Resolution 2014: How Interim Goals and a Reward System Can Make a Difference
You might have noticed that while my overall resolution for 2014 is to lose 60 pounds, I broke that out into increments of five pounds a month. This is because that 60 pound number is a monster goal. Theoretically, it should be doable, but it’s also a long way off. When you look at it as five pounds a month, which is less than two pounds a week, it’s much easier to wrap your brain around it. Of course, a weight loss plan is inherently made up of smaller daily goals, like eating well, drinking enough water, and working out. These daily goals are what enable me to go to bed at night feeling like I’ve successfully taken another step toward my overall goal, but having interim goals that are achievable helps keep you motivated and ensures that there’s concrete opportunity for you to feel successful on a slightly larger scale along the way.
I don’t just do this kind of incremental goal-setting with weight loss, I do it with any big thing I want to accomplish. With my novel, for example. Writing 80,000 words is a massive task, so I set interim goals to help me get there. One of those goals has to been to find time each weekend to write for a block of 3-4 hours. At each of these writing sessions, my goal is to get another 3,000 words down on paper, which is totally doable for me in 3-4 hours. Because of these interim goals, not only have I made steady progress, but when I accomplish 3,000 more words, I feel fantastic. I always end a writing session excited for the next one, and currently, I’m at 50,000 words. It actually feels like the end is in sight!
Along with the goal of five pounds a month, I’ve set some additional fitness goals for myself. Comfortably running a 5K is one of them. Becoming proficient at push-ups is another. I’ve set deadlines for these interim goals, too, and am putting a plan in motion to make them happen.
To build up to a comfortable 5K, I’m doing the Couch to 5K program three times a week, starting next Monday. In nine weeks of training, I should be able to run a 5K again, so I’ve set a deadline of March 15 to complete the program. I know that on March 15, although I should be able to run a 5K, it still might not be comfortable, so my follow-up goal is to continue to train 3-4 times a week, and then run the Komen Global Race for the Cure on Mother’s Day weekend, finishing with a time under 36 minutes (12-minute miles).
Push-ups are a sort of crazy goal for me, because I’ve never been good at them and therefore, I’ve avoided them like the plague. Even at the peak of my fitness, when I was a lean size 8 and lifting lots of weights, I couldn’t do a push-up well, and I could never do more than one or two. When I was in school, I dreaded push-ups showing up in PE. It was my secret thought that push-ups were a way for the teacher to humiliate us. Now I know that they really are a fitness staple and an indicator of true upper body strength, which is why they show up in almost any high-level fitness program. I’m determined to finally conquer the push-up. My plan of action? I’m going to start with this program and work my way up to 25 standard push-ups.
I’ve also set up a reward system for myself, both for reaching incremental weight loss goals and for achieving my fitness goals. Rewards are an excellent motivator, giving you something tangible to work for along the way. I’ve chosen a reward for each 10 pounds lost, and a big reward when I finally get to 60. I’ve also decided to give myself a reward for each of my fitness goals.
Here’s my reward system:
- 10 pounds: new workout pants
- 20 pounds: new running shoes
- Successful 5K: a pedicure at a local salon/spa
- 30 pounds: “Halfway There!” celebration dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, one of my favorite restaurants
- 25 push-ups: P90X3 or another new workout program
- 40 pounds: a yoga, pilates, or barre class at a local studio
- 50 pounds: a fashion consultation from Ella at Start Close In, to rework my closet
- 60 pounds: a membership to StitchFix
