Define Me Wellness

Personal Training | Durham Region's Personal Training Destination

  • About
    • Michelle Pitman, BSW, RSW, Yoga Instructor (she/her)
    • Tara Green, Yoga and Pilates Instructor (she/her)
    • The Define Me Approach
  • Services
    • Counselling
    • Movement Supplies
    • Reiki
    • Virtual Mindset & Movement Studio
    • Workplace Wellness
  • Articles
  • Contact Us

27 Jan 2015

And While We’re On The Topic of Resolutions…

So, we are now a month into our New Year.   Are those resolutions you set at the beginning of the month still fresh in your mind? If you answered “not so much”, you are not alone.  The anticipation, hope and enthusiasm of those well-intentioned intentions can quickly lose steam for most of us if we have been too rigid in characterizing our success or have created a set of next to impossible measurements.

In my last post, I talked about one of the most common New Year’s resolutions…The resolve to lose weight.  After re-reading that post, it got me thinking of an often overlooked part of the goal setting process: defining the goal.  I love the structure and process of using the SMART approach to setting goals.  I frequently turn to it when I am creating intentions for myself or coaching my clients in the goals they are setting for themselves.  I wrote about this concept a couple of years ago, in a bit more detail here.

SMART-Goals

But before you start creating (or possibly revising) those resolutions I’d like to ask you a couple of questions:

  • When it comes to weight loss goals (yours or those that you are helping a family member/client/friend with), have you ever considered you might be focusing on the wrong Result?
  • What is it you are looking to gain from losing weight?
  • If you achieve that goal, does that mean you are healthier for it?

Through my years working with the Health At Every Size® paradigm, I have come to realize a shortfall within the SMART goal setting process and in the way that success is defined.  Particularly when it comes to weight-loss goals, we are focused so much so on the outcome that the actions we take or the behaviours that we may want to shift become secondary.

Searching for the definition of “outcome” I found the following from 3 online dictionaries:

  • the way a thing turns out; a consequence.
  • something that follows as a result or consequence
  • something that follows from an action, dispute, situation, etc; result; consequence

change-motivation-quote-300x300That is all that weight loss is; a potential result from the steps we have taken, a drawn line in the sand that says our goal is complete and we have made it.  Is that all we are looking for in our measure of success? A criteria of pounds lost or body measurements decreased? I challenge the assumption that weight loss equals success, happiness, improved health or anything else that is promised when someone takes on the soul-sucking task of dieting.  And I caution folks on using pounds lost as a proxy for goal achievement.

What if instead you focused more on the Behaviour, rather than the result? Spending more time and energy on the ways you want to live a healthier lifestyle, while taking things slow and being kind to yourself.  That, to me, is more impactful than any weight loss goal (IMHO).  Ultimately, I think it is the behaviour we are looking to change and it is the outcome that is secondary.

How might you be able to reframe your intentions from an outcome-oriented endpoint to a behaviour-focused journey? Tell us in the comments below.

Filed Under: Body Image & Self Esteem, Goal Setting, Joyful Movement Tagged With: body positive, coaching, Define Me, goal setting, HAES, health, Health at Every Size, intention setting, joyful movement, lifestyle changes, New Year, personal training, resolutions, SMART goals, weight loss, weight neutral

You may also be interested in:

  • Another Set of Yoga & Pilates Classes Begin @ The Define Me Virtual Studio
  • Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021
  • *New Class Alert* Pilates-Restore Coming January 2021
  • 44 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion
  • World Eating Disorders Action Day is Here! June 2nd, 2019

Tags

anorexia BED binge eating disorder body acceptance body image bodymind body positive bulimia chronic illness chronic pain corporate wellness diet eating disorders eating disorders in Canada EDAW2017 EDNOS ED recovery embodiment guided relaxation HAES Health at Every Size healthy workplace holistic health interoception joyful movement lifestyle changes mental health mindbody mindfulness reiki restorative movement restorative yoga self-awareness self-care self-compassion self-massage self esteem stress stress management weight neutral weight stigma well-being workplace wellness yoga yoga nidra

About Michelle Pitman

Head Wellness Coach, Michelle Pitman, is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner, who believes that EVERYONE should feel good from the inside out. With over 15 years experience Michelle has coached and inspired others to realize their goals.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay in Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Soundcloud

Search

Latest Articles

  • Another Set of Yoga & Pilates Classes Begin @ The Define Me Virtual Studio
  • Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021
  • *New Class Alert* Pilates-Restore Coming January 2021
  • 44 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion
  • World Eating Disorders Action Day is Here! June 2nd, 2019

Copyright © 2023 · Define Me Wellness · Proudly built by RegoCreative ·