It doesn’t matter if your goal setting is happening at the beginning of a new year, or any other of the 11 months that come after it…goal setting doesn’t have to just be a list of wishes you write down & forget about 3 days later. Goal setting can actually change your life if you do it correctly.
But how? Well, let me tell you…goal setting does start with writing your goals down, but in order to make your goals come to fruition you have to have some things in line.
Here is the thing…there comes a time in our lives when we all realize there is SOMETHING you want to change. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what it is you want to change…it WILL happen.
So the question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to do SOMETHING about it? Or, are you just going to continue to wish your goals away with excuses as to why you aren’t living your best life. Let’s not do that this year…let’s change your trajectory this time…and here is how:
Make your goals SMART.
This is a really well known acronym when it comes to goal setting, but it’s well known for a reason. Understanding these parameters can keep you from setting goals that are broad/vague/impossible to achieve. Using these guidelines keep you from failing. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
- SPECIFIC (simple, something that can be written down in exact terms, vague goals get lost really quickly).
- MEASUREABLE (saying “lose weight OR workout more” won’t mean much to you…measurable goals have specific perimeters, & numbers…lose 5 lbs/workout 3X per week/cook 3 meals at home per week, etc.).
- ACHIEVABLE (make your goal setting items that are doable. Setting smaller more achievable goals will help you to take steps in the right direction. Push yourself. Work hard, & don’t be afraid to dream big/reach for the stars…Just don’t set yourself up for failure).
- RELEVANT (If you haven’t run a day in your life, goal setting to run an ultra-marathon might not be your best first step. Set goals that are applicable to your life, & will allow you to achieve what you want at the same time will help you to be the most successful).
- TIME bound (make sure you have a time stamp on when you want to accomplish your goals by. Understand what is doable, & what will push you to improve your life).
MAKE A PLAN
I personally think that the most important part of goal setting is having a plan of action. Let’s say you set a goal to workout three times per week…but when you show up to the gym & have no idea what to do when you get there it will be pretty easy to let that goal fade.
Maybe you set a goal to decrease your body fat percentage? Well, if your efforts & your workouts aren’t correctly geared toward what you want to accomplish…it’s far more likely that you’ll get frustrated, not seeing results, & give up.
You can set a goal to cook healthy meals at home, but if you don’t have any idea as to how you are going to do that, the likelihood of it happening will be far less…I think you get that point.
DECISION FATIGUE
Having a HOW to go behind your goals can, & will make all the difference. There is a principle I love to tell my clients about called decision fatigue. It is the idea that our brains are only capable of making so many decisions per day. We decide when to get out of bed, what to eat for breakfast, what to wear, what to buy at the store, what to make for dinner for the family, what needs to occur at work/school/church etc. and the list goes on.
As humans, we spend our whole day making decisions. Our brains reach an exhaustion point. This is where we start to care less about the decisions we make. Instead of wanting to go to the store to have to decide what to make for dinner…we order a pizza. Instead of deciding to go to the gym, we just sit on the couch & turn on the TV, where no decisions have to be made at all.
BUT, if you have the decisions made already (a meal plan/workout plan/schedule,) you take out the decision making. You stop yourself from being your own worst enemy, & you enable yourself to achieve your goals.
This was the whole purpose behind the creation of my INNOVATED workout plan. I wanted people to be able to look at it, & not have to think about what to do for their workout plans. It is especially helpful for those who are not sure where to start.
I created my PDF MCFIT TEAM TRAINING programs to help those who have a fitness base, up their game to the next level. These programs are awesome for those who want to dial in their fitness at home, or at the gym.
FOOD MATTERS
The last thing that I want to talk about with goal setting is food. I know…this topic stresses people out, but don’t let it. What I would suggest is that you find the plan of action that WILL work for you. A lot of people want to go super drastic, & aren’t ready for that type of all or nothing mindset. They slip up once, & call it quits. I would suggest a few things…
- Try tracking for a day. You don’t have to be obsessive, or calculate every bite if you don’t want to, but you DO have to be aware of what you are eating. The biggest food downfall for people trying to make changes, is being unaware (or choosing to disregard) what is going in your mouth.
- Be realistic with yourself. Most people underestimate what they eat, & overestimate their exercise. Look at your habits from a pattern of what you are NOW currently doing. Don’t base it off of what you did a year ago, or what you plan to do really soon.
- Find something you will stick to. Clean eating might be your jam, & that is awesome, but if you are only going to stick to it for a day, it’s not going to work for you.
- Having a “free meal” might help you stay on track the rest of the week, & that is so great if it works for you to stay on track the rest of the week! Just don’t let that free meal turn into a free weekend.
- Know your macros. Every type of diet is just a way to help you stick to a certain macro ratio. Whole30, paleo, keto, Atkins, WW, etc. are ways to set macro ratios, & reduce your overall caloric intake.
- Macro counting simply means tracking your food, & trying to hit certain targets for your fat/carbs/protein. If you are wanting more information if counting macros is for you, read this post & if you’re into it…check out my MACROS 101 GUIDE or read more info on how to calculate macros on your own.
Here is the bottom line…you have goals. AWESOME. But, how are you going to reach them? What is your plan? What are you going to do to make this year’s goal setting achievable? Make this go round DOABLE by setting yourself up for success.