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Diabetes Fitness: Setting Goals
Editor's note: This is the third in a series of columns on diabetes fitness by Chad Boykin. Chad is a certified fitness trainer, kickboxing coach, and author of "Muay Thai Kickboxing: The Ultimate Guide to Training, Conditioning, and Fighting." He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 15.
Everybody knows how important it is to be active. So why doesn’t everybody do it? Some of the roadblocks to getting fit are: lack of planning, unrealistic expectations, and not sticking to your exercise program. Goal setting can help you avoid these pitfalls and enjoy all the benefits of fitness: better blood sugar control, better sleep, better health, and a general lift in spirits!
The first step in goal setting is to determine what you want to accomplish. Make sure your goals are specific. Then plan what you will do to reach your goals. Lastly, after a period of time, evaluate your progress and adjust your goals.
Studies show that people are much more likely to achieve their goals if they write them down. To write “I want to lose weight” or “I will try to exercise” is too general to do much good. More specific goals are better: “I will lose 2 inches around the waist in the next 12 weeks,” or “I will walk for 25 minutes at a fast pace every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning at 9 a.m. for the next 4 weeks.” A measurable goal is always best.
Your goal must be something you can achieve with some effort. A goal should not be too easy (“I will walk one day per month”) or too hard (“I will win the Boston Marathon® next week”). Setting an unreasonable goal can lead to frustration and derail your fitness plans. On the flip side, a goal that is no challenge won’t be very fulfilling. Make your goal a challenge that you can measure and reach, and you’re on the right road!
After a given time period, measure your success. Get out the measuring tape and check to see if you lost the 2 inches. Check the calendar or your workout notebook - did you make the walks you planned?
Now that you have a goal, it is time to make a plan to achieve it. When will you exercise, how long, how intensely? Aerobic exercise is essential to burning fat and helping build a healthy heart and lungs. Resistance training is key to getting stronger bones and muscles, and burning fat. Stretching can be a means of overall pain relief. A fitness plan needs all of these parts, but depending on your goals you may want to emphasize some of these components.
A very useful tool is a daily workout journal. This can be a simple notebook or a special log you buy or develop on a computer. Write down:
- The date and time
- What aerobic exercise you did
- How long
- How intense (heart rate)
- Distance covered (if doing a walk, bike, swim, or jog)
A log is also a great way to track your progress on resistance exercise. Write down the weight training exercises done, weights used, sets and reps. For example: “Dumbbell curl 15 lbs. x 15, 20 lbs. 20, 20 lbs. x 10 (1 minute rest between sets).”
One of the most common problems people have in sticking to an exercise plan is that life gets in the way. The solution? Make exercise a priority. If you have a doctor’s appointment, you write it on the calendar and make it a priority to be there on time. Do the same with exercise. Write on the calendar what time you plan to exercise and treat it as an appointment with yourself. (You are quite an important person!) Once it is on the calendar, it is just a matter of following the plan and making it happen.
After a few months of keeping your workout appointments, exercise will become a normal part of your day. It still takes some effort and mindfulness, but exercise soon becomes something to look forward to. After getting used to the good feelings associated with finishing a workout (from chemicals released by the body called endorphins), many people actually become troubled when they have to miss a workout.
Sometimes travel, illness, and important personal matters throw us off track and force a layoff. Often people feel discouraged because they are “out of shape” and have to “start over.” The good news is that starting over is only a concept in your brain. The first time you ever exercise is when you begin exercising: you only stop if you never do it again. Just look at time off as a break and move forward. Training is just as good for your body as it ever was, so keep the positive perspective and don’t worry.
Goal setting is a key to making the most of your exercise. Keep in mind to set specific, measurable and realistic goals, form a workable plan and measure your results. No matter what set-backs come, keep at it and always move forward!
Looking ahead: In the fourth column we begin demonstrating stretches for the lower leg and discuss fitness walking.
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