Busygals (and Guys) set S.M.A.R.T. New Year's Resolutions

I had the privilege of sharing lunch with three of my social work colleagues from graduate school yesterday, and the topic of New Year's Resolutions came up (I can hear the collective grumble from my readers now...don't worry, I'm in the same boat).

Why the grumbling? We all know the drill...January 1st rolls around...it's a New Year, New You...for the first two weeks anyway...then it's back to status quo. Not all the time, but many times. Why does this happen?

Many people often set their sights very high, and as a result, do not meet their intended goals. This is a huge disappointment for most, but it doesn't have to be!

I wanted to get a little bit "therapist/social workey" on you for this post, and share my knowledge about effective goal setting. 

A large portion of my past jobs have included goal setting with clients (usually called a Treatment Plan or Service Plan). We utilize these to ensure that clients are making the progress they would like to make during their treatment, and to measure and document their progress as a therapist to ensure that the methods we're using are in fact effective.

I owe this knowledge to many previous jobs, professors, mentors/supervisors, and probably textbooks, so I'm not sure who to exactly credit (and a quick Google search revealed that there's much debate to who exactly originated the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting concept), I'll just credit the profession of social work as a whole, and make it clear that this is not something I came up with myself (I wish!!!)...I'm just passing it on to you :)

Image courtesy of christopherwatts.posterous.com

To set effective goals, you need to be S.M.A.R.T.!
Goals should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-based

I'm going to use the example of weight loss, since this is a major resolution many people set in the New Year (I know, because my gym is PACKED for the first 2 weeks of January...then it's back to normal...ah, good intentions... ;) )

SPECIFIC
Be as specific as possible with your goal. If you want to lose weight, how much?  By when? How? Do you belong to a gym already?

Example: 
"Lose 10 pounds by March 15th by joining the YMCA and exercising 1 hour 5 times per week and not eating after 7pm 7 days per week." 

You might even want to include the specific days you will exercise and what type of exercise will look like: Mine would say, "Attend Swim Fitness class Mon, Wed, Fri 9-10am, and Boot Camp Tues, Thurs 6-7pm."

MEASURABLE
You need to know what you're working toward. How will you know you've met your goal? I have set my goal to be met by March 15. By March 15, I should have lost the 10 pounds. 

Example: 
"Weigh myself every Wednesday at 7am and record weight loss progress."

This will assist me with feeling productive and holding myself accountable. It can also help me to reassess my goal if I realize I am not on track to meet my goal and I can make adjustments as needed. 

ATTAINABLE
If you tend to be an impatient individual (like me) and 3 1/2 months seems like an eternity to see your goal met, set some smaller goals to get to the final goal. 

Examples:
"Lose 1 pound/2 pounds within the first 2 weeks, etc."
"Prepare ahead of time and eat small, healthy snacks throughout the day to prevent feeling hungry and eating unhealthy or seemingly more convenient options."

Your goal also needs to be something you are motivated to actually achieve. If you set a goal to lose weight because you think that others will be happier with you, but you don't really care one way or another, you're probably not going to stick with the goal. Make sure you want to meet the goal!

REALISTIC
This is where many of us get ourselves tied up. Is a 10-pound weight loss realistic and attainable within the next 3 1/2 months? Maybe not. If I know this isn't something I'll be able to achieve, I've already set myself up for failure. I may need to reassess. What is something that I can for sure achieve? 
Why is it important to set attainable goals? Because when our goals are unrealistic, we get overwhelmed and throw the towel in. Set small, achievable goals. You can always increase the "difficulty" of the goal as you progress.


TIME-BASED
When will you meet your goal? In my example, I will know I've met my goal if I have lost 10 pounds by March 15, 2011. Like I said, I might want to even break this large goal into smaller ones, like losing 1/2 to 1 pound every week for the next 14 weeks. 

