April Goals

It is the first day of a new month, so it’s time to decide what I want to accomplish over the next 720 hours!

Unfortunately both winning the lottery (I’ve never bought a ticket!?!) and suddenly morphing into Mila Kunis seem a bit unattainable… this month at least! 

So what DO I want to do, and more importantly what CAN I do? Setting unreachable goals will only lead to failure. I’ve done it so many times in the past, where I’ve started the month with all sorts of great plans, convincing myself that losing half my body weight in 30 days is totally possible (obvs!), only to let the inevitable disappointment when things start to go off track derail me completely. So that’s not what I’m going to do….

Recently, for a variety of reasons, my weight loss seems to have slowed down. I’ve been fluctuating within the same half stone for what seems like FOREVER now, loosing a few, gaining a few, loosing half, gaining one, loosing one and a half, etc… it’s been frustrating to say the least. I’m doing my best to rectify it, but it’s time to give myself a little push. With that in mind…

1. Lose half a stone! 

This is a (hopefully) more than reachable goal. It means that I need to lose an average of 1.75llbs per week, so if I can stretch for two then that should give me a little room for error! 

So what’s next? That’s my overall weight loss goal for the month sorted, but there are some things to help me get there a little more easily.

So on to number two…

2. Drink more water!

How does this help? Well I’m a snacker, always have been always will be. One of my unofficial goals in March was to snack more healthily, which I’ve 100% achieved. With the exception of Easter I’ve snacked so healthily! Desk snacks have consisted of satsumas, strawberries and the occasional cereal bar as my HexB. But I’m still always hungry! One thing that can really help with hunger is drinking more water…sometimes when your brain tells you it’s hungry, it’s actually your body trying to tell you its dehydrated. Drinking more water also obviously fills up your stomach and gives you the feeling of being more full, whilst keeping you hydrated. There’s all sorts of other scientific reasons to drink water for weight loss, to do with metabolic rate and stuff, but I’m just going to stick with the fact that it helps me stop stuffing my face! Here’s a handy graphic to explain some of the other reasons to drink water…although they’ve missed out that it’s what keeps you alive! 

On to number three…

3. Stay to group! 

I’ve been pretty rubbish since the new year to be honest, staying to my Slimming World group some weeks and then missing one or even two in a row and I blame my inconsistency for why I’ve been slipping a little bit! It’s hard to stay focused without the support of a group to keep you going, and without listening to all of the other inspirational stories every week. Weighing in isn’t what me lose weight, I could do that at home, I personally need the group setting to make me stay on track!

Number four is a biggy for me…

4. Do more exercise! 

I got SOOOO good at this for a while, when I wasn’t working, I was motivated, determined to tone up, and actually got my head in gear about what the f**k to do in the gym! Since starting my lovely new job though, I once again don’t have the time (or so I keep telling myself!) to go to the gym, but more it’s because I’m not making myself. I went to the gym when I wasn’t working because I was bored out of my skull, now I’ve got lots to keep me busy and more than anything when I get home I’m a bit tired. That’s no excuse though, this whole healthy lifestyle thing isn’t about picking and choosing which ‘good for me’ things I get to do!

However, I’m not going to set myself specific exercise targets, because I’m a busy person and it just wouldn’t work…what I am going to do is promise myself two things. Firstly, that I’ll walk to and from work WHENEVER the weather isn’t crap (which is more and more often now!) and commit to joining the new Pure Gym that’s opening near work. That way, if I can simply make myself go after work once or twice a week, I can get my momentum back up with exercise, and help kick start my weight loss again! 

Those are my legs when I had motivation to go to the gym!

5. Have at least one SP day per week!

Ok, so this is a more specific goal than the others, but I really think it’ll help me give things a boost. So far this week I’m on my third EESP day and it’s actually pretty easy. If you don’t know what SP is then this picture can explain it a whole lot better than I will! 

So there you have it, my goals for April seem simple enough, and should help me stay on track. If all goes right I’ll have got my next sparkly sticker (3.5 stone lost) and generally be a more active, and hydrated, person…what’s not to love! 

Do you have any goals for April? Slimming World focused or not I’d love to hear them!