Taking it bit by bit - Graham Smith

Q. How Do You Eat An Elephant?

A. One bite at a time

As an animal lover I’m not suggesting you put this theory to the test, especially if you’re trying to work off any overindulgence from the festive season.

Obviously it depends on the goal, or in this case, your resolution, but it can be easy to lose sight of the outcome we’ve set ourselves. But breaking the challenge down into or bite-size chunks often allows us to stay motivated and increases our chances of seeing the project through. It also gives you a much better understanding of whether you’re on track or need to make an adjustment one way or the other. The chunks are entirely up to you, and they’re not set in stone. Give yourself permission to experiment with the milestones to find out what works best for you. A word of warning, though: analysis paralysis can be just as detrimental as inactivity.

When we set ourselves a goal our motivation is predominantly either to move towards something we want, or move away from something we don’t want. In terms of your resolution, which would you say is the stronger force? There is no right or wrong answer, there are strengths and weaknesses to both motivations. As an example let’s take a popular post-Christmas goal of losing weight.

Saying ‘I want to lose weight’ is too vague to have any real meaning. Putting a value on it like, ‘I want to lose two stones’ is only marginally better because it raises questions like, where did that figure come from? How do you know it’s achievable? And what happens once you achieve that target?

There are plenty of acronyms for goal setting such as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), and SCAR (Specific, Challenging, Appropriate, Realistic). How does your goal measure up?

In February 2017, I’d been caring for my Mum for two and a half years. Because of the emotional and physical demands of the role, I’d fallen into poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, I’d allowed myself to gain nearly three stones. If you imagine holding 19 domestic bags of sugar in your arms you’ll get an idea of the excess I was carrying around all day, every day. Fortunately I have a conscience, as well as experience of being fit and capable, so at 1.30am on 09 February, I held myself to account. I decided to set myself a goal, using SCAR, and sparked up my laptop in the early hours.

One of the first challenges I came across was a continuous 100km run and walk from Bath to Cheltenham on 01 July 2017. It was a specific goal that would be challenging to prepare for as well as complete. It was appropriate because it would focus my mind to become fitter, which in turn would make me a better carer both physically and mentally, and it was realistic because I’d covered long distances over rough terrain during my time in the forces.

I decided to focus on getting myself into shape for the challenge and leave my weight to do its own thing. I knew I’d lose the excess if I trained properly and I’d build muscle which would counteract the fat loss to a degree. I knew my body shape would also change but didn’t allow vanity to distract me from the goal of completion.

The goal was nearly five months away so I broke the journey into weekly and monthly increments, with slight adjustments to the training plan along the way, and regular rewards for completion of milestones which kept me motivated and inspired to keep going.

On 01 August I stood on the start line. Prepared, confident, excited, determined.

Two KMs into the route I twisted my ankle and was medically withdrawn from the event.

(Only joking. I completed the route and had the most amazing time.)

One of the biggest challenges is what to do once you hit your goal. I’d hit my 100km goal but what now? The term ‘Yo-yo dieting’ is primarily driven by poor goal setting. One answer is to set a maintenance goal, one that forms good habits and doesn’t have a deadline.

I decided to build towards the maintenance goal of feeling good about myself and that’s how the 100 Days of 10K’s challenge came about.

That’s now developed into 256 days to incorporate the Resolution Run, Bath Half Marathon and London Marathon, and for good measure I’m now booked on another 100km ultra marathon in August. After that, who knows.

If you want to tackle a Resolution Run yourself you can sign up right here. If you'd like to get involved but don't want to take part in the event itself, we're looking for enthusiastic volunteers who can help make each event a success.