Let's evaluate my goal one more time: 
*SPECIFIC: "Lose 10 pounds by March 15th by joining the YMCA and exercising 1 hour 5 times per week and not eating after 7pm 7 days per week." *MEASURABLE: I will know if I'm making progress on my goal by weighing myself weekly. 
*ATTAINABLE: I have set smaller goals, such as losing 1/2 lb to 1 lb per week for the next 14 weeks (obviously I'll need to lose more than 1/2 lb per week to meet my goal). I am also deeply committed to this goal, because I know that I  feel great with the weight I have already lost in the past 12 weeks (almost 10 pounds!)  
*REALISTIC: I have determined that 3 1/2 months seems to be a reasonable amount of time to lose 10 pounds for me, based on prior experience.
*TIME-BASED: I will know if I've met my goal if I have lost 10 pounds by March 15, 2011. 




This is pretty hideous looking, and I know I have a better official one from a past job, but I can't locate it on my computer. But here is a rough idea of how you can use a chart to set realistic goals (this is not how a treatment plan would look at all, it's much more detailed and professional looking, but it gives you an idea of something you can create for yourself):

Get S.M.A.R.T., Busygals, and meet your goals!

Great Water Bottle for Busygals at the Gym!

Image courtesy of coolgearinc.com

I found this awesome water bottle on sale at Kohl's. Unfortunately, they don't have it there any more, but I have seen it at Target, so keep your eyes peeled! This thing is great, it's called an EZ-Freeze, made by Cool Gear, Inc. They also have many other cool products I just saw on their web site here. 
The water bottle has a little tube that contains non-toxic freezer gel that screws on and off so that you can stick it in the freezer, then screw it back in to the lid and keep your water cold for long periods of time! It's BPA free and shatter resistant, and it holds 64 oz of liquid, so it's perfect for a long work day or for the gym when you need that water to keep you going! I take mine to my boot camp class every time, and it SAVES me from dehydration when our instructor is seemingly trying to kill us whipping us into shape. 
Stay hydrated, Busygals!

Keep Your Hair In Its Place, Busygals! Scunci

Do you have hair ties that slip out of your hair too easily? I've found that Scunci makes some great hair ties called "No-Slip Grip" that keep your hair tie in place, and I've noticed they don't lose their stretch quite as much as regular hair ties. They're especially great for the gym or pool! 

Image courtesy of scunci.com

I have also tried their "No-Slip Grip" headbands. For me, they don't work quite as well, but I haven't found any headbands that stay put on my head (maybe I have an odd-shaped head, who knows? :) ). I will say that out of all of the headbands I have tried, they work the best. They're great for the gym, keeping your hair out of your face while doing makeup or washing your face, or for general fashion.

Image courtesy of scunci.com

Have another hair product tip? Comment below and share with the rest of us!

Swimming Busygals, Save Your Hair and Skin!

If you read my post about fitness, and specifically swimming, and were inspired...YAY! Good work, Busygal! I'm sure by now you've noticed the health and fitness benefits of swimming, but you've probably also noticed that residual chlorine smell remaining on your skin and hair that is less than pleasant. But would this Busygal leave you hanging like that? Of course not!

TriSwim makes chlorine-eradicating shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and other products. They're a bit on the pricey side, but all in all, swimming is a relatively cheap sport equipment-wise, so I think these products are well-worth the investment. 

Image courtesy of triswim.com

But, if you know anything about me by now, you know I love to save a buck whenever possible. So far, I've been using just the shampoo, and it seems to do the trick. For my skin, I've read that citrus-based body products (with lots of moisturizer to help with the dry skin that chlorine causes) can be great for getting rid of that pesky chlorine smell. 

I love using Trader Joe's Refresh Citrus Body Wash with Vitamin C (added bonus - it's Cruelty-Free!). I've tried their Refresh Citrus Conditioner, and I can tell you right now...save your money. It does not moisturize my hair enough to comb through afterward.

