Start the New Year off right with proper goal setting strategies. This article talks about just that.
I don’t know what’s in the water around this time of year, but this has to be the most motivated time of year for a lot of people. I’m pretty sure you could look up January 1st in a thesaurus, and New Year’s Resolution would be a synonym. While New Year’s Resolutions are a great way to start off the New Year, they can spell disaster 3 months in.
There has to be a reason why the majority of gym members don’t even use their gym memberships. Why are people willing to fork over thousands of dollars for personal training, but then disappear off the face of the earth? There has to be a reason why, and in fact there is. It all comes down to goal setting.
The most successful clients I’ve had over the past few years haven’t achieved their results because I’m this magnificent trainer that whomever I talk to develops the body of a Greek god or goddess. No, no, although I wish this were the case, sadly, it’s not. My most successful clients achieve their results because they’ve developed the right mindset. Developing the right mindset is crucial. In fact, I wouldn’t say it’s half the battle in achieving results; I’d say it is the battle! Unless you figure out a way to prepare your mind for the extremely hard work it’s going to take to reach your goals, you’re not going to get there! I’ll say it again…Develop your mind, develop you body. I can teach and motivate all I want to my clients, but if they can’t find a way to stay motivated from within, they simply just aren’t going to get there.
You may be thinking to yourself, “So now what?” Well guess what; the rest of this article is your ticket to success. It’s your ticket to that slimmer waistline. It’s your ticket to that barrel chest. It’s…well you get my point. The rest of this article is all about goal setting and how to properly set those goals.
When it comes to goal setting, the one-and-only way to set them is through the S.M.A.R.T. model. The most successful goals are SMART goals.
So here we go.
S– Specific: Your goal must be as specific as possible. For example, I want to look better in my jeans is incorrect. I want to lose body fat in order to look better in my jeans is correct. Make sure your goal is specific enough that you know what you’re trying to achieve.
M – Measureable: Just like it says, your goal must have a way of signaling it’s been reached. Forms of measurement can be types such as body fat percentage, pounds lost/gained, pants size, running time, etc. Saying you want to lift more weight is incorrect, whereas, saying you want to squat 300 lbs. is correct. Make sure you design your goals around forms of measurement.
A – Attainable: Your goals must be able to be reached. If they’re too lofty, you will just get frustrated, but if they’re too easy, you won’t be motivated to reach them; find a balance. A bad example would be wanting to lose 30 lbs. in a month. A good example would be wanting to lose 30 lbs. in 7 months.
R – Relevant: Your goals must be relevant to something you want, need, like, or are able to achieve. For example, putting on muscle to be able to beat people to a pulp probably isn’t the most relevant, but putting on muscle to be able to be more productive at work is relevant, depending on the job.
T – Timely or Time-bound: Your goals must have a deadline. If you go into your exercise program with the attitude of, “Whatever happens, happens,” you most likely won’t see results. Set a deadline for yourself to make sure you stay driven to reach your goals. On the flip side, make sure your deadline isn’t unrealistic. A good example of a timely goal would be training to run a 30 minute 5K in 3 months. A bad example would be training to run a 30 minute 5K sometime in the future.
There it is.
Make sure you follow an outline like this when forming your New Year’s Resolutions. Don’t just decide to “get in better shape”. Make sure you define what that means, and push yourself to get there. By forming SMART goals, you’re starting off on the right foot, and your chances of success are amazingly better.
Give it a shot.
Let this year be different than the rest. If you really commit to reaching your goals no matter what it takes, you’ll be so happy you did. Persevere and never give up! Not only will your self-esteem be built up by all the compliments you’re about to get, but your quality of life and life expectancy will most likely increase. You’ll be able to play with the kids more, be more active with family and friends, be around to see the kids graduate from college, get married, and have their own kids. Whatever your reason, let this year be the year that changed your life!
If you ever need any advice or help with forming goals, feel free to contact me at dfalkenberg@yourlivetrainers.com. I would be happy to help.
Dan Falkenberg is the co-founder and co-owner of Your Live Trainers. He can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.