Month to month schedule
Research to go to if you need help
2. Be specific in your planning
Know how you're going to achieve your goal
Set achievable way to do it
Implement plan consistently
3. Set measurable milestones
It may be weight loss per week (though it's not linear), it may be how much weight you can lift,
how far you want to run by then, what your clothing size is, etc. Don't get overzealous though.
4. Schedule how your day goes
If exercise is going to be part of it, MAKE A SPECIFIC TIME for it. Same with sleep, work, and
time with family or hobbies.
5. Put timelines on everything.
Don't lollygag on something like watching TV too long. It's easy to get lazy if one spends too much
time on not doing something conducive towards their goal.
6. Celebrate your successes
Small ones matter and help create confidence on other harder goals.
7. Know that there will be obstacles and deterrences and have a back up plan
Things aren't always in your control, so have options available in case this does happen. My kid
hasn't stayed home sick for a long time (almost 5 years now), but I do have a plan set aside if she
does. Same with party invitationals and eating out.
8. Don't stop till you make it!
If you follow your plan consistently, you should reach your goal. Even if you don't meet it at the
proposed timeline, DON'T STOP till you do!
Hope this helps.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
16
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Well put!0
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I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.3
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CurlyCockney wrote: »I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.
Understanding your personality type and working with it is a good way to go.
I'm into planning, so for me doing something rather like that suggested worked and was motivating, but so was breaking things down into mini changes -- that's how the milestones worked in my plan.0 -
@ninerbuff, I know you mention back-up plans, but what advice would you give for re-evaluating plans? I think one of the biggest obstacles that people encounter is having a plan, but having it not be the right plan for them. I know @SideSteel recently wrote a blog about this, and certainly having a trainer to work with makes it easier to identify issues and tweak. But that doesn't tend to be the majority of people, and I think people have a tendency to give up when the plan doesn't work because they aren't sure how to go about fixing what isn't working. I know it's ultimately going to come down to the individual, but any suggestions for what people should consider or ask themselves when it comes to evaluating their plan?2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »CurlyCockney wrote: »I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.
Understanding your personality type and working with it is a good way to go.
I'm into planning, so for me doing something rather like that suggested worked and was motivating, but so was breaking things down into mini changes -- that's how the milestones worked in my plan.
Agreed, it's horses for courses. I don't even know how much weight I've lost unless I look at my homepage, and couldn't tell you how much I weigh unless I'm standing on the scale (despite weighing daily!)
I guess it's because those details aren't important to me. What's important is that I'm eating the right amount of the right stuff to be healthy.0 -
The KISS method would be:CurlyCockney wrote: »I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.
Set a goal
Know how much you have to consume daily to eat that goal
Be consistent
Problem that I've found with it is that many people might find initial success, but then for some reason can't continue. Then they go back to regaining weight, etc.
Not everyone will agree with it. I'm talking about writing down a specific plan of action that may take an hour at most. Not much out of the day if you think about it. My most successful people (usually obese too), found this to be great because there was definition in what they were trying to achieve overall.
But hey, it's a suggestion I offer since it's a job I've been doing for over 25 yrs now and have employed different strategies to help. Nothing wrong with getting free information that might be the difference for people who have been struggling for years.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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@ninerbuff Do you have any advice for people who get bogged down and obsessed with the numbers on the scale? I do have a goal weight in mind, but I have a very obsessive personality and when I'm trying to lose weight, I find it hard to not weigh myself multiple times per day and I get really bogged down with tiny downward movements and upward fluctuations. I'd like to maybe limit myself to one weigh in day per month, but I'm concerned that will affect my motivation because I wont be able to see successes or take action if I'm not losing or gaining. I do go to the gym about 3 (sometimes 4) times per week, but I mainly go to spin classes so it's hard for me to set myself satisfying goals in relation to that. Any advice?0
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The KISS method would be:CurlyCockney wrote: »I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.
Set a goal
Know how much you have to consume daily to eat that goal
Be consistent
Problem that I've found with it is that many people might find initial success, but then for some reason can't continue. Then they go back to regaining weight, etc.
Not everyone will agree with it. I'm talking about writing down a specific plan of action that may take an hour at most. Not much out of the day if you think about it. My most successful people (usually obese too), found this to be great because there was definition in what they were trying to achieve overall.
But hey, it's a suggestion I offer since it's a job I've been doing for over 25 yrs now and have employed different strategies to help. Nothing wrong with getting free information that might be the difference for people who have been struggling for years.
I did say that your method may work for many. I have no reason to doubt that you are very successful in your work, but surely part of that success is due to listening to your clients' needs and finding strategies and plans that they can stick to. I just cut out the middleman, because writing a plan would take me much longer than an hour and would cost me in other ways.
