It’s one thing to start, but sticking to a health and fitness plan requires consistency, determination, and planning. That’s right, planning. If you are looking to set goals around health and fitness and stick to them, this article is for you.
I’m a big believer in goal setting. I believe we create our own realities and what we think about most of the time becomes our world.
I have a dream book, in which I include all my goals written in positive, present format. I have written about every aspect of my life: Professional goals, friendships, ideal places to live (hint, it’s where I live now in San Diego), ideal vacations, my ideal mate, and yes, my body. Getting very specific on the ‘what’ but I leave the ‘how’ to the universe.
I’ve been doing this for about 8 years now. When I look back and read what I wrote about in years past, it’s amazing how similar my life is to the “dream” I wrote about long ago.
I’m serious.
From the city I fell in love with, the apartment with the bells and whistles, climbing the corporate ladder, to the person I spend my life with. All of these were written in my “dream book” just a few short years ago, all to be realized in my life as I write this today.
One area I’ve struggled with, along with many women, is body image. I’ve historically aspired to have abs, be a certain weight or fit into a certain size of jeans, as if that’s going to make me feel so much better or happier with myself.
In my goals, I’ve written things like “I am 140 lbs” or “I fit into a size 4.” The problem with those statements are that they are superficial, lack depth, and don’t get to the root of my why.
And the why is, quite simply, the most important part of goal-setting.
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Start With WHY
Why do I want to be 140 lbs? Why do I want abs?
When a quarterback has a goal (desired outcome) to win the Super Bowl, does he only focus on the winning score? No. He creates many smaller goals, not just in the games before but in practice for things like throwing accuracy, leadership, strength and conditioning, and nutrition in order to be the best he can be on the field. A win is the result of many smaller goals achieved prior.
Cause vs. Effect
Cause: Requires forethought, planning, and action
Effect: The result of the forethought, planning, and action taken
When I focus more on achieving a certain weight loss number (desired outcome), I become single minded and so focused on the end or effect versus the actions or cause of the things I do every day that will eventually get me to my ultimate goal.
There are many steps that need to take place prior to the end of the scoreboard at the Super Bowl just like the end of a weight loss journey.
How to achieve your desired outcome.
In regard to setting fitness and health goals, focus on the action you take today versus the end result months down the line. The goal of being a size 4 is likely a result of a string of events. It’s the result of specific actions taken.
If you focus on being able to:
- hike a certain trail
- accomplish 20 push ups in a row
- or hold a handstand for 30 seconds
the likely result is your body changing, adapting to the activity, and therefore, giving you more muscle, less fat, to help you achieve your toned look or weight loss. Ya follow me?
So, how do you get to the root of your why?
Keep asking yourself why 5-7 times or until you get to your deeper meaning.
Why do I want to be a size 4?
Because I will be smaller and leaner.
Why do I want to be smaller and leaner?
Because I will feel more in shape and good about my body.
Why do I want to feel more in shape and good about my body?
Because I want to feel good about my appearance and how I look.
Why do I want to feel good about my appearance and how I look?
Because I feel as though it’s a reflection of how I live and my life choices. I feel like an athlete and want to look like an athlete.
Why do I feel my life choices and athletics are important?
Because I want to live a long healthy life.
Do this exercise but don’t use my questions and definitely don’t use my answers. Those are my personal reasons, what are yours? Also, you may very well have more than one reason – even better!
Superficial vs. Skill-Based Goals
Related: My before and after CrossFit transformation
The reality with superficial goals is that it takes a long time to notice a difference. Your body is changing a lot when you start a new workout routine. You can feel this immediately in muscle soreness, but when you don’t see progress toward your goal, i.e. in your waistline, it’s easy to get discouraged.
As such, I recommend focusing on more tangible skill-based goals. Those that you can accomplish in a day, week, or month at most. Give yourself some small wins. Once you have created a series of small wins, you’ll build momentum toward bigger goals.
Example:
Daily Goal: Practice push-ups every day I go to the gym: 3 sets of 10. Make it something you can achieve while still a stretch.
