One of the main times people start to daydream about their goals happens around New Year’s. We make goals in three-month increments for the next year. One of the most common goals people have is weight loss. One-third of those people will give up on their goals by the end of January. This blog will unpack how to make your goal last longer.
It Takes More than Daydreaming
Daydreaming is useful for figuring out how we want to feel and what we want to be, but it takes more than that. People who solely think about how they want to feel will not be successful in the long run. What people need to dream about is how they are going to get to that end result whether it’s weight loss or something else entirely. Take the steps to actually break down your goals and make a solid plan for how you’ll be able to get what you want. A 2011 study showed that the blood pressure of women who only thought about the end goal had systolic blood pressure results suggesting they had given up before they even got started.
Daydream More Effectively
An important element to success is being able to think of the bigger picture during moments where you must make choices. For example, people who focus on wanting weight loss in the long term will have an easier time saying no to a candy bar than people who are only thinking of the instant gratification of that moment.
An effective way to see the big picture is to constantly ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you’re running on the treadmill it could be because you want to be more fit and you want to be more fit so that you can have a healthier longer life, which is the full picture.
Commit To A Structure
In order to be an effective daydreamer, you must think about structure. This means focusing on the actual process of what you’re going to do. If your goal is exercise then you want to think about what kind of workout you’re going to do, where and when you’re going to do it, and your goal for the amount of time or repetitions you’ll do it. There is a study that proved this kind of thinking increased the amount of exercising people did even up to four weeks later. The less vague you are in your goals, the higher the likelihood of success.
The next element to consider is daydreaming about different obstacles you may face and planning for how you are going to persevere through them. This ensures that when the obstacles do arise we don’t make excuses and follow our backup plans we made. An example would be a cyclist who can’t go outside because it’s raining but has a plan to use a stationary bike at the local gym instead.
Make the Process a Habit
When we make something like exercise a habit, it is easier to stick with. Research shows it takes 66 days to truly form a habit. One of the easiest ways we form habits is by cues in our environments that tell us to do something. For example, when we are at the gym we will most likely lift heavier weights, or when we are at the park we will run faster. A really telling example of how effective cues are in maintaining our habits are freshman university students who ran laps at home and then found the university track. They were way more likely to keep up their exercise habits than students who lost their exercise cues. Surround yourself with cues that trigger your healthy habits that will help you to achieve your weight loss goals.
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