Get Your Ducks In A Row For Better Health

Simply having a health goal is not enough. In order to make it a reality, you need to set yourself up for success.

Be aware, willing and prepared.

Imagine your goal is to sail from Sydney to Hobart. You’ve done the research and learnt the ins and outs of sailing (you are aware). It’s been a lifelong dream and you are really keen (you are willing). You arrive at the dock with all your gear, then realise you’ve hit a snag - you don’t have a boat (not prepared). Fail. Or maybe you have a boat (prepared), you are really keen for an adventure (willing), but don’t know the first thing about sailing (not aware).

“Ready, willing and able”. This is a common refrain used to indicate that someone is willing to do something and capable of doing it. When referring to health goals, a more specific refrain is to be “aware, willing and prepared”. Once you have the right balance of awareness, willingness and preparedness, you can make any health goal a reality.

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Be Aware

Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. It’s the ability to directly understand a subject, issue or situation. When you are aware of something, you can see it clearly and are able to assess the positives and negatives of the situation.

With regards to health and fitness goals, it’s important to be aware of what it is you are “signing up for” so to speak. If your goal is to lose fat, you need to have a clear understanding what changes you will need to make in order to reach your goal. Is there food you will need to avoid, changes to family outings if they revolve around unhealthy food? If your goal is to run a marathon, you need to understand the hours of training, the strength work involved, the early mornings, running in rain and cold, possible injuries that might occur. Even if your goal is as simple as improving your fitness, you need to be aware of the need to exercise consistently, to skip the bottle of wine in the evening so you can train in the morning, to know that it may hurt and you need to just keep going. You must be clear in your knowledge and understanding of what it will take to get you to your goal, and then assess whether it is realistic.

Be Willing

Being willing is the ability to have the emotional capacity to take on the task at hand. Are you willing to do what needs to be done to reach your goal. Are you willing to get up early, give your best at training even when you are tired, avoid the second helping of cake, go for that run in the pouring rain. And are you willing to do this week after week, month after month? A good way to test your willingness is to ask yourself the “if this - then that” questions:

If this _____________ then that _____________ - Are you willing?

e.g.

If this Out drinking and you have an early training session then that you go home to bed - Are you willing?

If this Pouring rain and cold then that you head out for a run - Are you willing?

If this Friends offer you a piece of your favourite cake then that you say no thank you - Are you willing?

Check all of your worst case scenarios against your goals and decide if you are willing to make those changes.

Be Prepared

In this final step, you need to “get your ducks in a row”. To get one's ducks in a row means to ensure all the finer details of a plan are in place before it begins. You are all organised, set and ready to go.

Preparedness is to be at a state of readiness, especially for war. - Oxford Dictionary

Your preparedness is dependant on your specific goals, but here are some tips to understand what it may involve:

Fat loss: Do a big grocery shop and fill the fridge with nutritious food, chopped up and ready to eat. Remove all the “less nutritious” foods from the house. Have recipes printed and ready to go. Inform your friends and family about your goal and ask for their support.

Increase fitness: Sign up for, and commit to, a realistic exercise program. Diarise your training sessions and have them set as non-negotiable meetings. Let your friends and family know that your training sessions are essential and ask for their support.

Improve sleep: Set your phone / iPad etc to turn off at a certain time in the evening. Prepare dinners ahead of time to reduce the kitchen clean up each night. Ensure your environment is conducive to quality sleep i.e. your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. Stop drinking coffee by at least 2pm.

Be aware of your goal and what is required to meet that goal. Then decide if you are willing to make the changes necessary. If the answer is yes, the final step is to get your ducks in a row and be prepared for success.

By Angie Black