What is a Goal?

What are goals exactly? Let me change that question a little...What are the best goals for you?

Many times when I ask people what their goals are. More often they reply with something like "I want to lose weight". This is not a goal!

A goal must be something very specific. A goal should have many parts to it. A goal should have a specific "what", a specific "when", and a specific "why". The key ingredient is the "why".

Here's a great example of a goal instead of the average "I want to lose weight":

I plan on losing (notice I said plan on..., instead of saying I want to...) 8 pounds by Feb. 4th (notice I didn't say in the next three weeks - weeks just go on and on), because I am very embarrassed being naked in front of my wife.

Be very specific when it comes to setting goals. Be honest, how many of you have had that "I want to lose weight" goal for over 2 years now? There is no specification to it! Which means you have no reason or sense of urgency to attain it.

The key ingredient IS the reason why. The reason why is NOT "because I want to be healthy" or "because I'm fat", or "because I want to look better". You need to answer "why" you want to be healthy, "why" you are fat, or "why" you want to look better. Those are where you will find your reasons. Just keep asking yourself why. Once you get a little emotional about it, then you have found your reason.

The "real" key ingredient! There is one other thing that is an absolute must when it comes to goals. Two things MUST be done. And by doing these two things, achieving your goals will be 99% more successful!

• #1 Write down your goal...with all the specifics! Including the reason why.


• #2 Tell people, as many people as possible what your goal is. They don't have to know your reason, but by telling other people what your goal is, this makes you accountable to each and every one of them. Your goal will be much more attainable when there is accountability involved!

Don't forget to set goals. Everyday brings a new challenge and we need all the help we can get.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios in Bluffton, SC.

The Biggest Factor in Weight Loss

Alright, let's pretend you're driving across the country. You know you cannot do it in one day. It's going to take more than just a day right? Right! And it's going to be long, drawn out days in the car, where you will get stiff and very uncomfortable, because that's what happens when you sit in a car for a long period of time. Sooner or later it's just very uncomfortable.

So what you normally do is plan on stopping every couple of hours for a few different reasons. First, to loosen up those legs and move around a little. You've got to get that blood flowing again before you get back in the car for another few hours. You also usually refuel not only the car, but also yourself. The car obviously cannot go anymore unless you fuel it up. You will not stay awake unless you fuel your body with energy foods.

So every few hours, you keep doing this, stopping, loosening up, refueling. Then since you know you cannot make it across the country in one day, you have already planned on stopping for the night in a hotel. You planned this. You already knew you were going to stop and rest. You knew it was going to take more than just one day.

So you were okay with the distance you drove that day, and knew you had more to go tomorrow. Again, this was in the plan.

You did what you could that day. Then moved on to the next. You didn't try to get across the country in one day, because you knew it was impossible.

So why do we, as a population, try to deal with health related situations so fast. It's impossible to lose 200 pounds in one day. It's impossible to lose even 20 pounds in one day. Why not be happy with our efforts for what we did that day and know that we have to do more tomorrow.

My point here is that we need to think of weight loss in small steps, one day at a time, knowing that there are more days to come. It's going to be a long drive. Weight loss doesn't happen in one day. We need to stop being so disappointed when we don't lose 20 pounds each day.

I want you to think of TODAY, not tomorrow, knowing there will be tomorrow, but just get through one day at a time, doing all that you can TODAY.

Stop thinking about losing 200 pounds, and start thinking about losing 2 pounds...TODAY!

Stop thinking about the big picture (Stop looking at the map of the entire country). Just look at what you can do to be as healthy as you can be TODAY (pick a spot on the map only 8-10 hours away as a stopping point to find a hotel and rest).

The biggest factor in weight loss is not looking too far ahead, and doing what you can today!



Chad Cannon is a Weight Loss Expert and owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Studios in Bluffton, SC.