Despite having good intentions, it happens to many to set goals that are anything but healthy. It often happens because there is too much focus on results, rather than on the path to take to enjoy good health. A few examples? Try to lose a lot of weight in a short time or start training late for a marathon. If broken, these habits usually tend to regain weight. A lightning fast diet that doesn't meet your needs is another example. To avoid setting unhealthy goals, focus on the process. Commit to making small changes in nutrition and training so that you gradually reach your overall goals.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Focus on Health
Step 1. Aim for moderation rather than perfection
Perfectionism can stop you from making progress. If you try to follow a new diet or new eating habits perfectly, you risk being so uncompromising that you end up giving up. Instead, try to make small or moderate improvements and apply them consistently.
Step 2. Consider whether your diet is negatively affecting your social life
If it prevents you from living the way you want, maybe it's time to reevaluate it. In fact, if it does not allow you to participate in events shared with friends and family, you may want to adjust your goals in order to continue to cultivate a satisfying social life.
Step 3. See if you often cancel events to exercise
Giving up a meeting with friends and relatives to go to the gym can be a wake-up call not to be overlooked. The strength of social bonds is an important factor in enjoying adequate psychophysical well-being. Make sure you don't sacrifice your relationships to go to the gym, as you need to be connected and an active lifestyle to stay healthy.
Step 4. Consider using exercise to compensate for poor nutrition
You shouldn't exercise to be able to eat more sweets, chips, or junk food. A training plan aimed at balancing bad eating habits will not make you feel better. Instead, you should aim for a healthy and balanced diet, combined with regular workouts.
Step 5. If you are unsure of your goals, ask a nutritionist to suggest a plan that fits your needs
Talk to the specialist to determine specific and measurable goals that are right for you.
- Ask him: "I know many vegetarians. Do you think this diet is for me?".
- You might also ask, "How much physical activity should I do during the week to lose weight for the summer?"
- For example, if you want to prepare to swim some distance ahead of summer, take advantage of this base to lay the foundation. Goals should be specific and progress measurable over time.
Method 2 of 3: Avoid Setting Unhealthy Food Goals
Step 1. Focus more on bad eating habits rather than a strict diet
Those who want to lose weight are often tempted to start a new diet from scratch. However, changing your diet completely many times leads to failure. Instead, try to improve specific habits that can gradually lead to noteworthy weight loss:
- Instead of having lunch or dinner in front of the television, try to eat mindfully. It is possible that you are overeating because you are distracted and not concentrating on the plate. Just try to eat, paying attention to the food - this can help you ingest less quantities.
- Stop eating late at night. Having dinner just before bed can make you fat. If you want to lose weight, it is a very important habit to change.
- Avoid skipping breakfast, otherwise you risk eating more than you need for lunch and gaining weight. In particular, breakfast is important because in the morning the blood sugar is low: glucose promotes proper mental and muscular functioning. Make time to enjoy a quiet, satisfying breakfast - this should help you lose weight in the long run.
- Buy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you have healthy food in your pantry, you are unlikely to eat badly.
Step 2. Try to eat until you feel full rather than aiming to shed a few pounds
Learn to listen to your body to know when it is full. For weight loss purposes, this is more effective than trying to lose a certain amount of pounds. A quantitative diet is often synonymous with poor nutrition, as it causes you to focus more on the result than on the goal itself.
To practice knowing if you are full, serve smaller portions and integrate a break during the meal to determine your level of satiety. Serve a small portion. Once you've eaten, stop for a moment and ask yourself if you feel full. Before deciding whether to continue eating, take a 5-minute break. If you feel full after this time, you don't need to continue eating
Step 3. If you are on a new diet, allow yourself one "cheat" a week
It is possible to take a break from the diet. By allowing yourself at least one meal to eat as much as you want, you won't feel restricted or constrained. It is preferable to aim for improvement rather than perfection, so try to stick to the diet by taking a break once a week.
Step 4. See if you are using "cheat day" as an excuse to binge
If you follow a strict diet with one "cheat" a week, don't think you have the green light to eat everything. If you gorge yourself once a week and deprive yourself of everything on other days, you will not eat a healthy diet. Instead, try to eat healthy every day and do not punish yourself when you let yourself go a little, the important thing is not to use the "cheat day" as an excuse to fill yourself with junk food.
Step 5. Consider whether you are on a lightning diet, such as Paleo or Atkins
In this case, you are not eating healthy. While these diets are effective for many people and for a variety of reasons, you shouldn't do one just because it sounds like an interesting novelty. You should look for an eating style that works, adapting it to your body type and your health and fitness goals.
Method 3 of 3: Avoid Setting Unhealthy Training Goals
Step 1. Do not propose goals based on external sources
Instead of focusing on goals like losing weight or having a lean physique, look for an activity that is actually to your liking. At that point, use it as a basis for determining your purpose, rather than focusing on abstract goals that you don't really care about.
- Instead of working to get six pack abs, find a sport you enjoy and start playing it.
- Connect physical activity to a hobby you enjoy. If you are into photography, go for a walk and bring your camera to take pictures on the way.
- Instead of focusing on a certain weight loss goal, look for an activity that you like that allows you to burn off calories and dedicate time to it. If you like walking in the park, do it more often and don't worry too much about the pounds to lose.
Step 2. Break the general goal into small goals
Instead of focusing on one goal, like losing 20 pounds, focus on small, measurable goals each week.
- If the overall goal is to lose 20 pounds, commit to losing 500g per week.
- If the overall goal is to squat with 150 pounds, focus on the goal of gaining 2.5 pounds every 15 days or so.
- If the overall goal is to lose 20 pounds, focus on going for a run every day and avoid weighing yourself more than once a month.
Step 3. Edit workouts and pay less attention to results
Instead of focusing on the load you use to squat at the gym or the distance you want to run, focus on the training process. If you take the time to do squats several times a week, you should be able to gradually achieve the desired result. Pay more attention to the process.
Step 4. Don't expect to see results right away
If you are aiming to get better, going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week should improve the overall situation, but you will hardly notice any immediate results, such as six pack abs or substantial weight loss.
Step 5. Take enough time to train
To achieve your goals and avoid getting hurt, you should devote a good amount of time to training, otherwise you risk getting hurt.
