11.17.12 |
Your secondary choices—exercising daily, for example, or eating proper portions—are the ways you reach your primary goals.
Adding a timeline will help keep you on track by creating a sense of urgency. The following sample timeline gives a few examples of ways to move forward.
Sample Timeline of Success
| Start |
| Get house in order |
| Have healthy foods available |
| Eat every three hours |
| Practice portion control |
| Drink ten glasses of water daily |
| Begin a walking routine |
| Read nightly |
| Sleep eight hours nightly |
| Begin an exercise/motion routine |
| Reach your goal weight |
| Do something I haven’t done in years (bike, play tennis, travel) |
Now, create your own timeline, but add dates for your goals.
This timeline will help you to stay on track in a big picture way, but now you have to make the little daily choices every day to make this picture your real life. If you’ve made the choice of optimal health, your daily choices will reflect that and you won’t be as inclined to give in to temptations that slow your progress. Now that you’re on the path to health, what choices would you make?
Secondary Choice Challenge
| Choice A: Skip breakfast | Choice B: Eat a healthy, low-calorie meal such as low fat yogurt and strawberries with a cup of hot tea. |
| Choice A: Snack on a candy bar. | Choice B: Eat a piece of fruit or a protein bar. |
| Choice A: Sit around during lunch or your break. | Choice B: Walk around the building; climb a few flights of stairs; meditate; stretch; walk the dog. |
| Choice A: Save up calories for that big dinner. | Choice B: Eat every three hours; never skip a meal in order to eat more later. |
| Choice A: have a high-calorie, high-fat dessert. | Choice B: Have fruit, sorbet, coffee; have one bit and savor it. |
| Choice A: Go to happy hour. | Choice B: Run or go to the gym; play golf, tennis, or bike with friends. |
| Choice A: Choose fast food. | Choice B: Make your own meals or order salad with grilled chicken. |
| Choice A: Sit around being bored. | Choice B: Make a “to do” list and get your house, office, etc, in order. |
| Choice A: Listen to negative self talk. | Choice B: Read a positive book; review your goals. |
| Choice A: Stay up late watching TV and snacking. | Choice B: Go to bed early enough to get seven hours of sleep; tape your favorite late-night shows. |
| Choice A: Drink soda or fruit drinks. | Choice B: Drink water (8 to 10 glasses daily). |
| Choice A: Shop when you’re hungry, without a list. | Choice B: Shop after eating and stick to your list. |
| Choice A: Drink alcohol. | Choice B: Have a club soda with lime. |
| Choice A: Reach for the snack cupboard. | Choice B: Sweep the front porch, take out two soup cans and use them for your weight-training exercises. |
| Choice A: Try to get healthy alone. | Choice B: Ask a friend to join you; hire a health coach and trainer; join a gym. |
| Choice A: Eat at a restaurant. | Choice B: Make your own healthy meals so you control how they’re prepared. |
I bet you’re finding it easier to make the right choices now that you’re thinking in terms of goals rather than willpower. You should be proud of all of your hard work. I am happy for you, and I am excited that you are on your way toward a healthier life.
Keep up those Weekly Habits of Health, and don’t let your journey toward optimal health end here!
In health,
