Weight Watchers Chat #305: How To Set Simple Goals

News and Reviews February 2023

The biggest news I have is we are officially moved out woooo hooooo! And about 80% moved into the new location with the exception of a working kitchen. As soon as it is ready we will be doing the lives from there. But until then…

Last week in Chat #304 How To Get Support for Activity, you thought we were going to talk about activity this week. Well I was wrong and so are you LOL!

Activity is great and all but if you don’t feel supported with this leg of your journey how likely are you to be successful at it? Getting some cheers from a coach, family members or an accountabilibuddy can keep you motivated and moving!

I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Love exercising with a group? Whether it’s Zumba or a baseball team if you love being motivated by the group this one is for you. Many cities have walking or hiking meetup groups, you can join a local sports league, or even a group water aerobics class can help you meet new friends who can keep you going strong.

Ridin’ Solo
Maybe you love nothing better than plugging in your fave song and sweating while no one is watching. You need support too! Maybe asking your spouse to watch the kiddos while you head out for a solo walk, or finding a group on Connect where you can share your goals and how you did!

You’ve Got a Friend In Me
Or maybe you’ve got that one buddy you can trust to be there, show up, keep you going and share the workout. That’s a great opportunity to go ahead and put together a regular plan that you can both get on the calendar and know you have to get up and get out because someone is counting on you!

Your homework for last week was #ActionTraction. Let us know if you like to give your action some traction – from a group, if you’ll be working out solo, or you have a trusted friend or family member you can get your exercise groove on with …. and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

I did Karen’s homework for her LOL. We definitely both are “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and even if we try a group activity we hang close to a friend who supports us. She didn’t give up on me while we were moving and bugged me every day about walking…we got in two miles this afternoon!
Sherry is riding solo with Leslie Sanson and Daily Dose of fitness!
Mary wants to dance with somebody when she gets together with her senior exercise group!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: How To Set Simple Goals

Who woke up this morning and thought “I think I’ll run a marathon today!”?

Yeah, me either. I think we can all agree that even if we wanted to run a marathon some day (this year, next year, before we turn 60) that’s just too big of a goal to take on without creating some simple baby steps to get ready. Let’s break it down!

Big Picture, Baby Steps

I want to run a marathon. Or I want to lose 50 pounds. Or even I want to track all of my meals every single day.

Let’s take tracking all of my meals every single day as an example goal. If you’ve been tracking only occasionally (or maybe even never) try something less overwhelming. How about a STAR goal?

Specific – I will track one meal a day, 3 days this week
Truly Doable – I have time to sit down and do this three times and will put it on my planner
Actionable – I am DOING something, not avoiding doing something
Relevant – I know tracking helps me on my journey so being a more consistent tracker is on my list!

Make a List (and check it twice!)

Do you have what you need to track one meal a day, three days this week?

Tracker on your phone or paper?
Time?
A menu or idea of what you are planning on eating for that meal?
What else might you need?

Pen to Paper

Now do my favorite thing and write it down! You are 100% more likely to do something if you can see it written down, especially if you post it somewhere you can see it every day!

This Week’s Homework: #GoalGetter

Your homework for this week is #GoalGetter. You need to show your work on this one! No pressure, it doesn’t have to be artsy fartsy, I just want to see it written down. Write down that goal plus three tools you have that will get you there …. and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Don’t forget to do your homework #GoalGetter and tag me when you share on social media!

Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect

Extra Credit: Let’s Make an Inspiration Board!

Before we wrap up tonight’s chat, I’m going to read you a bedtime story – not exactly what you expected, right? You all know I’ve been loving the book “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. The latest chapter I’ve been reading is titled “I’m Going to Marry Matt Damon” in which she describes relentlessly applying for a job that she believed would lead to her meeting (and ultimately marrying) her celeb crush, Matt Damon.

To summarize, here are the things that helped her reach her vision:

Physically writing down the goals
Naming your goals and saying them out loud
Creating a vision board as a constant reminder of where you’re headed

Tonight, we’re going to follow in Rachel’s footsteps and make a vision board of our own goals!

No two vision boards will look exactly alike. Yours might take the form of a poster, a post-it note, a painting, or any other form that motivates you! For mine, I’m going to use some scrapbook paper, post-it flags, and a board that lives in my kitchen – one of the places I spend time regularly and will be sure to see it.

Here are the steps we’re going to follow to create our vision boards:

Set a Goal. My ultimate goal is to get back to my goal weight, but that’s not specific enough to be a good STAR goal. For my board, my goal is “I will be at goal weight by my 56th birthday”
Identify your Tools. What tools will you need to reach your goal? List those out so you don’t forget any of the resources at your disposal! For me, I’ll need to shop for the right groceries, be mindful and get my mindset right, attend meetings, drink water, use my WW app, exercise, keep healthy foods exciting with herbs and spices, tracking points, and keeping prepared meals on hand.
Visualize the Steps. Without knowing the steps required to get to your goal, you likely won’t be able to reach them. For my board, since I have six pounds to lose in order to reach my goal weight, I’m including large countdown numbers to remind myself of the small victories that will add up to a bigger one!
Set Mini Goals. In addition to those steps, you’ll need to hit some mini goals that help you set good habits on your way to reaching your goal. Mine will include: tracking 1 meal per day three days per week, walking 3 days per week with Karen, and eating a planned lunch 5 days per week.

No matter what your goal is, a vision or inspiration board is an incredibly powerful tool to help keep you on track! I’ll keep you all updated on my progress toward my goals and how the vision board is helping me in the coming weeks.

Drop a comment and let us know what’s on your vision board!