Goals! (part 2)

As promised I'm here to share some insight into goal tracking and what has worked best for me. As is true for most things, what will work best for you may be very different from others but be willing to try new things to find what makes it all click for you!


Food- It's SO easy to think you're doing better than you are when it comes to your diet. So much of the American diet is filled with processed foods which sneak in lots of fats and sugars and therefore way more calories than anyone should need. To counter this, I have tried a few different things to track my dietary goals. The first is a food journal. When I first started watching what I ate more, I tried writing everything down that I ate. This was good for seeing what all was going in, at least at a glance. It did discourage me from eating unhealthily because I wanted to be able to look back and be proud of the way I was eating. I soon learned however that although I knew the face value of what I was eating, I didn't really have any idea how many calories I was cutting, which is important when you want to lose weight. I also didn't always have my journal with me, and it was a pain trying to keep track of things in my phone or something then transferring it all over later. Not feeling completely satisfied with this approach, I started looking for an app I could use on my phone instead.

I soon came across MyFitnessPal which I've talked about before here. You can catch up from my earlier post, but as a summary, this app has a huge catalog of foods both from grocery stores and restaurants. The company has also started to verify the user's entries so when you look up a food, you can know it's nutritional facts have been confirmed when you see a green check next to it.

Another thing I love about this app is the prompts it gives you as you add in your food. It will remind me when I'm getting close to my sodium limit for the day or when I've reached my protein goal for example. These prompts are based on the settings you create when you first set up your app and can always be changed. The hard thing about something like this is that you still have to be very consistent, which is a pain at first. Once you're in the habit of it, it's a breeze. I just take a minute or so after each meal to log my food and I'm good for the day! Another tricky part is specifying the serving sizes. For me it's helped me to be more mindful as I eat because I stop more to think more how much of something I'm eating. Again though, this is a habit that will come but can be annoying at first. 

On the other end of the spectrum, you can choose not to track your food and count your calories. In general, if you eat a balanced healthy diet, the weight will take care of itself. And in general, I would say I fall into this category. However, for me it still helps to know where I'm at. I've been doing this long enough that I really don't have to try much anymore to stay within my calorie goal for food, but logging it helps keep me focused and on track.

Exercise- Exercise is the other half of the equation. When I first started exercising a few years ago my goal was simply to exercise every day. I didn't keep track of what I did at the gym, how long I did it for, how many calories I had burned, nothing. I didn't even always use a program on a machine. I would just go until I felt done (which was maybe 30 min. tops) and head back home. My efforts were difficult to measure this way so it was hard to analyze what I was doing well and what needed improvement to reach my weight loss goals. 

When I started using the MyFitnessPal app, I began logging my workouts and things started to change. In a month and a half I lost about 10 pounds because I was setting goals, keeping goals, and pushing myself more. I wasn't entirely sure how accurate the exercise stats were but something was working and that worked for me. 

As I got more into exercise and started leaving my comfort zone of the elliptical, the app became less useful for tracking my exercise because there were no caloric estimates for things like weight lifting and body weight exercises. I kept up with them anyway because I knew they were good for me but it became harder to track my goals accurately. Enter the FitBit. I've already talked about that here but I'll say it again, I LOVEEEEEE this thing. Best investment ever. 

Stats- Day to day tracking keeps me focused and headed in the right direction but I also like to record stats on about a weekly basis to make sure my daily efforts are taking me closer to my long term goals. I kept a small notebook for a while just for this purpose but I ended just using my planner/calendar to do this. Only having a small square to write in forced me to only include the most important stats. This meant less recording and a smaller focus- in my case, focus on my long term goal. Here I would write my caloric intake, output, and deficit. Then on days I weigh myself, I add that too. I've also started taking measurements for body fat percentage and BMI. So far I just have them in my phone as I've taken snapshots but I'm planning to add those stats in too. 

The point in all this is that there are a lot of ways to track your goals but finding one that is convenient and easy for you is important! If it's too complicated, you probably won't stick to it. And if you're working towards a long term goal, it really can help to track your progress as you go. So just do it ;) 

A few quotes to remember in all this

Ain't this the truth??

Any progress is better than no progress. Work hard and track it!

I was so tempted tonight to skip my workout because I finished homework around 9:15 and almost convinced myself that showering and getting to bed earlier would be just as beneficial to my health as going to the gym (the little devil on my shoulder makes some excellent points later on in the day). BUT I GOT DRESSED AND WENT TO THE GYM ANYWAYS. And now I'm laying in bed, fresh and clean, having met my goals for the day, and feeling awesome. Every day matters. Every minute in the gym makes a difference and I'm so glad I went. 

Happy sweating <3

   Kayla

Goals! (part 1)

I LOVE goal setting. I think I got this from my mom who always had something she was working toward and had lists or action plans on how she was going to get there. When it comes to weight loss, goals are great to have but only if you do it right. Here's what I've learned in the last couple of years as a weight loss newbie.

1. Be realistic- Not to say you can't challenge yourself, but setting yourself up for failure can do more harm than good. Set a goal that will require you to work at it without killing yourself and still falling short. That is SO discouraging. So don't do it.

2. Be specific- If your goal is to "lose weight" give yourself a deadline, specify the pounds, outline how you're going to achieve that loss. If your goal is to run a race, sign up for a date, set your training schedule, and have your finishing time in mind as you train. When you set specific goals, it forces accountability and makes your success measurable and therefore more satisfying. Crossing that finish line will feel AMAZING.

