As we enter the middle part of our current 6 week challenge we are seeing some amazing results and a big thing we asked of the girls was to come up with specific goals so we could plan their sessions accordingly. At the end of the 6 weeks we hope the girls realise that the next step is to come up with another goal or work further towards their current long term goal. Goals give you a purpose in life that is purely motivated by you! That in turn promotes feel good emotions which in turn can affect other areas of your life too! It creates a positive feedback loop which is important in times such as now when in lockdown!
Goal setting
Goal setting often reminds people of high school and mindlessly coming up with a few things to do during the school year. However, after high school we often forget to do this and aimlessly go through life focusing on work, kids, relationships and everything in between. Yes this is important, but by setting some personal goals it gives you something to strive towards and something to work on! Growth and learning shouldn’t stop as soon as we leave school or uni!
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So how do we goal set?
There are many methods to assist in goal setting, however one way that we got the challengers to come up with their goals was to use the SMART method. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time based and this assists in clarifying goals as well as including a completion date to achieve said goal thus encouraging you to work harder to accomplish on it.
For example, your goal might be – “I want to run a marathon”
That’s great, but as there are no time expectations or specifics associated with that, it doesn’t instil a driving force behind this goal so it may sit in your head for years without any acting force behind it. However using the SMART method, it could become “I want to run a full marathon in 12 months’ time”
By adding that time frame, it then helps you start an action plan to the begin to reach for that goal.
Short term vs long term goals
Everyone should have some short and long terms goals and ideally, they will be related. Big goals can be overwhelming to start with however when you break them down into smaller goals and steps it becomes a little more realistic. These small goals can then be broken apart into smaller steps that are achievable on a weekly basis.
Eg. A long-term goal could be to run a marathon in a years time
A short-term goal of that could be to run 21km by the 6 month mark
Break that apart even more into some steps
Eg. Month 1 – run 3km non-stop, month 2 – run 5km without stopping
You can then split that up even more
Month 1 – week 1 mini goal – run/walk 3km and see how it feels, week 2 mini goal - try and run a bit further without stopping etc.
As soon as you break your goal up a bit more it sounds a lot less daunting and more achievable! This in turn builds some positive momentum and confidence in your actions and keeps you focused and on track to your long goal
What type of goals should I set?
Goals don’t always have to have a set end result. For example, your long-term goal might be “I want to start exercising 5 times a week to maintain good health.” If you're new to exercise and that sounds intimidating then add the time frame element in – “I want to start exercising 5 times a week by the end of the year”. Start just once a week and then go from there! There are no rules when it comes to goal setting, however there are better ways to help you achieve a goal and instil some confidence in your goal driven behaviours! By doing these things for ourself it gives you a purpose in life and something that is purely motivated by you! That in itself is a powerful thing and should not be discouraged!
Have a goal in mind but don’t know where to start? Or don’t even know where to start? Then don’t hesitate to reach out to us at team@fitmisshealthclub.com.au to organise some time with a trainer to help you!