Setting goals and Intentions – daily, weekly, during & after the program.
Congratulations on beginning your hCG journey with us, it’s exciting to have you join the amazing group of individuals who like you are looking to improve their health, energy levels, sleep better and just feel good about themselves and life in general.
We’d like to help you kick start the program by talking about the benefits of setting goals & intentions to help keep you motivated, focused, and committed to your health throughout the program and beyond.
Firstly let’s look at the importance of setting goals & intentions.
Although intentions & goal setting are related, they’re quite different. Goals are meant to be quite specific and measurable in their planning, whereby Intentions go a lot deeper and are meant to align with your hopes and desires for the future.
Both may be set day to day or week to week, where intention takes into consideration how you are feeling now at this moment and how you would like to feel in the future. Goals on the other hand take you out of the present moment and more into the future as it focuses solely on the results that you are looking to achieve.
By incorporating both goals & intentions into your weight loss program, studies have shown those who practiced intention when dieting, were more likely to stick to their meal plans and achieve their weight loss goals whilst also experienced an increased sense of accomplishment, motivation and decreased distracting or negative thoughts.
Initially it may feel strange setting intentions, especially if you haven’t set them before, however, just remember the reason you are doing this. By setting intentions that support your goals it allows you to be present during the process. If we just focus on the end result or the end goal, we close ourselves off from our thoughts, emotions and feelings on the road to achieving our goal. Whereby presence and awareness allow us to be mindful and to learn a little more about ourselves during the process of reaching our goals.
Imagine all the possibilities of what you may uncover if you open yourself up to a different way of thinking.
If you need a little inspiration and are stuck in trying to figure out where to start when setting your goals & intentions the following may be helpful.
Imagine, having a goal of running 5km in 12 weeks or less. If you have never run before this can be quite a daunting task and what if you get to the end of the 12 weeks and you were only able to run 3km? For most people this can leave them feeling quite defeated and unmotivated however, if you incorporate intentions into your goals you have just increased the likelihood of achieving them and not having to feel like you have let yourself down. i.e., I am so proud that I am trying something new and welcome my new toned, fit, and healthy body.
Now everyone’s intention will look a little different as it must be based on what it is that makes you feel happy or fulfilled.
It’s also important to visualise your intention, try to picture how that looks and picture it daily.
Try to set a specific time in the day to concentrate solely on this whether it be as soon as you wake up in the morning or when you go to bed at night.
Lastly, say it out loud, look yourself in the mirror and verbalise your intention or share it with someone you trust and who will support you.
Again, it’s important to do this daily, you’re training your brain to recognise this new way of thinking and feeling about weight loss and your overall health that overrides old negative thought patterns.
Really connect to why you are doing this, ensure it is deeply connected to your why which is what drives you to achieve your goals and move through life. This helps you create more focus and determination and helps push away any fear and doubts that may have raised their ugly head as you show up at the hCG Diet starting line.
Lastly, I mentioned the importance of making your goals SMART goals:
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
- Achievable (agreed, attainable)
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic, results-based)
- Time bound (time-based, time limited, time-sensitive)
You’ve got this and as always the team at The hCG diet Australia and our online community are here to support you throughout your journey.
Liza Brunell
Adv Dip Health Science Naturopathy, Nutrition
