A month ago I posted in Starting at the Finish Line that I would talk about how working backwards would look with T-Tapp.
Remember we were using the popular Couch to 5K program as a guide of sorts? Here is great advice for beginning:
You should ease into your 5K training plan gradually. In fact, the beginners’ program we outline here is less of a running regimen than a walking and jogging program. The idea is to transform you from couch potato to runner, getting you to begin running a 5K or 3.1 miles and on a regular basis in just two months.
With T-Tapp–what is our goal? We are not going to run a marathon in a few short weeks, and neither are we going to do full workouts every other day or Maxi Max Extreme right away! Our goal should first be to get movement in consistently. That will then snowball and help us be more consistent with workouts, taking us to our inch loss goals eventually. Notice how the Couch to 5K program starts with a a walking/jogging regimen? And if you click that link, you will see that at first you are walking a whole lot more than you are jogging!
So let’s set our goal–let’s say you have an event you would like to look nice for in 3 months. That’s a little longer than the Couch to 5K program, but I like round numbers! 😀 We’ll choose a goal of “lose 2 sizes” or perhaps “lose 1 size and have more energy” as our goals.
Let’s take stock so we can work backwards, from finish line to the starting line, shall we?
1- Where Are You Now?
We can be so focused on our goal that we don’t realistically look at where we are, therefore we set unrealistic steps to reach our goal. Or perhaps set an unrealistic goal in the first place!
If you are having health or adrenal challenges, for example, losing 2 sizes in 3 months could be a bit ambitious, as you have inner healing to do. Your ultimate goal might be shoot for losing 1 size without crashing, and to feel better with more energy.
If you don’t really have any serious health challenges, but you really need to squeeze out the time to workout from your schedule, your goal might be “lose one size and stay consistent no matter how crazy life gets”.
You may ultimately want to lose 2 sizes–but if you set that as your goal and don’t take into account what’s going on in your life or in your body, that can set you up for disappointment.
First step–set a realistic goal based on where you are now.
2- Which Workouts Do You Enjoy Doing?
You might have expected me to say, “Which workouts will yield the most for your goals?” But if your goal is consistency in the long haul as well as that size loss, doing a workout you are not fond of will not cut it. So look through your T-Tapp “repertoire”, and think through a few questions:
Do you like variety or sticking with the same workout most of the time?
If you like variety, do you want to rotate through different workouts throughout the week or rotate by a different workout each week?
Answering these questions will help you craft a plan that you enjoy, which has a better chance of helping you consistently work towards your goals!
Second step–choose workouts you are more likely to stick with for the long haul.
3- What Is a Realistic Workout Time Commitment?
Now we come to another crucial component in the plan–how much time can you set aside each day or each week to exercise?
Couch to 5K has this catchy phrase:
30 minutes a day
3 days a week
9 weeks
————
5K ready!
That sounds doable, right?! So what can you come up with that is realistic and doable? Borrowing from the above equation—let’s say you can commit to 30 minutes, 4 days a week. Another great quote from the Couch to 5K plan:
Be sure to space out these three days throughout the week to give yourself a chance to rest and recover between efforts.
This is tough when we have this end goal in mind and we think more and faster is better! But we need those rest and recovery times–so don’t skimp on those!
Third step–decide on a realistic time commitment for your workouts, and allow time for rest.
Work through these three steps–we’ll cover two more next time!
Photo credit: Celestine Chua
