New Year, New Me?
As we all know it is that time of year where we want to get a fresh start and set our new years resolutions. Sadly, only about 8% of us actually achieve our goals that we set for our new year! There has to be a way to keep us from being in that other 92% right? Maybe trying these tools this year can put you in the successful 8%!
Start with SMART goal setting
Goal setting is the key to getting started and can make or break your success for this years goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound. See chart below:
If you aren’t setting your goals with each of these in mind you are asking for trouble. This can lead to goals that are impossible to achieve, don’t fit into your time frame or have no time limit, have no real quantifiable factor to know if you are successful or not (saying you want to tone up is not measurable), and can leave you discouraged and might even push you away from your goal.
Tactics
Aim small miss small
Set a goal that is very specific like: lose 6% body fat by April 1st.
This also means that you should focus on 1 or 2 Big Picture goals like losing 6% body fat and running a half marathon. These two goals are aligned in the same direction and will both help each other. DO NOT set 10 Big Picture goals and don’t set them in different directions. Setting goals to lose 6% body fat, place 1st in a powerlifting meet, win that eating competition you have always wanted to win, etc. pulls your goals in opposing directions and will likely lead to failure of at least 1 if not all of your goals.
Build a road map
Set small goals to lead to the big goal. If your big goal is to lose 6% body fat by April 1st, your road map can be: Drink a gallon of water every day starting with 24oz when I wake up, set a caloric limit and follow it by tracking your food (myfitnesspal is great for this) and enter the meal in before you leave the table after eating, and workout 5 times per week and do at least 30mins of cardio every day (set a specific time like before work to complete your cardio daily). Also setting a goal of losing 3% body fat by February 15th can help keep you on pace for reaching your goal on time.
Set your environment up for your success
Setting up your environment is key to success. With your body fat goal you can buy a new scale and put it in the bathroom so as soon as you use the bathroom in the morning you can weigh in. Maybe buy a scale that connects to your phone that helps you keep track of your weight and bodyfat. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day to help you drink more water. Pack your gym bag and keep it by the door so it is ready when you leave. Buy new workout clothes and shoes to remove the excuse of not having anything to wear or having shoes that are too worn down to go on that morning walk. Set your environment up to help you remove obstacles and remind you that you have goals to hit.
Let’s face it, our goals usually aren’t the easiest thing because if they were, we would have already just done it. Use this new year as a springboard to crush some goals but make sure you arm yourself with the best tools possible to be successful. If you have a hard time with failure, please really think deeply about whether or not setting new years resolutions are the right thing for you. If you know from previous experience that failure to reach your goals led to even worse habits then reaching out to a professional to help you stay on track and keep you accountable as well as set correct goals might be a better option.
As always if you have any questions or need any help email us here relentlessfitgym@gmail.com and we can help!
Check out the article below for more great info on goal setting.
https://jamesclear.com/goal-setting
