Fail Proof Your Goals

I am going to succeed.  

I am going to lose the weight, get the teeth fixed, overhaul the wardrobe, learn (at 45 for pete's sake) what to do with my makeup, and get a sexy, playful haircut that reflects the new me.  If you recall, I also want to spend more time doing physical activities with my son, and want to take one step closer toward getting a degree.

In order to hit those big goals, I need to figure out, and then 'fail proof,' the smaller steps it will take to get there.

For instance, I want to lose weight.  I have to ask "what does that take...losing weight?"  If I break it down, it consists of regular exercise (both weight and aerobic types) and eating a healthy diet. 

So then I need to take each of those and break them down further.  If regular exercise involves both weight training/resistance exercises and aerobics, how can I get those?

Weights:
gym?
home gym?
free weights?
resistance bands?
weight bench?

aerobics:
gym?
home DVDs (sweatin' to the oldies?)
home treadmill?
walking/jogging in neighborhood?
dance lessons?

Those are just examples.  And for each there are some pros and cons to consider.  Going to the gym has huge advantages, as does setting up something at home.  For me, the gym simply does not work.  I paid for a Gold's Gym membership for 3 years and have both logistical and esteem issues around going.  It didn't work.

Creating a bit of a home gym sounds wonderful and has a lot of advantages, too.  The biggest disadvantage is motivation.  I had a treadmill in 2005 and gave it away in 2007 because I just never dragged myself up onto it.  Great concept, proven failure in past implementation.

So then I had to seek other options.  What about a buddy system?  Someone to work out with?  Well, being a single mom and not really knowing too many people around town, plus not having a sitter, that just wasn't a viable option.  (it's a good one, just not  for my situation.)

I googled around for personal trainers, thinking maybe I could go somewhere at least once per week for a little accountability and to help teach me what I should be doing.  That's when I found Team Fitness America.

The concept is pretty awesome.  You hire a personal trainer to come to your home on your schedule for as many sessions as you need/want.  Think about that.  You don't have to worry about running around to get there, or worry about getting a sitter.  It's at your own house.  You choose the schedule.  You don't worry about scheduling conflicts because you are the one picking the schedule!  And since the trainer is coming to your house, you don't really need to worry about motivation or not showing up.

I'd call that "Fail Proofing" the fitness part of the plan!

The eating part of the plan requires, actually, more work.  I need to devote quite a bit of thought to planning meals, figuring out my schedule and my son's activities to make sure I have quick, easy and healthy available on basketball nights or any night when there's no time to cook.

At first I was thinking it would be a pain to have to think about food all the time, planning, buying, making it.  And then it hit me.  I'm a freaking food addict.  All I do is think about food anyway!  Now I'm just thinking about it BETTER.  :-)

So my "fail proofing" the food is done on a daily basis.  I make sure I have what I need in order to succeed that day.  So far so good~

If I don't come up with the attack plan, then I'm leaving myself wide open for spur of the moment choices and while I'm a big fan of making "next right choices", that doesn't mean I'm all that good at it yet!  :-)

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An example of how the personal trainer is ensuring success:  On Wednesday when I awoke my stomach was in pain of epic proportions.  Not only didn't I want to work out, but I genuinely couldn't even lift my legs or use my stomach muscles without agony.  I ROLLED out of bed.  Literally.  If I had to go to the gym that day I would NOT have gone.  NO WAY.

But Ms. Nina showed up and, after listening to me whine about the pain, empathetically said, "we're going to add some leg weights to your workout today."  WHATTTTTTTTTT??????  I just told her, almost in tears, I was too sore to work out and her response was to bring added weights? lol  That wouldn't have been MY choice, dats fo' sho'.

Funny thing is, as soon as we were done the workout I felt SO MUCH better than before she showed up.  And I haven't really been sore since.  (Of course, today she brought heavier weights and I felt like I actually ripped out/detached from my body every muscle in my torso, so we'll see what tomorrow looks like.  I may be investing in a shower massager or selling the family jewels to afford a massage therapist.  (I don't have any family jewels.  That was written for effect.  Don't stalk me.  hehe)  She also brought a medicine ball.  Some heavy torture device you're supposed to try to hang onto while doing squats and lunges etc.  I thought it all seemed so very, well, torturous until I googled it today.  If this is what you get from using a "medicine ball" then I guess I'll just suck it up and do it!

So I am Fail Proofing my Goals for 2011.  If Failure Is Not An Option, then I need to take myself and my spur of the moment choices out of the equation and get this healthy routine on automatic pilot.  One week into the New Year it's looking mighty fine!

♥

What are you doing to ensure success?  Got a plan?  Bullet proofing it?  What's working?