Anyway, I took your post to be trying to be helpful to potential new dieters, and I was just putting the point that if they find all that daunting they can still be successful (I maintained my weight from the only other diet I've been on for as long as you've been a fitness professional
) 1 -
If it works for you great, however I base success on percentages and there's an extreme gap between the successful and the failure when it comes to weight loss.CurlyCockney wrote: »
The KISS method would be:CurlyCockney wrote: »I appreciate that specific planning like this may work for many, but if I'd had to do all that I'd never have started. Sometimes KISS is the better option.
Set a goal
Know how much you have to consume daily to eat that goal
Be consistent
Problem that I've found with it is that many people might find initial success, but then for some reason can't continue. Then they go back to regaining weight, etc.
Not everyone will agree with it. I'm talking about writing down a specific plan of action that may take an hour at most. Not much out of the day if you think about it. My most successful people (usually obese too), found this to be great because there was definition in what they were trying to achieve overall.
But hey, it's a suggestion I offer since it's a job I've been doing for over 25 yrs now and have employed different strategies to help. Nothing wrong with getting free information that might be the difference for people who have been struggling for years.
I did say that your method may work for many. I have no reason to doubt that you are very successful in your work, but surely part of that success is due to listening to your clients' needs and finding strategies and plans that they can stick to. I just cut out the middleman, because writing a plan would take me much longer than an hour and would cost me in other ways.
Anyway, I took your post to be trying to be helpful to potential new dieters, and I was just putting the point that if they find all that daunting they can still be successful (I maintained my weight from the only other diet I've been on for as long as you've been a fitness professional)
I liken it to a ship without a rudder or driving to a destination with no mapped out plan. One can hit land or their destination ocassionally or eventually, but I feel (as well as other people who teach long term success) that having a goal with directives on how to achieve will be reached easier because there is information on can look back on to figure out why they stall, slow down, gain excessively, etc.
Some CAN do it without needing much direction. Lots can't. Just look at all the threads on the forums and you'll see.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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The scale is a tool and not always indicative of success. If you step on it, all it reads is your weight. What it doesn't say is WHAT kind of weight. And if you're doing it through out the day, water fluctuates hourly. So weight will go up and down. All I can tell you is if you're obsessive with it, you try not to let that be what defines your success. If you fit the clothes you want, like the way you look, people compliment you on your physique, then does it really matter much on what the scale actually says?Jennasaur87 wrote: »@ninerbuff Do you have any advice for people who get bogged down and obsessed with the numbers on the scale? I do have a goal weight in mind, but I have a very obsessive personality and when I'm trying to lose weight, I find it hard to not weigh myself multiple times per day and I get really bogged down with tiny downward movements and upward fluctuations. I'd like to maybe limit myself to one weigh in day per month, but I'm concerned that will affect my motivation because I wont be able to see successes or take action if I'm not losing or gaining. I do go to the gym about 3 (sometimes 4) times per week, but I mainly go to spin classes so it's hard for me to set myself satisfying goals in relation to that. Any advice?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
1 -
It may depend because the more concise the record keeping is, the easier it is to identify what may be the issue itself. Revaluation is first going to come down to honesty with one's self. That will usually resolve the majority of issues. I would then look to see how much they've lost and in what time period. Fast loss will usually slow down much faster (unless one is obese or very overweight) because the body is quick to adjust. And lastly if it's really something that's tough to figure out, you ask people with knowledge and experience. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a professional. That's why the forums are a great resource for many.@ninerbuff, I know you mention back-up plans, but what advice would you give for re-evaluating plans? I think one of the biggest obstacles that people encounter is having a plan, but having it not be the right plan for them. I know @SideSteel recently wrote a blog about this, and certainly having a trainer to work with makes it easier to identify issues and tweak. But that doesn't tend to be the majority of people, and I think people have a tendency to give up when the plan doesn't work because they aren't sure how to go about fixing what isn't working. I know it's ultimately going to come down to the individual, but any suggestions for what people should consider or ask themselves when it comes to evaluating their plan?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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This sounds a lot like some of the steps for general project management (minus all the fun of getting stakeholders to agree
) I particularly like the discussion about having backup plans. It's important on any major project to identify risks and decide in advance how you would deal with each one - mitigating it so the risk is unlikely to occur, and/or dealing with the risk when it occurs.
It's one of the key points of successful maintainers too, according to the NWCR. People who successfully lose and maintain have plans for how they will monitor their ongoing success and what they will do if they find they are regaining.1 -
Jennasaur87 wrote: »@ninerbuff Do you have any advice for people who get bogged down and obsessed with the numbers on the scale? I do have a goal weight in mind, but I have a very obsessive personality and when I'm trying to lose weight, I find it hard to not weigh myself multiple times per day and I get really bogged down with tiny downward movements and upward fluctuations. I'd like to maybe limit myself to one weigh in day per month, but I'm concerned that will affect my motivation because I wont be able to see successes or take action if I'm not losing or gaining. I do go to the gym about 3 (sometimes 4) times per week, but I mainly go to spin classes so it's hard for me to set myself satisfying goals in relation to that. Any advice?