Image courtesy of amazon.com

So you go, Busygal! Keep up the good work with getting in shape, and save your hair and skin in the process!

Busygal Fitness

We all know that exercise is important for our physical, mental, and emotional health. But almost every Busygal I know has the same dilemma: A desire to exercise, but not enough time or lack of energy/discipline to do so. This Busygal is no exception to the rule. However, I've found a few tricks that seem to work for me (hopefully they help you too!):

Image courtesy of hotelsinharvardsquare.com

1) Join a fitness class at your gym
Most gym memberships include attendance to group fitness classes at no additional cost. I have found that this is the only way I get in a decent workout. If I attempt to exercise on my own on a treadmill or elliptical machine, I'll quit in about 10 minutes. I get bored, I feel unmotivated, I get tired. However, in a group exercise class, I feel energized, there's an instructor encouraging and directing, and...time for the real truth...I'm competitive. I don't want people to see me giving up, so being in a class pushes me to give it my all. Some of my favorites at my YMCA include Kickboxing, Kick-Step-Funk, Cardio Smashup, and my new favorite...Swimming (more on this later).


2) Stay ahead of the pack
Once you get comfortable with the routines in the group class, get there a few minutes early and make sure you get a spot toward the front. Why? Because when you know that there's a room full of people behind you, you definitely will feel pushed more to keep going when you feel like giving up. This has also worked wonders for me. When you're in the back row, you're more apt to go easy on yourself and take more breaks. If you're anything like me, being toward the front will push you.

3) Swimming
At my gym, they offer a Swim Fitness class. When I went to join, nobody was attending. For the last few weeks, I have had a private, one-hour Swim Fitness class with an instructor. It's been fantastic! Tip/Lesson Learned: Look for possibly obscure classes offered at your gym that you might be interested in, and you might be treated to individual instruction, or very small classes. This will push you to work harder, as there's nobody to hide behind. Regardless of the class offering, another wonderful exercise is swimming. It works your entire body, it's low-impact, and it's refreshing. Before I found my Swim Fitness class, swimplan.com was a huge help to keeping me on track.


4) Join a Boot Camp Class
Boot camp can be really expensive through private organizations. Try checking out a gym, however, and you might be surprised. My gym offers boot camp classes either 3 days per week in the early mornings, or 2 days per week in the evenings. This is an additional charge to my membership, but at $55 for 10 weeks, 2 times per week, it's worth the extra cost to me! I would by lying if I said it wasn't difficult, but it's an hour, and us Busygals can survive an hour of really hard work, right? Right! That's what I tell myself anyway, and it's been working so far. You work out hard, and you see results!

4) Subscribe to Exercise Magazines
Women's Health Magazine has some great tips for exercise, eating healthy, and staying in shape. I always feel motivated and learn something new when I read it.

5) Eat Healthy
We all know that, right? But as life as a Busygal goes, sometimes healthy eating goes out the window when we're running from one obligation or social activity to the next. This is one of the hugest struggles for me. I've found that pre-portioning out healthy snacks can be helpful. When I get home from the grocery store, I immediately put out zip locs or tupperware and divide snacks into healthy portions. This helps, because when I get home from a long day and I'm starving, I'm reaching for what's convenient, not healthy. But...if my healthy snacks are right there, I'm more apt to grab for those. Also, Trader Joe's has some great snack-sized portions of almonds, called "Just A Handful." A healthy and filling snack. And, as Dave Zinczenko (the guy who authors "Eat This, Not That") recently tweeted, "DIET VS EXERCISE? Workouts help the heart but barely dent our avg 3500 cals/day, says UK study. Focus on eating right." So...when exercise just isn't in the schedule for the day, maintain your health with better eating.










Bottom line: 
Push yourself, get competitive, join some classes, and eat healthy. You'll be glad you did, I know I have been (and I'm excited about the pounds that have been shed as a result!).

Happy fitness, Busygals!