What does it take to make dreams come true? If you've tried wishing, hoping, praying, or crossing your fingers for what you want, and nothing else, you've probably known disappointment and sadness. But starting today, with concrete planning and SMART goal-setting, you can make this year better than last year and every other year before.
Keep in mind--it's not enough to just want your goals. The SMART practice of goal-setting is helpful to make sure you have an action plan to back up your dreams. As you go through the exercise below, keep in mind your plan should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
The path to ultimate transformation and success starts with the clear, written, and publicly stated goals that act as a visual reminder of the importance of what you want to achieve. Grab a pen and paper, and start writing down what you want. Tape those written goals to your refrigerator, post them to your blog, or email them to your friends and family. This will help build your support system from the beginning.
If you have taken the time to think through and make your aspirations clear, you also need to determine the reasons why you must achieve these goals.
Reach into your heart, and visualize the pain you would feel if you never achieved what you desire. You'll find times when you are challenged, when you want to give everything up because it's easier to stay the same than it is to change. If you know WHY you want to change, you'll find the HOW much easier to achieve and you'll be able to persevere.
Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Gyorgyi once said, “Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”Nothing is truer.Two-thirds of the human body is made of water.It is essential to our basic survival.While it definitely keeps us alive, water does so much more in terms of nurturing and protecting our general health.We tend to overlook the benefits of drinking water, favoring instead sodas, coffee and other high-caffeinated drinks.We are unfortunately short-changing ourselves in so many ways when we fail to consume an adequate supply of water each day.
It seems like every week we turn on the television and hear about some type of study that has identified yet another superfood that is good for us.Those foods that have multiple health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, reducing your risk of heart disease and cancer, controlling diabetes, and anti-inflammatory properties all rolled into one little package.Even incorporated in small amounts, these superfoods can prove effective in maintaining weight, fighting disease, and in increasing our life expectancy.Beans, blueberries, broccoli, salmon, tea, turkey, yogurt and walnuts are just a handful of the foods proven to provide super health protection.
Another organic food that seems to have captured our attention in the last two years, and now sporting the label of superfood is the acai berry.Marketers across the country have bombarded us with advertisements regarding this small reddish purple fruit’s food’s superpowers.According to the millions of ads out there, it can help you lose weight and slow down the aging process.It can treat digestive disorders and skin conditions, lower bad cholesterol levels, cleanse and detox, and act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
For countless centuries, people have turned to various spices to flavor an otherwise bland diet. An added bonus has been the discovery that many of these spices appear to have specific health benefits when incorporated into our diet. Various research studies have also confirmed that quite a few can boost natural weight loss and the list continues to grow.
Preliminary research on Curcumin, one of the primary compounds found in the spice Turmeric, is poised to join that list as well. Turmeric is a popular spice used through the Middle East and parts of Asia. If you love Indian food, you are probably familiar with its bright yellow color and strong taste.
Since the early 1900s, Turmeric has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments ranging from jaundice and menstrual issues to colic and flatulence. However, the preventative and therapeutic benefits of Curcumin may be even greater. Studies that are more recent suggest that Curcumin might prove to have anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties. It is also one of just a few other activities (i.e. high impact exercise, learning, bright light, antidepressant usage) that has been found to have a positive effect on reducing stress, depression and anxiety.
I am going to be honest here when I say that there were a few times when I did not look forward to working out. Times when my heart and soul just were not in it, so I just went through the motions. I can tell you those workouts did not feel rewarding. In fact, I felt guilty and angry that I had shortchanged myself by taking the easy way out.
I knew that if I continued down this path and failed to challenge myself to work harder and set higher standards for my fitness, I would grow complacent and that could potentially undermine my health. An idea I found completely unacceptable.
So, what did I do?
I went home and created a more challenging plan for achieving my fitness goals. I purposely set the bar well beyond my comfort level. I knew it was going to be hard, and while it made me a little nervous, I felt excited at the idea of pushing beyond my limits. I headed back to the gym, and started a more intensive workout, and you know what? It hurt! Admittedly, more than once, I didn’t think I would be able to do it, but I did. When I was done, I not only felt a sense of accomplishment, but I felt exhilarated and recharged. I had exceeded my own preconceived limits and it felt great!
