why goals?

so i have to admit, i'm a bit of a planner. sometimes this is counterproductive as i can get a bit too bogged down with too much planning and not enough doing. but in the case of the transformation contest, taking the time beforehand to clarify my goal and pinpoint the actions that would get me there was very instrumental to setting me up for success. i'm more concerned with my body composition than scale weight, so my goal for the contest was to achieve 15% body fat and finally see my abs. i started at 24.2%. i found out a bit later that a reasonable goal when it comes to body fat loss is .5% per week. so, although my goal was a bit ambitious, it worked in my favor in the end because having a big goal kept me motivated and on track...and i was still super pleased when i came in at 18.9% at the end of my 12 weeks. the remaining 4% goes in the next challenge, but that's a whole other story.

after you clarify what it is that you want to achieve, it's really important to figure out the reasons WHY you want it. feeling connected to these reasons why will help you to stay strong and focused when the going gets rough. for example, a few of my reasons WHY that i identified before the challenge were:

1) my relationship with food has been such a source of pain for me in my life and i don't want that pain in my life anymore.

2) i am going home in june after almost two years away (i haven't been back to the states since i've been in spain). i want to blow my friends and family away with how good i look.

3) i want to prove to myself that with hard work and discipline i can achieve the unbelievable body that i've always wanted using methods that support my health and well being instead of deteriorating them.

after identifying the reasons why, what comes next is the how. i like to call them action steps. think about the behaviors or habits you need to adopt to get you to where you want to be. figure out the ones that you are willing to commit to. a few of my daily action steps for the last contest were:

1) drink four liters of water
2) avoid all processed sugar
3) eat only whole, clean foods
4) do my TT workout or off day activity
5) get 8 hours of sleep every night

so, to recap, before you jump in to a new fat loss effort, take a bit of time to clarify what you want to achieve, why you want it, and what steps you are willing to commit to in order to get there.

if you really want to get serious about achieving your goals, check out dax moy's magic 100 program. there are several people on ttmembers.com who are using it and raving. dax takes the focus off of goal setting and puts it on goal achievement and he shows you exactly how to make progress in all areas of your life, not just with your health and fitness goals. so if you're feeling a bit stuck, this could be just the injection of inspiration and motivation you need to get moving.