My husband was at a conference last week and the speaker used a visual example to help the participants learn to plan for success. He used these three words.
STOP
CONTINUE
START
When John told me about the example I immediately thought of how this applies in many, many areas of our lives – weight loss and fitness included.
The STOP represents those behaviors, thoughts, or choices that need to stop for us to be successful.
For me, I needed to STOP:
- going through fast food restaurants every single day
- buying candy for myself under the guise of a holiday or family event
- eating chocolate with abandon
- sitting on the couch as much as possible
- setting a bad example for my children
- making food for my family that was loaded with fat
- blaming other people for my weight problem
- emotional eating
- . . . and many more
I needed to CONTINUE:
-
taking care of my family
-
keeping my house clean
-
keep up with appointments
-
relationships with friends and family
-
cooking for my family
-
striving towards a better, more healthy lifestyle
And I needed to START:
- paying attention to portion sizes
- watching the fat content in foods I ate
- moving my body by getting off the couch
- setting a good example for my children
- cooking healthier meals
- not using the calendar as an excuse to go off my plan
- thinking about my future health and wellness
These three phrases really stuck with me this week and I came up with even more things that I need to STOP, CONTINUE, and START right now. I see these three words as a check-in opportunity to make certain that the choices that I’m making today are those that will yield a positive impact years from now. It’s challenging for me to think about that.
Are there things that you are doing with regards to your health that you need to stop, continue or start? Diane
STOP clinging to my old selfdefinition (IM A LIFTER NOT A RUNNER)
CONTINUE (doing a little bit every day and knowing that building up slowly is the best approach)
START (owning it. I AM RUNNING THE PRINCESS HALF MARATHON period. No long rambling excuses when I tell people about how I may have to walk some of it etc)
.-= Miz´s last blog ..MizFit & The Ellen Show. =-.
Hi Diane,
STOP: taking food just because it’s there.
CONTINUE: bringing high quality, healthy food options into our home.
START: recording my workouts
.-= Lance´s last blog ..Powered By Laughter =-.
STOP Eating during the night. I always wake up and have a “midnight snack”. (Because I don’t take in enough calories during the day! Or so my body thinks!) And I don’t always make the best choices as I am half asleep.
CONTINUE Choosing wisely during the day and exercising.
START Weighing myself daily and journaling. I think this would give me the awareness I need as to what is going on with my nutrition. Though I am no longer overweight, I would like to get toward the lower end of my weight range for health reasons.
I like this post. Another thinker.
Mia
STOP: giving into the sense of deprivation
CONTINUE: Finding and seeing my beauty and strength
START: looking at all the things in my life that I am not deprived by.
I appreciate you.
.-= Michelle@Eatingjourney´s last blog ..Fitness Goals: Need Advice =-.
STOP snacking
CONTINUE good workout habits
START enjoying this healthy body instead of obsessing about 5 pounds
I always love how the most powerful messages are often the simplest.
.-= Fattie Fatterton´s last blog ..Why do we fight it?!? =-.
This is a great way of looking at this — thanks for sharing!
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Wednesday’s Word of the Day – Renovate =-.
Love this entry…really makes one think.
STOP worry about gaining my weight back
CONTINUE to eat my points allowed daily and train 5x a week
START living my life with more of an positive attitude.
.-= Marcelle´s last blog ..Thursday’s news =-.
Great post Diane. I need to stop fearing failure outside the gym. I will continue to work at being healthy & fit as I age. I need to start the self love talk & stop the negative self talk.
PS; Comment luv is picking up yesterday’s post. I don’t know why… craziness. Talking about my weight workout today!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..If You Say "I Can’t", READ THIS NOW! =-.
What a great, great concept! Thanks!
.-= Sunny´s last blog ..Growth is a Pendulum =-.
I like this a lot! Thanks for sharing!
Stop worrying so much.
Continue living a healthy life.
Start doing what I really want to do more.
.-= Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last blog ..Michael Pollan and First Blogger Meet Up =-.
Great post! I really need to try to work on my house more. I feel like it is a disaster area!!!
.-= Staci´s last blog ..Quest to 100 Giveaway…. =-.
Good post! I like the way you think…
.-= Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit´s last blog ..Confush*t Say… =-.
Great post Diane!
I have to:
STOP feeling guilty about everything. The weight of the world does not have to rest on my shoulders.
CONTINUE with my journey despite bumps in the road.
