Did you wake up this morning thinking, “Today is a new day, lets make it a healthy one?” or have you ever gone full bullet a gate into something brand new without looking at the big picture? This happens all TOO often – weather it be losing that additional muffin top gained over winter or deciding to start training for a specific event. If you’re still not on the same page as me or your caffeine hit hasn’t quite kicked in yet, I’m referring to the importance of goal setting. Now were all at fault when it comes to lack of setting that all-important goal, instead were rather consumed with the final result, the REWARD. Whilst this is an important part of setting goals, it shouldn’t be the be all and end all. Instead we should focus on our targets and leave the reward as a congratulatory system that acknowledges us for our achievements. Before delving into the nitty-gritty it’s important to note that all goals are INDIVIDUAL – it is not a competition and should be taken on a personal level in order to achieve YOUR best. Lets begin…to put it basically; goals are either short term or long term. Short term refers to less than 3 months in duration and long term is anything greater than 3 months. For example – in 2 months I would like to lose_____amount of weight and in 8 months I would like to be_____kg. Whilst these are good examples, they are very vague and have no direction. To make life a hell of a lot easier, a method tilted SMART technique covers all bases and don’t worry includes your reward. S = Specific This area investigates the importance of narrowing down your goal to something ‘specific’. Here we ask the questions who is involved? What do I want to achieve? Where am I going to complete this? When can I achieve this? And why am I doing this? E.g. for the next 3 months I commit to doing aerobic activity (60mins) for 3 days a week. M = Measurable Here we look at what tools you are using to track progress e.g. heart rate monitor, exercise/nutrition diary, pedometer, and/or social aspects including friends. A = Attainable A huge aspect that is overlooked when jumping into things is questioning, “Can we achieve the task…at all?” In order to do this, smaller goals are broken down from the bigger one. This gives us a boost in confidence and allows us to have the capacity to achieve the complete goal. E.g. In 12 months I will have quit smoking BUT in 3 months I will cut down to 2 cigarettes a day. R = Relevant There is no easy way to say this other than chose goals that suit YOU and only YOU. There is no point in saying you will be the next Mr. Olympia overnight when you have only just started training, nor is there any point in choosing a goal to increase upper body strength but only train lower body. E.g. I want to increase my 1RM bicep curl by 10% in 4 weeks. T = Time When writing your goals make sure you avoid words like “someday”, “eventually”, or “should”. Instead choose hard adjectives such as “I can” or “I am”. Not only will this create positive self talk but will build internal confidence to strive for those goals. In saying that, give yourself a decent timeframe – a duration that is actually achievable but also allow a challenge. E.g. In 4 months I will lose 8cm from my waist circumference. After you have taken the time to think and write your goals, start implementing them. There is no better time than today! And after you have achieved them, ensure you have a reward system in place to acknowledge your achievement e.g. I will purchase a new pair of jeans or I will take a holiday. Try to avoid food at all costs. If you have any further questions, would like to discuss any personal goals or are struggling to think of something new to challenge yourself with, message me or arrange an appointment to discuss in private. . Basically – dream big, experiment, build confidence, believe in yourself and achieve success. Yours in health and happiness, Laura x
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:51:49 +0000
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