fitlosophyze your goals (guest post)

oy.

deer in headlights.

that’s me trying to write a guest post for mizfit.

this coming from the girl who is never at a loss for words and whose dear blog followers happily scroll down through pages upon pages of my random ramblings on blogging my fitlosophy.

why, I ask myself, can I pitter patter away at the keyboard like a madwoman and turn out a fairly inspiring and often amusing (in my humble opinion) post, but I cannot for the life of me blog-on-demand.

back up. i am not a blogger.

i’m a passionate entrepreneur who loves all things fitness and has the sheer joy of doing what i absolutely love every day.

and i blog.

#1 because i truly love that if one little random thought i have can inspire, motivate, or at the very least make someone chuckle – then by all means it’s my pleasure to share.

and #2 because as i mentioned before, i am a girl with a lot to say and the joy of a blog is that, regardless of if anyone at all is listening, i have the delight of sending my deepest, inner most thoughts out into the blogosphere while simultaneously stroking my own ego as though something i wrote will change someone’s day, or perhaps even their life.

the pressure of following in mizfit’s (size 8) shoes left me (yes, me!) speechless, until I came to the realization (a few weeks after procrastinating) that the best thing I can do for you, her loyal followers, is share with you just a bit of who i am, what i’m all about, and my ‘fitlosophy’ – and then give you something that can (hopefully) take you from where you are now, to where you want to be.

just a bit about me so you know i know my stuff:

i am the founder + chief fitlosopher of fitlosophy, the company behind fitbook: a 12-week fitness + nutrition journal that is taking the fitness world by storm. (i’m not here to sell, so go online after you read my oh-so-insightful post)

i’m sure you’ve read more than you want on goal-setting:

make goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely)…yada yada yada.

this is a very valid way to set goals and is actually the methodology we used when creating the fitbook. but i will spare you another goal-setting 101 post and give it to you “mizfit” (read: straight-to-the-point) style. hold on’ and get ready to be inspired.

lose the excuses.

they don’t get you any closer to your goals. everyone else has the same 24 hours in the day as you, and yes while i’m sure you’re busier than they are, you must first and foremost decide to stop whining and start doing.

what is the one thing (you think) comes between you and your goals?

the first step in anything is accepting it right? so identify it, accept it, and then kiss it goodbye.

aim big

how inspirational is it to reach an easy goal? make it challenging and feel that much better about yourself when you reach your goals.

like mizfit says: “be your own superhero”

sit down and think long and hard about what your goals are. is it really just about how you look on the outside? or is it to have more energy to chase your little ones around, feel vibrant and enjoy life, or rock your skinny jeans and radiate confidence?

dig deep.

identify your goal and what the motivating factor is behind it – because that is what will keep you going on tough days. think about it and think big.

break it down

having a big goal is the first step – but in order to tackle it, you must break it down [music interlude]…into smaller, more achievable steps.

this is the premise behind fitbook: set a 12-week goal, then set smaller weekly goals, track daily, and then reflect and reward yourself on reaching goals both big and small. don’t psych yourself out. saying you want to lose 10lbs can seem daunting, until you realize that it breaks down to losing about 1lb per week for 12-weeks, which is doable!

vague is for losers

make it clear exactly what you’re setting out to do. goals are great, but you really must be specific here people.

“i wanna be hot”, while an admirable goal, is a bit foggy. the only way to know if you have reached a goal is to make them measurable with criteria for tracking progress.

specify exactly what you want to accomplish and by when. a better goal: “i’m gonna rock my size 28 skinny jeans by september 30th by working out 5 days a week and eating clean.” then weekly you set even more specific goals to get you there.

write it down. make it happen

okay so this is where the fitbook comes in. writing things down works – and this is why we created fitbook. in a study done by kaiser permanente of nearly 1700 participants those who logged their diet and exercise lost more than double the amount of weight of non-journalers.

in a recent survey we found that 75% of fitbook users lost weight during the time they’ve been using their fitbook – most people lost 1-5 lbs (43%) while 17% lost 6-10 lbs and 15% lost more than 11lbs! but frankly, i don’t care if you write it on the back of your hand, scribble in a blank notebook, or tattoo it on your left thigh (though not recommended).

truth is: putting pen to paper is proven to be more effective than font-to-screen or thought-to-brain – so grab a pen and jot your way to a fit(ter) you!

rally the troops

hold yourself accountable by sharing your goals with friends and family.

why stop there? get them on board!

make exercising a family affair and include the little ones in planning healthy meals – even plant a veggie garden together.

[tip: score a fitbook junior for the little ones and the whole fam can embark on a fit journey together]

flying solo? get your girlfriends on the healthy train and be “that friend” who recommends bike rides over cosmos (ok, or at least bike your way TO the bar).

being a positive influence in the lives of those around you will not only be good for them – it will get you to your goal.

reward thyself

we often get so caught up in focusing on the negative that we don’t take the time out to reward ourselves for what we do accomplish.

so allow me to convice you to spoil yourself! rewarding yourself is a positive way of reinforcing good behavior and the byproduct of doing something nice for yourself is that you will be more likely to continue making positive choices.

workout every day you planned this week? reward yourself with a pedicure.

drink your gallon of H2O 5 out of 7 days? treat yourself to a magazine and americano.

don’t forget to work toward a big reward too. an example: set weekly goals and at the end of each week rank how you did on a scale of 1 to 10 and bank the equivalent in $$.

after 12 weeks you can take that hard-earned money and get that new pair of skinny jeans, hit the spa, or whatever your little heart desires!

reflect. refocus. repeat!

one of the most important aspects of setting any goal is to reflect on where you started and what you accomplished.

so often, we focus on what we didn’t do or what we could’ve done better. while it’s wonderful that you continue to push yourself to be a better YOU, it’s also important that you give yourself a little pat on the back for making progress, no matter how big or small.

and finally, the most important part: refocus.

evaluate where you’re at and where you want to go from here.

how fun would life be if you just reached a goal and then never made plans to push yourself any further? what have you always wanted to try but haven’t?

is a marathon calling your name? do you dream of trying a tri? or (heaven forbid) take a stab at a figure competition (!).

whatever floats your boat – and will really excite and drive you. what would push you to be a better you?

so now consider yourself armed and dangerous – and hopefully a tad bit inspired.

as a treat for all of you that actually hung in there with me all the way to the end of my lengthy ensemble, give fitbook a try and enter promo code MIZFIT10 at checkout to get 10% off…good for 2 days only so hop to it!

Come over an learn more about me at my blog as well—-Id love to meet all of you.