In every aspect of life we all have things we need to achieve on a daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly basis. This includes home and family life, work life, social and vocational, plus health and wellbeing – which should of course be top of your list to assist with all of the others!
But how many of us just keep ploughing through life assuming (or sometimes just hoping) that we will get everything done, keep everyone happy and – yep, still lose half a stone in a month?
So why aren’t you losing that half a stone?
I suspect because you’re not prioritising your health, and also because you need to set more specific goals.
Why are goals important?
First and foremost they give you direction, something to aim for and help you continuously move forwards so that you don’t find yourself just meandering along with no sign of improvement. Goals give you a clearer idea of what you actually want.
We often have an idea of what we want or think we want, but as we start to break it down and look at what we are prepared to commit to, it can give us a very different overview of these goals. If we achieve our goals it gives us a sense of belief in ourselves, and if we fail to achieve them it should give us a point of reference as we look back on why and what happened, draw a line under it and start our journey to achieving the next set of goals.
Goals need to be SMART. I’m sure you have all heard that acronym; I know it has popped up in more than one of my jobs! It really is the key to achieving and progressing though. For those of you who don’t know what it stands for, your goals need to be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound.
For example:
- Specific: lose 2kg
- Measureable: yes, on the scales
- Attainable: yes, provided I make my 3 sessions a week and stick to the agreed nutrition plan
- Relevant: yes, as my jeans are getting a little snug
- Time bound: 4 weeks
So first of all we need to set our long-term goals, and then break them down. Think about what you really want as the final result and make a note of that, including the timescale you want to achieve it in. Then break that down into mid-term goals. If your long-term goal is going to take you two years then break it down in to six-month chunks. Then break it down further into short-term goals, typically around one month.
If you stick to the goals you have set yourself each month you will step closer and closer to that long-term goal – simple!
However sometimes you need another person to be the voice of reason as to what is realistic to achieve. During the reviews at Potential we can go through that with you, but of course we need your commitment to achieving those goals, which is where your behaviour goals come in!
Referring to my previous example of losing 2kgs in 4 weeks, this was my ‘outcome’ goal but my ‘behaviour’ goal is going to be what helps me to achieve this. For example not only attending my three sessions a week but agreeing to push myself further in sessions, and not only sticking to the nutrition plan but keeping a food diary to show that I have, and also to hold myself accountable.
Finally let’s stop being so negative; let’s set positive goals…. rather than, “I wont eat biscuits every day”, why not, ”I will have two biscuits a week and really enjoy them”! Result!
If you haven’t had a diagnostic/review in a while, maybe now is the time to get booked in!
Think of all those amazing Olympic athletes who have achieved so much recently, then take a moment to reflect on your own goals and how you CAN achieve them… with the help of Potential Personal Training!
