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Neal's Targets
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Targets Sculpt and Shape

 

Never mind Back to the Future, just don’t go back to the past!

 

Sometimes when you’re training it can be a bit tricky to separate the past, the present and the future. Especially if you’re getting yourself a bit worked up and in a tizzy. Chill. Relax.

Just because you couldn’t lift a certain weight or shift that pound last week, it doesn’t automatically mean that you won’t be able to get results this week, or indeed next week.  Don’t give in to those inner demons that are trying to convince you that if you fail once you’re doomed to fail forever. Take no notice. They talk crap.

One way of building up a realistic picture of how you can get from where you are today to where you want to be in the future is to draw up what the academic boffins call a success map.  Fancy giving it a go? Come back again soon and we’ll have a go at doing it.

Happy training! J

 
 
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Targets Sculpt and Shape

Poke us and show us yer tweets

You've done the SMART stuff. You've set your targets. Now what you need to do is keep your motivation going to achieve them.  One of the best ways of doing this is to get encouragement from friends and family.

 

If you keep your targets to yourself and don't share them with anyone, who's going to know if you don't meet them?  Who's going to give you a  if you do well, or going to give a **** if you don't?

 

I found a great way of staying motivated was to post updates about my progress on Facebook - you see where the poking reference in the title comes from now? .  I got a bit of gentle ribbing, but also plenty of encouragement from friends to keep going. The Prime Minister said "too many tweets can make a twat" but take no notice of him. He's a bit of a fool. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo - use whatever techno-means you can to get your message across to your mates and family. Why not set up a blog to record your progress, or get people to sponsor you if you're looking to lose weight? You can set up sponsorship sites for charity really easily on www.justgiving.com.

Happy Training!

 

 

 
 
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Written by Neal Harris   

Targets with Neal Harris

Making SMART a reality

Last time we started looking at SMART targets. You might have read it and thought “OK, sounds interesting, but how is it relevant to my training?”

This is an example  of how you can apply the SMART principles to weight loss.

 

 My overall goal is...
 ...to lose weight
 Specific
 If you want to lose weight If you have decided to lose weight keep it simple. Don't try to gain muscle at the same time or it may cause you to fail. Also figure out the exact amount you would like to lose in inches/lbs. 
 Measurable
 For this you might want a tape measure to measure your waist or bathroom scales to measure your weight
 Achievable
 Set yourself a target that's achievable but also ambitious - see below. It does depend on The individual but weight loss of 2lb per week is considered achievable.
 Realistic
 If you're looking for weight loss, then having those chocolates and cakes sitting on your kitchen table isn't going to help you lose weight is it? Changing to a healthy diet is one realistic way of meeting a weight loss target. There are loads of examples on the Sculpt and Shape website on how to do this. Have a look at Ed Rex's client update for example.
 Timed
 This is linked with the achievable section. Setting a date for achieving your target can really help with your motivation. If you're thinking of losing 1 stone in weight think about breaking this target down into individual weekly targets - 2lb per week over 7 weeks.
 
Some people (and I’m looking at Mike here ) have different views on what each of the SMART letters stand for. That’s absolutely fine. A could stand for “ambitious” as much as “achievable” - targets need to be ambitious otherwise what’s the point of setting them? If you setting yourself a reasonably easy target, for example losing 1lb in 3 weeks, once you’ve met that target your motivation to lose more in that 3 week period is likely to decrease. On the other hand targets do need to be achievable. If you’re setting yourself a target that you realistically can’t achieve, for example losing 1 stone in 2 weeks then you’re more than likely setting yourself up to fail, and again that is going to have an impact on your motivation. Bad times! One solution then might be to change A to stand for “ambitious but achievable”.
 
Happy Training!
 
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Written by Neal Harris   

 Targets Sculpt and Shape

What's so important about targets then?

 Setting yourself a target can be a great way to motivate yourself in your training and also helps you to monitor your progress.

In this bit of the Sculpt and Shape blog we'll be looking at the different ways you can set yourself targets, some common pitfalls around targets (you'll be wanting to avoid these then!) and some real examples of how people have used targets to succeed. There may be some theory stuff but we'll keep that to a minimum don't worry.

 

Today is all about being SMART.....

One of the best ways to set yourself a target is to think SMART: 


S is for Specific: You need to say what exactly it is you're aiming for - whether its to do 10 reps, lift 20kg, swim a mile, lose 1 stone in weight, lose 2 inches off your waist, go for 7 days without eating chocolate......

M is for Measurable: Have a think about how you're going to measure your progress. If you can't measure it how will you know if you've hit your target? Your bathroom scales or a tape measure might come in handy, or think about keeping a written record. 

A is for Achievable: Your target shouldn't be too hard that you can never hope to achieve it - we'll look in another blog about what happens when you set targets that are too difficult -it ain't pretty!

R is for Realistic: Do you have everything you need to help you achieve your target - support from your friends, the right equipment, enough time to go to the gym, access to healthy food?

T is for Timed: Its best if you give yourself a specific date to meet your target by, so this could be in 1 week, 1 month, 3 months whatever.


That's it for this week, I'm off for a smoothie from Mike's Kitchen.
 


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