In his book entitled “The 7 habits of Highly Successful People” Steven Covey very aptly captured the essence of what is required for any successful venture. The 2nd habit as mentioned by Steven Covey is “Beginning With the End in Mind”. Steven Covey described this as the ability to envision in the mind what one cannot yet see in the physical world.
When it comes to fitness or weight loss, this essentially means to begin your weight loss or fitness initiative with a clear vision of your desired direction, destination and effort. The destination is the result that you want to have at the end of your efforts. The direction is the plan that you need to have to achieve the goal. The effort is the work required for you to achieve the goal.
1. Define The Weight Loss Goal Clearly
One should clearly define the amount of fat that one wants to lose. Alternatively, it could mean a certain body fat percentage that you would want to achieve. For someone trying to lose weight for health reasons, it could mean achieving a target cholesterol or blood pressure level. These numbers must be defined.
2. Committing the Weight Loss Goal to Paper
Once the goal has been established, it should be penned down on paper. A lot of people leave their goal in their heads and never commit it to paper. Countless research has shown that committing your goals to paper puts you ahead of 90% of the people out there who never get pass this stage.
3. Look at Your Weight Loss Goals as Often as Possible
Once the goal has been firmly etched on a piece of paper, place that commitment somewhere you can see it as often as possible. One obvious place would be the dashboard of your car or on the panel of your computer screen. The key is to see it as often as possible.
4. Formulate a Weight Loss Plan of Action
The next step is have a plan of action to achieve the desired goal. A lot of people omit this step. The weight loss plan is the bridge between where you are now and where you want to go. Without this bridge, you cannot get to your goals. The plan too should be committed to paper. Someone wanting to lose weight should firmly establish the day and time of each exercise session in the week. The exercise sessions need to be booked in advance. In the absence of this commitment, one could easily find other activities taking precedence.
5. Do the Work to Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals
The next step is to do the necessary work to achieve the goal. As Steven Covey says, flex your proactive muscles to make your dreams happen. It’s not enough to have a written down goal if you are not going to do anything to achieve it. So its essential that you do not miss out on those exercise sessions. Apart from your exercises, also be vigilant about your diet. Be aware of what you are eating.
6. Keep Track of Progress
Check your progress often. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Take measurements every 2 weeks to ensure that your weight loss program is working. If there is no progress, it would be wise to go back to the drawing board to assess what is not right.
With these 6 steps in place, you could take concrete steps to achieve your weight loss goals. Do make sure that you take steps that are in line with correct weight loss principles. This essentially means focusing on fat loss while preserving your existing muscle mass.
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Tags: begin with end in mind, goals, weight loss goals, 2nd habit, Steven Covey, 7 habits of highly effective people, weight loss plan, weight loss feedback
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The six tips are very good for any people who need weight loss