I used to be the very same way...
I personally find that weighing everyday is helpful... but only once... only first thing in the morning. I don`t get freaked out by the number anymore now that I have learned more about fluctuations, but that took time.
One thing that helped me was tracking my weight TRENDS... there are some apps that are helpful with this.
Also, I take my weight at the first of the month (Jan it was 198) and so every morning I weigh and think to myself Ì expect to see a number between 195-200`` As long as my number somewhere in there I am good.0 -
I based this thread on that type of approach. I learned it, applied it and then applied it to my own PT for clients and giving them that "vision" and direction, has resulted in great success for many of them. I'm not a great originator. Just a good duplicator.rankinsect wrote: »This sounds a lot like some of the steps for general project management (minus all the fun of getting stakeholders to agree ) I particularly like the discussion about having backup plans. It's important on any major project to identify risks and decide in advance how you would deal with each one - mitigating it so the risk is unlikely to occur, and/or dealing with the risk when it occurs.
It's one of the key points of successful maintainers too, according to the NWCR. People who successfully lose and maintain have plans for how they will monitor their ongoing success and what they will do if they find they are regaining.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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rankinsect wrote: »This sounds a lot like some of the steps for general project management (minus all the fun of getting stakeholders to agree ) I particularly like the discussion about having backup plans. It's important on any major project to identify risks and decide in advance how you would deal with each one - mitigating it so the risk is unlikely to occur, and/or dealing with the risk when it occurs.
It's one of the key points of successful maintainers too, according to the NWCR. People who successfully lose and maintain have plans for how they will monitor their ongoing success and what they will do if they find they are regaining.
Ya, I am a project manager and I approve of the OP
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Glad I found this thread! Thanks.
I was taught the SMART method of goal setting, and my counsellors insisted that weight goals are not the best (because they are not directly under my control). How much food I eat every day is a controllable measure, and MFP can certainly help with that.1 -
A goal without a plan is just a wish! I agree with setting a solid, detailed plan. Yes, it takes a bit of effort initially, but most things do require effort in order to see results. Having a plan to refer back to is helpful to see what is working and what isn't working. Regular re-evaluation is important as well.0
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I would also add ... be realistic.
For example, I would like to be able to cycle a CAM (Century-A-Month) ... that's an imperial century (100 miles) on one day each month. I have successfully completed several CAM challenges in the past so conceivably I could do it.
However, I work full-time, and am going to university part-time, and I know that the university takes up a lot more time than I'd like it to.
I have also moved to a very hilly part of the world, and am not a particularly good hill climber on the bicycle although I am getting better. Nevertheless, I'm still slow. So where I once used to be able to knock off a century in under 7 hours, now it's a struggle to do it in 8 hours.
Therefore, although I'd like to be able to cycle a CAM, and could put it on my rather long list of New Year's Goals, I've opted not to do that. Instead, I'm doing a Petite Year Round Randonneur which is similar to a CAM, but the rides are metric centuries (100 km) instead of imperial centuries (100 miles). Essentially it is a metric CAM. I can do a metric century in about 5.5 hours, so I think I've got a much better chance of being successful with that this year.
But next year ... who knows.
And as for the question about re-evaluating plans ... on Jan 1, 2015, I put a metric CAM on the list of goals for the reasons I've mentioned (work, university, hills) and felt good about the idea of doing one. On Jan 12, 2015 I had the first of two surgeries and about a week later I had the second. There was no way I could recover in time to do my first ride in January, so before it ever began, the metric CAM goal was off the table.
That's life sometimes. Move on to the next goal.0 -
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This is amazing and I really just did it. I wrote down major goals and subgoals and how I will achieve them. I created a sensible time-line and a reward system which mostly consists of clothes, bags, running gear, and vacations. I will be scheduling my exercise and updating my goals as I progress.
Really, thanks for this. It might be exactly what I needed.0 -
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You're welcome! People who are successful at anything usually have a vision of how they will achieve any goal they are trying to achieve and having a plan makes it much easier to adhere to the actions they need to do to achieve them.lulalacroix wrote: »This is amazing and I really just did it. I wrote down major goals and subgoals and how I will achieve them. I created a sensible time-line and a reward system which mostly consists of clothes, bags, running gear, and vacations. I will be scheduling my exercise and updating my goals as I progress.
Really, thanks for this. It might be exactly what I needed.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I know this post hasn't had a reply in a while but it's too good not to bump especially this time of year!0
This discussion has been closed.
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