It’s that time of the year again–  It’s the time when many people start to create their new year resolutions.  While I try and shy away from new year resolutions (I like to set goals throughout the year), I still take this time of year to look at creating some goals.

Resolutions often fail for a myriad of reasons, but it’s usually because no plan of attack was created–  It’s the idea that, January 1st is here, so I must achieve!  When that goal is not realized quickly (great things take time), it becomes discouraging, and by the time February 1st rolls around, we’re looking more concerned with whether it’s a leap year than what we resolved to do for the new year.  (2015 is not, by the way.)

So, choose to make new year goals, rather than resolutions–  but don’t stop there!  Create “SMART Goals.”  “SMART Goals” are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely; by making SMART Goals, you can better set yourself up for success.  Here’s an example for how to create some fitness related SMART Goals:

Step 1: Figure out what you want to accomplish, and be realistic.  This is basically looking the broadest form of your goal, and it should be both attainable and realistic.  My goal is to compete in at least 2 bodybuilding shows this year at a better level of conditioning than last year.

Step 2:  Narrow down your goal into something very specific and measurable.  To continue with an example of one of my goals:  I competed last year at between 6 – 8% body fat. . .  So to create a specific, measurable goal for this year:  I will compete in 2 or more bodybuilding shows at <4% body fat.

Step 3:  Define a realistic deadline.  Deadlines can sometimes be trouble, because if you achieve your goal by the deadline, some have the tendency to give up their new found success / positive changes because to them, “it’s over.”  Part of most goals should include the caveat that this goal is part of a lifelong lifestyle change.  If your goal is to eat healthier by a certain date, your goal should also include moving past that date.  In a similar vein, you should also make sure that these goals can be attained in a reasonable amount of time– wanting to lose 10 pounds in a month is unrealistic and impossible.   To continue with my goal as an example:  I  will compete in 2 or more bodybuilding shows at <4% body fat starting in June 2015, and will correctly reverse diet out of the show to minimize body fat gain.

Step 4:  Turn your goal into a series of benchmarks.  Breaking your goal up into smaller goals will help you immensely–  Not only will it help you stay motivated, but it will also help you stay on track for your goals.  With my goal, I could figure out my starting body fat percentage, and from there, I could calculate how much body fat I would need to lose each month to stay on track toward my goal.  For ease, let’s just say that I would need to lose 4 lbs. / month to reach my goal.  I can then take that a step further and break it down into biweekly goals (weekly would drive me bonkers)–  I would need to lose 2 lbs. every 2 weeks in order to achieve my goals.

And there is one of my goals.  I started at the very broad goal of competing in 2 shows looking better than last year, and have narrowed it down to the SMART Goal of losing 2 lbs. every 2 weeks.  You can make it even more specific if you need, but that’s just one example of how you can set yourself up for success in the new year!

So what are your goals, and how will you achieve them?

Filed under: Health by Gabriel DeVine
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Are you a fan of frozen yogurt?  Most people are–  It’s a delicious treat that can be a relatively low calorie dessert, especially when compared to other desserts like ice cream, cake, etc.  Have you tried to track your frozen yogurt in your nutrient tracker?  Probably, but here’s a very important note about measuring your froyo. . .  In most cases, the Calories are reported per fluid ounce (fl. oz.),which is a volume measurement; however, the weight on the scale is just that–  it’s a weight measurement.

Weight measurements are much more accurate than volumetric; especially when you consider how many times you’ve brought a measuring cup to get frozen yogurt. . .  So how do we get our weight measurement converted into a volume measurement to accurately track our frozen yogurt?  Let’s start by figuring out the weight of the frozen yogurt alone–  You will do this by weighing the empty cup, weighing the final product, and then subtracting the values.

If the scale measures in ounces, you can skip this next step; however, if the scale measures in terms pounds (e.g. 0.50 lbs.), you will need to multiply the measurement on the scale by 16 to determine how many ounces you have.

Now that you have the accurate amount of ounces measured of froyo, we can use the density of froyo to convert from weight to volume.  I got this information from the head of nutrition at Menchies, and is a general measurement–  there may be slight variations between flavors, but it’s still enough to give us a pretty accurate measurement.  Take your weight measurement and divide it by the density (0.802) to give you your accurate volumetric measurement for your froyo.

These steps need to be repeated if you have different flavors, though if you do a swirl, that makes it easy since half of the volume will be one flavor, and the other half will be the other.  If you get toppings, be sure to subtract those totals from your froyo measurement, and don’t forget to track your toppings as well!

It’s worth noting that some places have started reporting their nutrition in terms of weight, which negates the need for most of this article; however, looking at the nutrition facts for Yogurtland and Menchies, you can see it’s still reported as volume. (In the case of Menchies, they report it “per 1/2 cup,” which is the equivalent of 4 fl. oz.)

The first time you calculate this, it will take a little thought, but after doing it once, it becomes very routine and is simply done on your phone’s calculator.

Filed under: Health, Nutrition by Gabriel DeVine
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