30 Day Nutrition Challenge 1: Getting SMART When It Comes To Food

When you are trying to create something, you have to have a plan, in order to make a plan you need to know what you are striving for, this is why we set goals.

Therefore, I want you to do the following exercise, set aside enough time to do it and if you fail to even do that then you know that you aren’t ready to change yet.

We use the SMART template, SMART stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable/Meaningful
• Achievable/Actionable
• Realistic/Relevant
• Timebound

Write a few things down against each header but then I want you to think about your ‘why’ as well. So, each time ask yourself ‘why’ and keep asking ‘why’ until you get to the root of the matter, this requires going deep and sometimes you might not like what you discover about yourself.

This is usually harder for people who are very overweight and have been that way for some time than it is for sports and performance-based individuals who already have a decent idea of what their whys and motivations are, generally better performance/fitness/strength, etc.

Here’s an example:

“I want to lose weight -why?

Because I don’t like the way I look – why do I feel ashamed?

Because it makes me feel ashamed – why do I feel that way?

Because I know I deserve better than that - why aren’t I doing this already?

Because I don’t have time – why don’t I have time?

Because I put my family, work and friends ahead of me – why?

Because they are important to me – are they more important than me?

Yes – why?

Because I don’t like who I am…

OK, that’s an extreme example but you see how this works, there are always reasons behind what we want and what we do and everything we have is a result of decisions we have made. If we don’t like where we are right now we have to change what we are doing because it is our actions and our lifestyle choices that have got us into that position in the first place. If you value yourself, you will find it easy to do the things necessary to create the change that you are after. If you don’t you’ll find something else that is more important to you, like watching telly or scrolling through your social media feed.

Write your goals down and, if you like, map it out using pictures. Once you have done this you can go back to this anytime you feel your motivation faltering. You will also need to reassess your goals as you go through your journey and find that your long-term goal changes as your core values change.

Use the following template, set aside some time to complete this process and then share your goals in the forum (you can leave out the deeply personal details).

1. Your long-term goal or desired outcome
2. Why this is important to you
3. What is the timescale for this?
4. What are your short-term goals?
5. What process goals are you going to set to get you there?
6. How will you measure your progress?

Do this and then reassess regularly to keep yourself on track.

Good luck,

Troy

GymCube Nutritionist