Day 16

As I was out walking this evening a beautiful cruise liner sailed past on its way out of Belfast Lough, and it got me thinking about our relationship with holidays and food.

Are you someone who regularly diets before holidays? And do you lose some weight only to put it all back on again during the holiday?

If we feel more attractive and confident weighing less why is this so very hard to achieve and maintain all year round?

The answer I think is because we have given ourselves an attainable short term goal. We are able to keep on track because we know that the short term 'pain' of dieting will soon be over and we can let ourselves enjoy guilt free eating the minute we step into the airport!

But what if we were to apply the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Timed) target idea to weight loss? Would this not help us to get to our target weight and stay there rather than the constant diet merry-go-round? Deciding you want to lose 3 stone or run a marathon is a huge target and you are very likely to have given up long before the first stone is shed or the first pair of trainers is broken in! 

If you want to lose weight, take more exercise, or improve your health why not set yourself a SMART target today? Each milestone you reach will motivate you to keep on track for the next one and the success will help you to feel positive about yourself. It's the only 'smart' way to do it!