Determine your “Why” and write it down.
Think about the reason why you want to loose weight. Is it to look better in a bathing suit for that vacation in July? Is it to be healthier and get your risk for heart disease and diabetes down? Do you want to be able to enjoy a more active lifestyle? Do you want more energy to play catch with the kids? Be as specific as possible.
Now take out a sheet of paper and write down your big “Why”.
Set and write down sensible weight-loss goals.
The next important tip to being able to stick to your weight-loss goal is to set a sensible goal to begin with. You shouldn’t expect yourself to loose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. Look for a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator online to help you determine whether you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. The higher your BMI, the more weight you can expect to lose in the long run. If you are in the normal range, but feel that you should lose weight, you may not want to aim for more than 5 pounds. On the other hand, if you are obese, than losing 50 pounds this year may be a good goal for you.
I would also like to encourage you to consult with your physician before starting any weight loss program. He or she can give you an even better idea on a good goal for you.
Make a plan you can stick with all year long.
You know yourself better than just about anyone else. Most likely you’ve been on a diet or two (or more). So you already know what doesn’t work for you. You’ll be most likely to stick with something common sense making small changes that you can live with from here on. Eat healthier and consume fewer calories, but also get more active.
Set small goals along the way.
Look at where you are at now and at your goal for the end of the year. Now break it down into several small goals. You want to break your weight loss journey down into small chunks that seem more attainable. Focus on the first “mini” goal until you reach it and then move on to the next one.
Keep track of your progress.
Keep a journal and record what you eat and how active you are during the day. If you chase the kids around the yard for 20 minutes, record it. Writing these things down builds accountability. You’ll find yourself thinking, “If I eat that cookie, I’ll have to write it down. I better skip it”. Or if you haven’t been a couch potato all day, you may be motivated to take a quick walk around the block so you can jot it down in your journal.
Celebrate each small goal.
Remember those small goals you planed out? Make sure you celebrate each goal you reach – but not with food. Reward yourself with a new blouse, a manicure, or a good book. Pick something you truly enjoy. This will build some positive reinforcement that will keep you going until you reach the next goal.
Keep your “Why” in mind.
Don’t loose track of the big picture. Remind yourself daily of your big “Why”, the reason why you want to lose weight. Keep the sheet of paper with your reason for losing weight close by and read it every morning or every evening. This is another big motivator to keep you going all year.
Losing weight can seem like a daunting task, especially if you have a fair amount to lose and you are just starting out. Don’t let it intimidate you though. Take it one step and one pound at a time. Before you know it, it will be the December and you will be 5, 10 or 50 pounds lighter. I know you can do it!
About the Author: By Susanne Myers. Think healthy cooking is hard? Or expensive? Think again. The Healthy Menu mailer makes it easy by providing you with a week's worth of healthy dinner recipes and the grocery list to go along. To find out how you can save time and money and still fix delicious and nutritious meals visit http://www.healthymenumailer.com
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What Is Your Motivation - Goal Setting For Your Home Business
By Timothy Spaulding
If you are a home based business owner probably the largest obstacle you must overcome is finding motivation. You work at home and need to get online to work on your website, marketing, research, etc. But there are many other things going on that vie for your time. What do you do to ensure you are devoting adequate time to your home based business?
My main tool for motivation in my home based business is goal setting. This takes some planning, but if you spend a little time you can develop challenging, yet attainable goals. Why set goals? Goal setting allows you to determine where you want to go with your business. Setting targets gives you a basis for creating a defined plan and to identify those activities that are non-value added.
Goal setting is an activity used by successful business people, top level athletes, students and high achievers in all walks of life. Setting a goal and then reaching that goal gives a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
There are several types of goals. You first establish your long term goals. These could be set for three to five years out. Profitability, net annual income, increase in business volume, ROI, size of customer base could all be used for long term goals.
Next is the creation of medium term goals related to the long term goals. These would be in the one to three year range. This is followed by short term goals that you want to achieve in the next several months. Finally, you develop an action plan that will lead to meeting the short, medium and long term goals.
The lifeblood of an online home based business is visitors to your website. So one of the goals should relate to how many visitors you are getting. Granted, there are ways to generate thousands of hits, so the goal must reflect "targeted" visitors. If you are new to online marketing you can set a smaller target. Set goals for one month, three months and one year. When you have met your 1 month target reevaluate the longer term goals and adjust them if necessary. Just be sure to validate or revise your action plan to keep moving toward the next target.
If you are not meeting your goals review the steps you are taking. Look for new and creative ways to market your home based business web page. Don't limit yourself to online marketing. Business cards, newspaper ads, flyers, etc. are all great options.
If your home based business offers a product the goal could be obtaining a certain number of orders per week or per day. It could be sales or unit volumes. If you are an affiliate marketer your goal could be recruiting a certain number of affiliates per day or increase in your downline.
Once you have generated an adequate quantity of data, i.e., unique visitors per day and units of product sold, you can determine how much you sell per unique visitor. A new goal could be to increase the sales per visitor.
Make sure your goals have a time aspect, such as 500 visitors daily by the end of the next three months.
Setting achievable goals and then attaining them is a great motivator for a home based business owner. Once you get in the habit of setting and reaching goals your enthusiasm for your home based business will grow and your success will be assured.
About the Author: Timothy Spaulding is the owner of the Work At Home Business Resource Center at http://www.workathome-awesomeopportunities.com and Home Made Profits at http://www.homemadeprofits.net providing valuable tools, articles, affiliate programs and products for the home based business entrepreneur.
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