Forget the Resolutions...
As we entered the New Year, it seemed everyone began to talk about resolutions. Do you know anyone still living up to those resolutions? Unfortunately, resolutions fail because of the lack of personal investment. Instead of resolutions, we want to encourage you to develop a system of goals that will help you make your dream a reality. People want to improve their appearance or physical fitness for one reason or another. Beach vacations, weddings, and class reunions are common milestones that make us re-evaluate our fitness level. These events are often the incentive for people beginning a new fitness or fat-loss program. But what is the goal and what is the ultimate reward? As humans, we do what we do because of consequences. The consequence of achieving your goals MUST outweigh the investment (effort) you’ve put into it.
Goals are critical to program adherence and success. When setting goals, it’s important that they be specific, realistic, and achievable. Sorry, but to say, “I will lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks,” is not realistic. This is the kind of goal that sets you up for failure.
Finding a happy medium
Research of elite athletes shows that successful goal setting includes goals that are challenging, yet achievable. Meaning, your goals need to be hard enough to make you work, but not so hard that you cannot attain them, leading you to become frustrated and discouraged. How do you find that happy medium of not too easy and not too hard?
Step by step
Take small steps. Pick one and get it done. For example, pick one part of your plan, get it done and recognize the successes of that one piece, and then move on to the next. Focus on the positive things that are happening. "Had a client tell me that they hadn’t lost weight and wasn’t happy. After being told to find something positive, “well, I haven’t fallen lately and I always have problems falling’…she had lost almost a full percent of body fat and the majority of her skinfolds had decreased. Although she hadn’t lost a single pound of body weight, she had lost a pound of fat and gained a pound of lean muscle. Fat=Bad, Muscle=good. So she recognized the small success that she had.”
It’s most effective to have both long- and short-term goals. Your long-term goal is your ideal outcome. For example, “I will finish a half marathon.” In the short-term, you may decide to train for a 5K, then a 10K, as markers of progress towards your long-term goal. Find a way to be rewarded as you go; a runner sips water continually; doesn’t gulp it down at the end.
In order for a goal to be achievable it must be personally rewarding and little rewards along the way make achieving your goal much more fun. Every step toward your goal should be documented and celebrated. That is why it’s a good idea to have a written plan or checklist. When you get discouraged or have doubts, your record of past successes will quickly get you back on track.
Do you think a marathon runner counts each mile on her way to the finish line? You bet! Celebrate each and every milepost on your path to victory.
Goals don’t always need to be big and lofty. We often get caught up in the future outcome and we forget about living in the here and now. You should set a goal for each day. For example, “Today I will finish all my sets without added rest.”
Yours in Health,
Coach Brown & The UFF Staff
Member of the MonthDiane Walters
“UFF made all the difference in the world for me.” 
Diane Walters and her husband were simply having lunch with a few people. One was a client of UFF. Diane was intrigued with the outcomes of his training program, especially the nutritional guidance and the one-on-one attention. So, she researched the UFF website and liked what she saw, so she scheduled an appointment to discuss the possibility of training at UFF to help train for an upcoming half marathon. It was also important to her to be educated on the hows and whys of physical activity and the healthy lifestyle. Diane signed up and was devoted to following Coach Brown’s program to the T! In eight weeks, she’s down 6% body fat and 21 total inches!
Diane is VERY self-motivated – “because I want to be healthy and fit as I grow older.” With a history of health issues in her family, she wants to beat the odds. Diane has always been physically active with running, biking, playing women’s soccer, taking various exercise classes, lifting weights and being an avid walker. But she had never gotten the results she desired. She came to UFF tired, frustrated, and overtrained, having tried everything under the sun to lose fat and be healthy. “The benefits from UFF were the individual attention with a program designed just for me. It was easy for the team at UFF to determine my strengths and weaknesses. The program not only helped with my training for the half marathon, but pushed me to be as fit as possible. The nutrition program and encouragement were second to none!” Diane says.
Diane advises people to think smarter, so you don’t have to work harder. “A well rounded program such as those offered at UFF was the perfect fit for her training. If you work too hard, you are more likely to injure yourself and not be as well prepared for the event.” “The most challenging part of beginning or continuing a workout program is to keep believing in yourself, set the goals you want to achieve and don’t stop until you reach those goals!” Diane advises. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve what you’ve always longed for in life. Setting goals and achieving them gives such a great feeling which always motivates her to do more.
She loves being active in most sports. She enjoys running along the ocean, hiking, biking, walking, nature, art and reading, and playing Words with Friends. She hopes to write a book someday and have her daughter illustrate it.
Jeff, her husband of 34 years has been her rock in life. He is supportive of all her endeavors. They have three daughters, Sarah, Jessica, and Kayla who are all very active as well. Sarah is married to Jason Matthews. They have one daughter Emmalyn, the apple of my eye. Sarah is a graphic artist at Disney World. Jason works at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Florida. Jessica, is an electrical engineer and works at EPIC in Madison and Kayla is married to Tim Ainsworth. She is a personal trainer at XSports in St. Charles, IL.
Diane is the former Curriculum and Instruction Director for the Diocese of Green Bay and continues to do consulting for the Department of Education.
Client InspirationThe (Not) Car Wash
I only had 10 minutes between point G and H: I had already driven from point A through F that day. My car was in desperate need of a wash, so I pulled in to the automatic car wash depot and began to deposit my dollar bills. I was (almost) certain that I could rummage up enough money to pay for the car wash. One by one, I inserted the bills in to the slot on the machine, often having to reinsert them after they were spit back out at me. The machine apparently did not recognize them as genuine tender. I was getting frustrated. Coming up short of dollar bills, I turned to the change cup that I have in my car and began to dig through a multitude of coins, trying to unearth a sufficient amount of quarters. Again, I came short of my goal, then to notice that the machine would only take quarters in change … no other coins accepted.
Disappointed, discouraged – ok … irritated – I pushed the “refund” button to hear the loud clanging of quarters as they spilled in to the metal cup. Great, not only did I not get a car wash, I now had a slew of quarters to add to my already overflowing cup of coins. It’s just not what I had planned or wanted. What a waste of time!
Sometimes, in life we can feel this way, as well. We may try to make deposits as we serve the Lord, only to come up short, and then not have the outcome we expect. Disappointment sets in. We pick up and put on the cloak of discouragement (rather than the full armor of God) and emanate irritation rather than joy; at least, I know I do.
How about you, dear reader? Do you ever feel as if you have invested in a project, a ministry, a circumstance, a dream or a person and you have come up short? Are you discouraged by not experiencing a favorable outcome? Are you feeling as if you want to throw in the towel, pack up and leave, or push the “refund” button?
Remember that in God’s economy, nothing is wasted, and endurance is a prized possession. There may be times when our plans seem to be thwarted, or we are not able to do what we desired, or we have to wait, but God tells us to not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). He does not forget what we do for Him. Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
Persevere. Endure patiently. Love the Lord above all things, trusting Him to give you what you need to complete the work that He has for you to do, in His time. ~Andrea Van Ye Visit Andrea's blog and read more at: http://www.unfailinglyloved.blogspot.com/
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