Peel back the onion – what is your true goal and why do you have that goal?
- What gets measured gets managed.
- Set some realistic time frames.
- Most people fail to reach their goals because they never actually set them!
Goals need to be specific, measurable, and achievable. When setting a goal be specific; we often hear “my goal is to lose weight”, try reframing it to have an value outcome associated. Ask yourself why do you want to lose weight e.g. my goal is to lose weight so I feel confident in my clothes, or I can do daily tasks with more ease etc. Or maybe the goal is to “get fit”. Ask yourself why. I want to get fit so I can have more energy at the end of the day to play with my kids, or be able to travel and enjoy adventures. Asking yourself the why will help you get specific.
Next determine how to measure your progress…what gets measured gets managed. From the above example of losing weight you have traditional measures like scales, how clothes feel, and/or progress pics could all work. But don’t forget the side effect benefits like I feel more energy, more confident, happier mood that are offshoot benefits that can come with weight loss.
Strategise! A goal without a strategy is just a wishlist. What steps are essential to reaching the end goal. For the weight loss example it may be setting daily habits 1) eat a breakfast containing wholefoods 2) prepare a balanced salad for lunch 3 days a week 3) attend the gym 3 days, walk 2 days and play touch 1 day. Actions ARE required to achieve a goal.
Finally setting a time-frame when you want to achieve your goal (or subgoals) will help. Again be realistic, from above, losing 10kg in 2 weeks is very unlikely to happen, so give yourself adequate time to implement behaviour change. Have patience to enjoy the process.
Don’t forget to celebrate your small wins!
For help setting goals come in and talk to one of our trainers.
{Written by Bryan Clements, Personal Trainer}
