January. All I can literally see around me are resolutions. They’re on the telly, online and in the papers.
This time of year, a large chunk of the population set out on their new quest to achieve some wonderful and majestic goal. This might be to learn a new language, save more money, treat people better or the most common one, to lose weight.
Now as a trainer this is where I normally come in, I am not going to write about what to eat and not what to eat in this post. What, I am going to write is about your Values. Now I know what your thinking I have gone all guru and zen on you but please hear me out.
Values make us, well us. They are the building blocks of our lives, they point us in the right direction and help us maintain the course.
Think about the world we live in, how many people do you know that you class as a friend, but you disagree on a number of topics, perhaps politics, perhaps religion or maybe you don’t agree with the way they dress. This is down to a conflict in values (and beliefs but I’ll cover that in another post).
Without clearly knowing our values, we will be living with an internal conflict which can cause us to make poor decisions.
This is where some people who want to lose weight or become healthy tend to lose track.
Quick exercise for you, on a piece of paper write down 10 values that are true to you. These are things that are most important in your life.
Obviously I will join in, here are mine.
- Love
- Happiness
- Family (and friends!!)
- Honesty
- Humour
- Health
- Security
- Integrity
- Knowledge
- Success
Now have a look at your list and think for a moment or two and list these values in a hierarchy from 1 – 10 with the most important being number 1.Again here are mine:
- Family (and friends)
- Love
- Happiness
- Honesty
- Humour
- Security
- Health
- Integrity
- Knowledge
- Success
Still with me….good
If someone wants to lose weight or improve their health but, they do not have health as one of their top 10 values, the simple truth is that they will not achieve their goal. At a subconscious level they suppress the want and desire to be healthy and so set themselves up for failure.
How to push a Value back up the charts.
Simple….break it down.
So, if we look at my list and take health. Its at number 7 so its quite high but there are a few things that come first. What does health actually mean to me?
- Being around for my son and watch him grow up.
- Being a role model
- Being an active Mum who can easily play with my children and not get out of breath.
- Growing old with my husband (sounds a bit lovey dovey but you know it makes sense!!)
- Comfortably wearing my clothes without them feeling a bit “snug”
- Age well
So next step. What do I need to do in order to achieve this?
- Exercise regularly
- a diet low in inflammatory foods
- Lots of fruit and veg
- Drastically cut down on sugar and processed foods
- Sleep well
- Move more
- Drink water ( about 8 glasses a day)
Already going through this lis I have highlighted a few areas that I have been neglecting, I certainly don’t drink enough water, I don’t get to bed early most nights (its 10.14pm at the moment and I am typing??) and I know that I have a sugar demon the size of a small country living inside me! However, I realise what I have to do and I will start tomorrow by tackling the water issue first.
As you can see by doing this exercise I am giving myself clarity and most importantly, accountability. I have started to add emotion to my goal and values. Emotions can drive behaviour and are therefore key in any goal achievement.
So, lets flip reverse it, what are your values. If health is important to you but you do not value it enough I think its time for you to sit down for half and hour and work out what it is you actually want.
Write down whatever you like and break it down. No one has to see it so be as honest as you can. Although, what you can do to add a bit of pressure is to tell some people who you trust, what your are trying to achieve. A little bit of social peer pressure can work wonders!!
Now is the time to address your issues, no one will do it for you. No one can change the situation you are in except you. Be bold and be brave, who knows what you will achieve.
Katie
Katie has been in the health and fitness industry since 2001. After 7 years working within a major health club chain Katie set up her own company and now trains her clients at their homes and online. A passion for learning and helping people be the best that they can be has seen Katie consistently add to her list of qualifications. A qualified NLP practitioner, metabolic typist, sports massage therapist and personal trainer Katie aims to work with clients both physically and mentally. Since 2011 Katie has been a tutor and assessor for a nationwide training company that trains people to become Personal Trainers. She manages to squeeze all this in whilst also being a full time Mum of a 2 year old little boy.
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