Action! Your Goals in a Real Person

Using this example, you can action the general ideals details in the article on Goals for Life

 Bob is a 38-year-old man, who works at a factory.  He is 5’9″, 230 lbs and has a body mass index (BMI) of 34.  He smokes 1 pack of cigarettes daily and drinks 2 beers every night.  He was a football player, so has exercised but does not present.  He sleeps 5 hours a night and wakes up at 5 am every day.  He eats no breakfast, lunch is usually from the cafeteria (spaghetti, sandwiches, pizza) and dinner is meat, potatoes, and steamed veggies.  He has dessert every night and drinks 2 sodas a day with water in the evening.  He wants to start exploring more and wants to be outside but just can’t stop watching TV (4 hours nightly).

We can help Bob. The first step is if Bob wants help. If he does, let’s get to work. Let’s assess the various goal categories that can be obtained (below). Note that some goals have a higher impact on your health (tier) though some may be harder to obtain (stop smoking). Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other things is mental, but also physiologic. Bob should work on these with the help of a medical professional and he can work on the mental part.
Also, note that many goals are intermingled and can be done at the same time. Writing them down, allows Bob to see that, and setting a timeline is beneficial for obtaining them. Meeting all of these goals is not likely to happen in 1 day or 1 year even. Bob should be nice to himself and make these changes over time. He will check these goals off as he proceeds, and is on the path to success.

Nutrition

Tier 1: Alcohol

Tier 2: Soda

Tier 3: Dessert

Tier 4: Drink water

Tier 5: Add veggies (1/2 plate for lunch/dinner)

Tier 6: Eat real food

Tier 7: Meal Prep

Tier 8: Macro track

Fitness

Tier 1: Some activity (walk, jog, swim, bike)

Tier 2: Consistent activity (walk 3 times weekly)

Tier 3: Fitness programming (lift 3 times weekly, HIIT, etc)

Tier 4: Performance training (HIIT daily, volume tracking)

Recovery

Tier 1: STOP SMOKING!!! (seek medical advice)

Tier 2: SLEEP!!! (cut back on TV time to allow hours for sleep)

Tier 3: SLEEP hygiene (alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, exercise, diet, meditation, etc)

Tier 4: Active recovery days (between working out)

Tier 5: Mindfulness/meditation

Play

Tier 1: Cut back on TV and create playtime

Tier 2: Fill playtime with a hobby (read, draw, play music)

Tier 3: Go outside (walking, etc)

Tier 4: Hike on weekend

Tier 5: Plan active vacation

Next, he will assign time to each category and tier, then action his plan to success. To keep yourself motivated track numbers, keep a list by date/calendar, spreadsheet. This will input the data and keep you moving. Use checkboxes and scratch-outs. 

Lastly, be kind to yourself if you falter once in a while.

Short: 

STOP SMOKING

Nutrition: Drink 1-2 beers weekly for the next 6 months, cut out soda in 1 month, then desert the next month, eat vegetables this month for the next 6 months

Fitness: walk 3 times weekly for the next 6 months

Recovery: sleep for 6-8 hours/night for the next 6 months

Play: cut back TV to 2 hours nightly this month

Intermediate:

STOP SMOKING

Nutrition: make ½ plate vegetables, macro tracking, food prep

Fitness: go to the gym and train 3 times weekly

Recovery: sleep for 6-8 hours/night, start yoga and mobilization work

Play: start playing guitar again

Long:

STOP SMOKING

Nutrition: stop drinking, eat local, seasonal, start a garden

Fitness: deadlift 225 lbs 5×5, squat 185 lbs 5×5, bench press 185 lbs 5×5, run an 8 min mile

Recovery: sleep for 8 hours/night, do yoga 2 days weekly meditate daily for 10 minutes

Play: kayak this summer, plan a family hiking trip