3. Learn how to bounce back- not reaching your goals can be disheartening, see point #1. BUT if you are ready to reach your goals, you HAVE to learn to be kind to yourself. Be understanding when you're doing the best you can and try again the next day. This is a process and if you're going to make lasting lifestyle changes, it will take some practice.

4. Adapt- Sometimes goals need adjusting, so be ready to change them up. When you're expecting a busy week, it may not be possible to make it to the gym after work every day and that's ok. Decide what is reasonable and set that as your goal for the week. When things are going great and reaching your goal is a breeze, it's time to up it so you can push yourself a bit more. That's when change happens.

5. Break it up- When you have a goal in mind, I find it helps to break it up into subgoals. This goes along with being specific but for me at least, it's really helpful to have steps broken down for me to reach my goal. It also helps counter the all-or-nothing perspective that can creep around loftier goals. For example, if you want to lost 50 pounds, maybe break that down into 5 pound increments. Or break it down into action you can take and measure daily like 30 min. workouts 5x/week.

6. Reward yourself- Solid goals require self discipline, consistency, and a lot of work! Give yourself a pat on the back and reinforce yourself along the way. If your goals are health oriented, avoid food as a reward. American culture is particularly bad with this, but sever the unhealthy relationship with food by using it as fuel instead of a reward. Instead, use something that is more conducive to the work you're putting in. Working towards weight loss, I have rewards planned for every 5 pounds I lose- also one of the ways I break up my larger goal for pounds to lose. Bought these new workout capris a few weeks ago as my first reward:

 I'm now realizing how these match perfectly with my blog design too! Hahaha

Exercise is hard guys, but being unhealthy is so much harder. I always amaze myself with how great I feel when I'm eating right and working my body. I love this quote by M. Russell Ballard:

Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and healthy and to take care of the precious bodies he created for us.

Stay tuned for part two where I share some ideas for goal tracking including what I've tried, what I've liked, and how to keep things simple.

<3 Kayla

Life :)

Re-reading my last few posts, I realized I often start my posts saying how long it's been and how crazy life has been. Well, it certainly has been a while, and life was really crazy for a while but things have slowed down and a lot of wonderful things are happening :) So here's the scoop!

Steven graduated in August of 2014 and found a job a couple months later working for a physical therapist. He couldn't have been happier with how things worked out and has gained lots of experience he's needing to apply for grad school this year. He is still working there and loving it, getting almost 40 hours a week between all the shifts he picks up on call. It's been fun to watch him dive into work that he enjoys so much. Plus all of his clients and co-workers love him. He's going to be a great therapist someday :)

Steven's action shot at graduation. I need to get better pics from his mother haha.

Soon after my last post, I left the group home. I found a position with a Brain Balance Center in Utah doing administrative work. I had originally applied for a more treatment oriented position but with my past at State Farm, they wanted me as the Administrative Director instead. While this job was less taxing than the group home, I soon started to notice some issues with the management. I was removed enough from it that I thought everything would be fine though. Fast forward a few months of long hours and promises of things calming down, and I started to feel more skeptical. My Center Director loved me though and gushed about my work ethic and soon I was offered an opportunity to locate temporarily to St. George where I could be trained as the Program Director to cover another employee on maternity leave. I decided to accept the offer but was suddenly let go less than 2 weeks after I got there. This came as a blow mostly because it was so unexpected and unjustified. They also chose to notify me of my termination the morning of my great grandmother's funeral, which they were completely aware of. Sounds great, right? I won't try to explain the situation more because even now, it just doesn't make any sense.

So I packed up my room at my grandparent's house and drove back to Provo. I was advised to take advantage of unemployment benefits and signed up the next day. I immediately started applying to jobs and about a week and a half after losing my job, I was offered a job as a full time case manager with Wasatch Mental Health. A position I'd been looking at since before I even graduated from BYU. With a start date halfway through January, I was able to take nearly a month off, with benefits, to just recharge from the crazy year I'd had. It was SOOOOOOO nice getting to enjoy the holidays without stress, work, homework, anything! Just Christ, family, and great things on the horizon.

Since that time I've adjusted to my new work schedule and am still loving my job. After a year of crazy hours and complete exhaustion, my health is improving and I'm being able to focus on my weight loss and exercise goals again. Every time I "restart" my workout regimen, I like to reflect on what did and didn't work for me from my past attempts. Here's what's working for me now:

• FitBit!!!! I got this as a present from Steven and have absolutely loved it! I've already sold a couple different people on it now and get questions about it all the time. I'm pretty sure FitBit owes me some kind of commission at this point. It's easy to use and provides such valuable information in keeping track of your work. I lost 6 pounds in the first couple months without even exercising. In the past few weeks I've added my workouts back in and despite the inconsistency so far, I've already lost an additional 2 pounds. For me it's all about the numbers and accountability and my FitBit does wonders for me there. Ok, I'll stop now cause I could literally write a whole post about this.                                                                                                                          
  
                                                                                            
• self check in's- Every night I review my stats for the day and record them in my planner. I have a system down and it only takes a few minutes buts it's super satisfying and I find it helps keep me focused and motivated to get up the next day and do it all again!
• competition and rewards- I've always been curious about fitness groups and wanted to get involved in one. Unable to find anything just right to join, I decided to make my own! Steven and I teamed up with a couple we hang out with all the time to set goals, check in with each other, and compete against each other. We set up a google doc to track all of our stats for the week and have planned rewards we earn if we reach our goals. I've learned a lot about goal setting from this and will post more on this later ;) 

A snapshot of our group goal tracker. Don't pay attention to the numbers cause my goal has been different every week ;)

So these are things working for me lately. Find what works for YOU!

Happy sweating <3

  Kayla