-Quote by Nelson Mandela-

When I set the intention September 2022 this image sums up my feelings at the time…

-this feels like an impossible goal

-what if you fail?

– we’ve tried this so many times before

– don’t tell anyone in case you fail

-even if you get there it won’t last

Negative self-talk has stopped me short of goals more times than I want to count. But this intention felt different in my bones. I had already done the work emotionally, spiritually, and professionally; focusing on my physical health felt like the right next step. I knew it was now or never while I had the space and energy to push past those thoughts and give it “college try” this time.

For those close to me, thank you for your cheers, notes, encouragement and unwavering support. Achieving a 53 pound weight loss to this day boggles my mind. It was such a desire of mine for so long, I had to learn health goal achievement comes from pairing my intention with self management. It is my plan to host a meet up and talk about my journey with others that are interested. Talking about what works is so important. It’s a daily focus and ongoing reinforcement that has to occur.

To keep this post from being too long, I identified the top 3 behavioral interventions that helped me achieve this goal in hopes it will be helpful to someone else:

1. Intention setting and developing the “why”
   • The first couple months into this intention I was all over the place. I was not tapped into why I wanted to change. It wasn’t until I started meeting with my dietician that I developed a “why” statement; which became my guiding light. It helped me focus on the long term.
     • My why: “I want to run through the park with my grandchildren one day”.
       • That is a value for me.
       • Then I realized it had to become a value right now.
2. Focus on Behaviors and Habits
   • We set small goals and daily habits that could change my patterns.
   • For example:
     • I will eat breakfast every day
     • I will pair protein and fiber with my breakfast
     • I will set my watch to have a snack at 10am every day
     • I will walk on the treadmill 20 min in the morning
   • By not focusing on big, hairy changes, these little changes kept me motivated to achieve small wins. Each week they began to add up!
3. Continuous positive reinforcement
   • Every time my Dietician and I met, we would incorporate a “wins list” in our sessions.
   • This would include how I would reward myself each time I maintained a goal.
   • It’s really important these rewards weren’t tied to physical goals, but to the small habits and behaviors I sought to maintain.
   • For example:
     • I would track my daily fiber intake; if I achieved the intake goal 7 days I would buy a new sticky note pack (yes, I am obsessed with sticky notes lol).

If you have not heard it from anyone today, you can achieve your health goals. It is not impossible.

In peace,

J