If we all think back to English class and dust off those cobwebs, we canremember the 5W's in writing to gathering information. We can also use the same 5W's and apply them to achieving a healthy way of living.
The first W, “What” we will use to tackle what our goals are and what we need to do to achieve them. If we don't have specific goals on what we're trying to achieve we can end up in a pattern of inconsistency always changing our “what” based on society trends rather than on our individual goals. Make sure we know what is our ultimate goal, what are we going to do to achieve it, and what are we going to eat to thrive and grow.
When? A lot of the reasons why people end up in a cycle of stopping and starting is because they don’t time their eating and exercise based on their own lifestyle. When are you going to work out, when are you going to fit it into your schedule, and when are you going to eat to achieve healthy weight loss? Exercising and eating at certain times for some people is more effective. For some they might want to do intermittent fasting or they might want to eat small meals throughout the day. Furthermore, some people may do fasted cardio but if you are prone to exercise induced migraines you might have to plan out when you do your intense exercise based on when you eat and are hydrated. Also depending on the weather if you have exercise-induced asthma, it may preclude you from running during the heat of the day.
Where? So for this new technological savvy generation where can mean so many things. Where are you going to work out? Are you going to go to the gym, a remote virtual training session, or have a trainer come to your house? Are you going to go out to the field and play soccer with your friends ? And as far as eating where are you going to eat? Are you going to try to eat while you're driving (which is actually not the best idea and tends to lead to over eating)? Are you going to go to a restaurant and try to find healthy alternatives or are you going to eat at home with family and friends? You must acknowledge for yourself which environments facilitate positive or unhealthy habits and surrounding yourself with positive influences.
Why? Why is the soul and the heart of everything we do. Have you been diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes, trying to prevent long-term illnesses, or just trying to get ready for bathing suit season? Your motivation is what drives you - it's what causes you to get up in the morning and go. So it also needs to be an intrinsic motivating factor not something external and
fleeting that can lead to a cycle of bad habits.
Now we will digress back to “who”.
Who are you doing this for and who are you doing this with? Having a partner, a cheerleader, or someone just to be there for you is very important. It shouldn't be the deciding factor but it can be the link to continuing your health journey. Are you going to find a accountability partner that will check in with you every day? Are you going to use a trainer or coach to lead you, or bmaybe even a weight-loss program. Whatever you choose make sure that you have a reliable source of support and instruction so that things are done right correctly and consistently.
Now that we finished the 5W's what about how? How are we going to see these results.? Get a plan together. You don't have to do everything yourself. Evem if you don't want to pay a trainer for long term, get a coach or trainer to at least set you up with all the tools you need to continue on successfully by yourself. If you don't know how you're going to do it, you might just be trying many different methods including different diet plans, different exercises and then keep giving up.
Write down your 5W's, get a plan together and let's conquer this thing one day at a time!