Have you noticed that your comfort zone has created a discomfort zone?
Maybe you’ve had a recent weight gain and you feel the extra pounds mostly in your knees? Maybe you’re experiencing how difficult it is to stand up from your chair? Maybe your recent bloodwork alerted you to the need to change your eating habits because your A1C (blood sugar levels) or your total cholesterol levels are too high?
Taking care of yourself takes work. Sometimes it takes lots of work, especially early on, before a routine or habit is established.
For change to occur, there must be enough discomfort to encourage the desire to change. That’s when getting up from the chair is impossible – possibly from being too comfortable all those winter months. Wanting change to occur is one thing, but doing something to start the process is how change occurs. But have you noticed that sometimes you don’t make changes until the unpleasant and, sadly, disastrous thing happens? There is your comfort zone and then there is your discomfort zone…
Maybe, too, you feel overwhelmed?
A great way to mitigate overwhelming tasks or to help introduce gradual change is to spend time setting goals. Goals guide then move us to the results we desire. When someone reaches out to me with the idea to begin an exercise program, I share with her a questionnaire. While she’s listing her goals for exercise and wellness, I set about to perform a few physical tests that establish her baseline strength, balance, and cardiovascular health, for example.
Overall, between the questionnaire and the tests, my client and I then set measurable, attainable, time-bound, relevant, and specific goals. Setting the goals before we begin to work together shapes the work we’ll do as a wellness team. We then review the goals on a monthly or quarterly basis. We remeasure, if needed. We revise, if needed. And we check to make sure what’s been accomplished leads her to her long-term goals. It’s all done incrementally—through thoughtful planning– and sets her up for success and achievement.
Here are a few of the goal-generating questions I offer to my clients. Working through these may offer you some guidance to help you move out of your current discomfort-zone.
- What are your short-term goals (three to six months) and long-term goals (beyond six months)?
Setting finite goals is imperative. Giving yourself deadlines helps create immediacy.
- What could hinder your wellness and fitness program?
Being honest with yourself is also imperative. Make a list of what, or maybe who, has gotten in your way in the past. Listing any hinderances up-front will allow you to understand your limitations so that you can take them into consideration as you make changes.
- What motivates you? What things are most important to you? How will a healthy lifestyle complement or support this?
- What kinds of exercise programs have you tried in the past?
If you’re beginning again, begin by adding in any movement you already know you enjoy. If you like brisk walking, there’s a great start. Or stop by the gym that has the large indoor pool that you enjoyed in the past. On the flip side, if you disliked jogging in the past then take that form of exercise off your list. Commit to doing things you like, and then commit to doing them often.
- What kinds of modifications to your eating habits have you tried in the past?
What worked in the past is probably something you have kept in your meal routine. But the same goes for food–if you don’t like a certain food, say broccoli or spinach, then try sauteed kale or cabbage.
- How will you integrate exercise into your life? When was the last time you exercised regularly (at least three times per week) and how long did it last? Why did you stop?
Exercising most days of the week requires an action plan with attention to good movement and exercise selection, showing up at the gym regularly or meeting your trainer several times each week, then performing enough repetitions, or measuring your elevated heart-rate for a specific amount of time.
- How much time do you have to commit to meal planning and preparation?
Eating nutritious meals each day may require forethought and attention to selecting recipes, then making a shopping list, then preparation. Anyone who puts in the time required to take care knows the benefits.
- What kind of support do you have to help you change your lifestyle?