The One Thing That Can Help You Reach Your Health and Weight Loss Goals

So does this have you wondering ….. is there really just one thing!  Of course, there are quite a few things you can do to reach your weight loss and health goals, but this week we are focusing on one thing that can help you reach those health and weight loss goals – accountability.

“Accountability” is when you take responsibility for your actions. When you “own” them.

And it’s key to improving your health and wellness.

Have you ever bought a book or program with the absolute best intentions of following it to a “T?” Have you ever not followed it completely? Life gets in the way, right? We get too tired or busy and let a day or two slide. Then, sometimes, we completely fall off the bandwagon.

This happens to the best of us – Yes, even to me! There have been many times when I have had the best intentions. Even though I live a healthy lifestyle now, there are times when it is hard. There are times when I just want to grab that huge piece of chocolate cake because it’s calling my name….and then, not just eat one piece, but probably two or three! I confess, sweets are a weakness of mine and while I generally can stay away from them, every once in a while, I find myself succumbing to the temptation.

It’s true. You can have all the right information, but the implementation is the hard part. 

Can you relate? In the past when I was chasing every fad diet out there. I would start out strong; determined this was going to be the one where I would lose all the weight I needed to lose and life would go on from there being perfect. No more fat Lynne to worry about.

Well guess what! Yep, I would flunk the test – again! I would either stall out pretty much right away, or I would lose the weight and within a few months, I would be back to the same old eating habits, and gain the weight right back. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I would gain even more weight. then I would have to deal with the disgust I felt at myself for being “weak-willed,” and add to that, the roller-coaster feeling of hating the way I looked, feeling so unattractive to my spouse, and hating to look at myself in the mirror.  And whatever you do, I would say to myself, “……stay away from those scales, it will only make it worse.” 

If that’s how things are for you too, you know how very hard it is to stay on track despite what you think are your best efforts.

For me accountability is a huge deal. Accountability is more of the “doing” than the “knowing.” It’s when you already know what you should be doing; but, doing it doesn’t always happen. And accountability, when you know someone is measuring or checking your actions, makes you more likely to do them.

What are some options for accountability? 

1.    Start an activity journal (just writing down the amount of exercise you do each day can increase your accountability. You can use a calendar or a blank notebook). For each day record: 

Time/duration;

• Which exercise is done;
• Distance or repetitions;
• Intensity (easy/moderate/vigorous);
• Notes/comments (what improvements you can make for next time); and, 
• How you feel afterwards – Use this last item to motivate yourself to capture that feeling again.

Bonus points for logging what and how much you eat every day. That will help keep you accountable on the nutrition side too.  I like the MyFitnessPal app for this, but there are plenty of others. 

2.    Use a fitness tracker – Would you believe that a study of fitness habits in postmenopausal women showed that a fitness tracker increased the amount of exercise they did? Two groups of women were advised to walk 10,000 steps each day and get 150 minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity each week. One group was given a pedometer. The other was given a pedometer plus a fitness tracker. Guess how much more activity the fitness tracker group increased each week? Thirty eight minutes! Yes, just having a fitness tracker increased activity, while the pedometer-only group had no change. 

The conclusion? Having the tracker increased their accountability, measurement of the activities, and motivation to do them.

I like using a Fitbit, but there are now a ton of options out there, so find one that fits your needs and budget.  

3.    Get an “accountability buddy” – Find a workout buddy. Someone who you can go for walks or to the gym with. If not, ask someone you trust to follow up with you every few days on your tracked activities. Make sure they know your “why” and can remind you of it when you need it. Have them spend a few minutes reviewing your journal/tracker and give you some “tough love” from time to time. 

4.    Hire a health coach (like me). I love supporting people who are on a path to better health, and am most certainly an accountability partner for my clients. 

I help busy professional women who suffer with annoying health and weight issues to remove the stumbling block and create a path to the success they dream of.

WHERE TO START

• You don’t need to exercise like crazy to improve your health and lose weight. You just need to do it regularly. Here are my recommended steps:
• Talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
• Start from where you are and do a bit more every day.
• Always remember your “why.”
• If you need accountability, decide whether you’d prefer an activity journal or a fitness tracker. And use it daily. Track your exercise and what you eat and drink too.

If you need an accountability partner, feel free to let me be your accountability – your health coach. Take advantage of the free breakthrough strategy session I am offering you to see how I can support your weight and health goals. Schedule your free call >>HERE<<.  It would be absolute honor and privilege to work along-side you to reach your goals.