Setting Goals That help You Win

So, last week, I showed you exactly how you can fit your workouts in, no matter how busy you are.

This week, I feel the need to take a step back and go hard on goal setting.

Ever find yourself confused? Just unsure what exactly you're looking to achieve?

A similar feeling to just driving around, looking for somewhere to eat, when you don't know what you feel like.

Worse yet, imagine turning up to a client meeting with zero agenda, you whip out your laptop or hard drive with your slides, but you don't have an end goal.

You're going to present, but what next? What happens after? What is the goal of this presentation?

You probably can't imagine that, because it wouldn't happen...

When sifting through the internet, researching my Newsletter topics and generally researching, I was shocked by a statistic.

Well, a few statistics....

A quote from Dave Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech ''those who regularly?write down their goals?earn nine times as much over their lifetimes as the people who don't''.

Shocking, right?

Now for the even more shocking part....

• 80% of people say they don't have goals
• 16% have goals but don't have them written down
• 3% have goals, write them down, but don't review them
• 1% have goals, write them down and regularly review them

No, I am not here to give you a finance lesson, but instead give you some goal setting strategies that work!

You see, my goal (see what I did) is to help my followers and readers avoid being one of those statistics that always miss.

SMART Goals

You likely remember or still use S-M-A-R-T goals to this day, but likely don't use them with your health and fitness goals:

S (Specific) – In health and fitness, we use the 5 W's - Who is involved? What do you want to accomplish? Where will it occur? When will you begin? Why is this goal important to you? That will give you clarity and paint the picture from the get go.

M (Measurable) - Now you need a value to track – waist size, weight, strength levels, 5km run time, whatever it is, it's time to track it, to know if you're actually progressing.

A (Attainable/Achievable) – To try to lose 30lbs in 30 days is wild and not attainable, break down your goal to make sure it's actually achievable.

R (Relevant) – Make sure your goal is actually significant to you and will help make your life better. If it's not, it's unlikely you'll stick to it.

T (Time-bound) – Here you want to set yourself a reasonable time-frame to complete your goal and hold yourself accountable.

Here are some examples of long-term goals broken down into smaller, Short-term more manageable ones.

Long Term goal - lose 30lbs in 6 months.

It's easy to lose sight of this goal if you just focus on the 30lbs. It can also be demotivating when you only lose 6lbs ''ahh man, another 24lbs to go''.

When you break it down, you create a milestone to celebrate.

I will lose 6 lbs this month by resistance training and tracking calories.

The goal here is specific, and it fits with a goal of losing more weight in the long-run. It has actionable steps, but if you wanted to make it even more specific, you would state the workouts you're going to do: x3 full body resistance training sessions a week and aiming for 8-10k steps daily. Along with the specific calories you aim to follow!

Long-term goal - gaining 15lbs of muscle over the next year.

Building muscle takes time. It's a lot slower than fat loss! A year is a long time too, so again, to stay motivated, there needs to be a short-term goal.

I will gain 2 lbs of lean mass in 4 weeks by eating 3,500 calories per day, 150g of protein and following a progressive resistance training program 4 days per week. I will track my progress with pictures, measurements and weigh ins.

This is very specific. The accountability is there because this can be measured, and how the goal is going to be achieved is listed.

Long-term goal - lose 6 inches (15.24 cm) off my waist in 6 months.

Doable, but again, breaking it down is going to help create the actions necessary to accomplish this goal.

I will lose 1 inch (2.54 cm) off my waist this month by doing 3 days of resistance training a week, walking daily and doing 2 sessions a week of rowing. I will focus on eating smaller portions, lean protein with each meal and remove snacks. I will measure my waist once a week over the next month.

Another example of a SMART goal that will easy to measure.

3 Steps To Successful Goal-Setting

Now, you probably want further break-down the process of gaol setting. Here are 3 simple steps:

1. Craft a plan

The first step to successful goal-setting is having a plan. You need a roadmap, otherwise it will feel like you're aimlessly moving towards a destination. Your plan will make the process of forming the habits and behaviours you need to succeed a lot more tricky.

Yes, when crafting a plan, you either require the knowledge to make sure that plan is going to fit and work for you, or you have access to someone that can create that plan.

2. Accountability is a must

You probably know this, but without accountability, this journey will be a bumpy ride. When we have to answer to someone or someone is monitoring us, we perform better. We don't want to let that person down, or seem like we're not capable of doing what we set out.

Reach out to a friend, get your partner on board, a colleague. Or even, hire a coach!

3. Celebrate your wins

When you hit specific milestones, have an inbuilt system to celebrate. An example: every time you lose 5lbs, you get 50 points. When you hit 150 points, you get yourself the latest Apple Watch, a spa treatment, a massage, whatever it is, make it something you want and enjoy. Do your best to make it non-food related!

When you're setting your goals, it's also important to remember there are 3 main types of goals:

1. The Process Goals. This is all about the execution of plans. For example, going to the gym in the morning, that morning walk to the gym, your protein shake and a piece of fruit following that workout, and repeating the same action every day is a process goal. This is essential in habit formation.
2. Performance Goals. Without performance goals, it's very difficult to track progress and stay motivated. For example, x3 resistance sessions a week, focusing on progression. 8-10k steps in daily through walking.
3. Outcome Goals. These are where you follow through on both process and performance goals. When you lose the weight you set out to lose, you get to a 34'' waist. These are essential to know exactly where you're going!

There's lots more theory to unpack when it comes to goals, but I didn't want you to lose focus or overcomplicate things further for you.

If you really struggle with goal setting, I hope this helps you set goals right now!

Do not wait for 2024...

By doing that, you keep moving further and further away from your goals. Time doesn't pause, nor does your weight and fitness.

Will you be revisiting the SMART framework for your goals? Let me know below!

Have the best day ever and we'll talk soon!

Adam