Weekly Goal: Go to the gym 4 days a week.
Monthly Goal: Build my push-up strength to 3 sets of 15 by end of January.
With specific daily, weekly, and monthly goals, it’s easy to build goal achieving momentum, hold yourself accountable, and feel the results with building strength.
The effect of your efforts will be a feeling of accomplishment, increased lean muscle, decreased fat, and a more toned body. The goal is about the accomplishments in the gym, rather than the visual effects on your body, which take a long time to notice. You will feel the results before you see them.
When you shift your goal from weight or size based to skill-based fitness achievement, you are more likely to continue to work toward your goal as you’ll see incremental accomplishments quickly.
I’m not saying the visual changes in your body are not important. They are, however, when goal setting and creating small wins, you won’t see that progress to keep you motivated right away.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
If you haven’t gotten to your why, you are missing the biggest driving factor to push you through when the going gets tough. When the novelty of your new found goal wears off. When the “I just want to go home drink wine and eat pizza” sets in.
It’s easy to let go of a goal that is surrounding something superficial like looks, size, or weight loss because of the long road to achieving that goal. This is why I emphasize setting skill-based goals so much. With your why firmly defined and a focus on performance, you are more likely to stay on track to pursue what you wanted in the first place.
Write It All Down
Once you’ve found your why, once you’ve created your goals, write it all down, ideally in a singular place where you house all your goals and dreams.
This step cannot be underestimated. Writing is a creative process and when we write, it cements the goal into our brain. It puts what’s inside our minds, our intention, out to the world. Every path has a beginning, this is your first step toward achieving your ultimate goal.
Do you feel anxious to write down your goals? Ask yourself why? Is it because you are afraid to fail or something else?
Think about it this way. What’s the worst that could happen? You don’t achieve it. That’s it. But guess what, that’s ok. Because you have time. As long as you continue to pursue your goal, you will not fail. Trying is part of the process. Enjoy the process.
Review Your Goals Regularly
Do not put your goals away in a time capsule. Every day, every week, every month, as much as you possibly can. Even better – if you have a board on your wall that you see everyday. Look at your goals, read them aloud to yourself. The more they are front of mind, the more you think about them and the more you will create situations that will ultimately lead to success in achieving those goals.
Keep Your Eyes Open
When you are on your goal-achieving path, you’ll start to notice opportunities that will help you along the way. You will come across situations or people that will assist you in realizing your goal. In actuality, those opportunities were always there. But when you aren’t looking through the goal-centric lens, you don’t notice them.
For example, a new member might start at the gym you go to who you connect with. You two become friends and end up looking forward to going to the gym to hang out. The result of this new found friendship is that you are now dually motivated to go to the gym more often.
Here’s another. You have been struggling to stay on track with your nutrition. Upon scrolling through Instagram, you come across a friend who recommends some book around a nutrition plan you hadn’t heard of before. It resonates with you, you decide to buy the book. As you work your way through the book, you implement the principles discussed. You end up sticking to it because it seamlessly fit into your lifestyle. After a few weeks your clothes are fitting looser, you feel great, and you are through the book. You are able to stay on track with your nutrition goals and eventually get to your desired outcome of fitting into a size 6.
Don’t be surprised when things like this happen. Take action when opportunities present themselves.
To Be Human Is To Evolve
When you achieve one goal, celebrate, but don’t stop there. When we stop reaching higher, we lose a sense of purpose. Reflect on you goals, even if you haven’t achieved them. What have you gained? Are you stronger? Healthier? How is your mindset? Appreciate what you have achieved from where you started. Reflect and create new goals based on your new ability level. .
Summary:
- Write down your why. Ask yourself why 5-7 times (or more) to find your root.
- Write down your skill-based fitness goals.
- Review your goals regularly.
- Reflect and evolve. Imagine how you will feel when you achieve one of your goals.
- Enjoy the process.
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. This post is intended for educational, inspirational, or entertainment purposes only. I am not a doctor, the content on this blog is not intended to be substituted for medical advice.