START allowing myself to feel good. It’s not selfish to feel good about yourself. It’s how it should be.
.-= The Chubby Girl Diaries´s last blog ..The perfect pair of jeans =-.
Stop: Thinking that I’m going to look like I did in the ’90′s.
Continue: Working out regularly and eating right.
Start: Cooking more of a variety of dishes.
.-= karen@fitnessjourney´s last blog ..The Health Police =-.
That’s a helpful way of thinking about it. Good post.
.-= Larkspur´s last blog ..Perfect 10 Update =-.
Stop- Eating the amount of processed food I do.
Continue- Working out and adding clean elements to my food choices.
Start- Adding variety into my workout routines.
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..Day #26: Tofu and the Treadmill =-.
This method is definitely nice for taking inventory.
I need to stop eating so many processed foods, continue to be more flexible and start, um, still thinking about that one…
I need to STOP looking at what I used to be able to eat.
I need to CONTINUE working on my fitness and health to prevent more problems.
I need to START thinking about how my decisions will effect the future instead of just the here and now.
.-= Cynthia (It All Changes)´s last blog ..What Goes Up… =-.
I need to stop thinking that I am unhealthy and start realizing that I am making steps to be healthy. I loved this post!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Weigh in Day =-.
Stop snacking mindlessly
Continue with my exercises and going out of my comfort zone
Start making sure I get enough down time!
.-= Lori (Finding Radiance)´s last blog ..Cruising food plans =-.
Diane, as always you have great insights and get me thinking. I can see this excercise helping me in several areas of my life. For me…
Stop – eating high-fat, high calorie foods, getting seconds at the table, eating after 7 p.m. skipping breakfast,staying away from the snack machine, cut down on sodium.
Continue – not drinking soft drinks (diet or regular), drinking more water, getting up and walking each morning.
Start – watching my portions, focusing on whole/healthy foods, limiting sweets to occassional treats.
Brilliant! I might have to steal…uh “appropriate” these concepts for my WLS peeps!
.-= Cari (aka Gastric Bypass Barbie)´s last blog ..Why Does Why Matter? =-.
STOP: Self-sabotaging myself after every success, grabbing handfuls of sweets when my husband’s out of the room
CONTINUE: waking up early for workouts, focusing on workouts I LOVE rather than following rigid plan, trying new recipes
START:Researching proper nutrition for distance running,
What a great exercise.
STOP making excuses
CONTINUE eating my veggies
START exercising in the morning
.-= Hadley´s last blog ..Some guidelines and goals =-.
I need to STOP eating after supper unless I’m hungry. I make bad choices for the wrong reasons!
I need to CONTINUE getting adequate sleep and preparing healthy meals. And journaling my intake!
I need to START getting a better work-life balance.
That’s excellect, Diane! Thank you and John!!
STOP going to bed so late
CONTINUE working out as much as I have been
START a garden!!!
.-= josie´s last blog ..Rewards! =-.
This is a great visual. I will have to make my own list of things I need to stop, continue and start.
Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! This would be a great little exercise to do first thing each morning…or maybe each night, as a plan or reminder for the next day and forward.
For today, my STOP involves letting go of fears of all sorts. Except spiders.
My CONTINUE items are all the really great things I’m doing for myself with respect to nutrition and exercise.
My START is to believe in myself as much as other people believe in me.
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Food Fight! – Yogurt Parfaits =-.
Oh a bunch, I could do my own post. A big one I want to focus on is portion sizes, I’m thinking of buying some dishes to use for food to learn portion sizes.
.-= Robin´s last blog ..Hypothyroidism =-.
Stop: “hoping” that the weight comes off
Continue: trusting in the process
Start: taking control of my emotions around food.
Excellent post! I’m going make a bigger list and really think about this.
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Ya learn something new every day =-.
I am going to work on my list this weekend. Thanks for sharing this Diane!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..8 miles! And John’s Miso Glazed Cod with veggies and quinoa =-.
Love this approach!! I think we too often think of just the stop category, and forget the things that we need to keep doing and start doing.
For me, I need to stop worrying about what other people think. I’m slowly getting better at it, but that area of my life still requires a lot of work.
I need to continue being open and willing to try new things. Whether this is travelling across the country, or signing up for local races.
I need to start eating more fat. This is more specific, but I think needs to be done asap for my health.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Survivor =-.