by Arthur L. Popp, Ph.D.

I had exchanged some emails with Noom, the company that has a very successful and behavioral approach to weight loss.  On the top of one of their emails was the phrase, “A Goal without a Plan is Just a Wish.”

It really struck a chord for me.  So, a few words about planning in this and my next blog.

Let’s start out with a youth basketball player who wants to make 70% of her free throws. 

A  GPS like Google Maps or Waze is a good example of a plan. If I tap the “Directions” tab on my GPS, it will give me each turn. That’s the plan to get where I’m going.  By the same token, a basketball player benefits from a plan to reach 70% success in foul-shooting.

The steps could include:

1. Check in with her coach for what she can improve in her foul shooting.
2. The coach may recommend doing planks, modified push-ups, and some free weights to improve arm and upper body strength.
3. Her coach may suggest a set of steps  at the foul line that include taking a deep breath, focusing on the basket’s rim, bending the knees, inhaling, lifting the ball up and exhaling as she shoots.   

So, we have steps in our plan.

To make sure our goal is not just a wish, in our next blog I’ll take up the value of the S.M.A.R.T. guidelines. In the future we’ll also touch on social support in reaching goals.