Happy Friday, friends! I have been loving my new series, Fitness Friday! Thanks for all the love on my last post. If you are still trying to decide on whether or not you want this scale, I still highly recommend it! I have been tracking my fitness goals so much better with that scale!
For this Fitness Friday post, let’s chat about setting goals and having expectations. While these two topics can really be applied to anything in life, when it comes to setting goals you have to really get in the right mindset for it. There have been so many times that I “set” a goal for myself, but that goal never game to fruition because of my lack of planning.
Setting Fitness Goals
1.First off, decide WHAT you want to accomplish….and be specific about it!
I am so guilty of this. I always say, “I want a six-pack”, but what does that look like? Everyone’s body is SO different, so I could have “abs”, but what does that look like for MY body? So, instead of me just saying, “I want a six-pack”, I’m changing my goal to I want to have definition in my stomach and FEEL lean.
So, grab a piece of paper and a pen and just start writing down some goals you have for yourself. They can be anything from losing weight, squating a certain amount of weight, going to the gym for 5 days a week, drinking a gallon of water a day, you name it! These are YOUR goals and it is okay to want them.
2. S.M.A.R.T. Goals
If you have been around the fitness industry AT ALL, you for sure have heard of this. There is a reason this is so popular, but I don’t think a lot of us ACTUALLY apply these practices. SMART stands for Specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and timely.
When you set a goal, make a plan! After looking at your list of goals you want to accomplish, break them all down piece by piece. Look at your goal and see, is it specific enough? If you simply say, “I want to lose weight”, well that isn’t specific enough! You could lose 2 pounds and that would constitute as “losing weight”, but that isn’t what you were hoping for. BE SPECIFIC! The more narrow your goal is, the easier it will be to accomplish it.
Your goal must be measurable. This is common sense, but I don’t think a lot of us (including myself) do it enough. I am SO GUILTY of saying, “I want to look shredded and toned”, but I have no way of measuring that. So instead, I am now focusing on my body fat percentage, mixing up my workouts, and focusing on how I FEEL. Even if that means keeping a journal and every day writing down what you ate and how that impacted you.
Your goals needs to be achievable and results-focused. If you are 50 pounds overweight, there is no way you will get a six-pack in 2 weeks. That is just silly and will cause so much emotional turmoil during that time…it might even set you BACK. Make sure your goals are achievable and guided by results.
Lastly, your goal must be TIMELY! This one is SO important. Set a date to have reached this goal by. The most important part in achieving a goal is to not set such an open ended goal. We are all guilty of saying, “okay, by summer I will lose 10 pounds”, but if it is December, that goal is too broad and you have too much time in between. The more time you have, the more you are likely to “cheat” and blame it on the whole I have ten weeks to do this, one bad day won’t hurt. Then, before you know it, that one bad day turns into 2 bad weeks. Make sure your goal is timely. I good start is 3-4 weeks. If it is SUPER new to you, I would even just set a goal for 2 weeks. Ex: No more fast food for 2 weeks. And see how that goes.
3. Get an accountability partner
Y’all, I can’t encourage this enough. Having someone that you share your goals with and will hold you accountable is SO crucial. We all need someone to be a cheerleader for us in life, especially when it comes to getting out of our comfort zone and tackling a new goal. Be sure to have someone who will hold you accountable. The friend that encourages you to have that cookie even when you asked them to hold you accountable….isn’t really doing you any favors. It is even better if you get a buddy and set goals TOGETHER. That way you are going through the process alongside someone. Strength in numbers.
Having Expectations
Sometimes, we can also have unfair expectations. For example, when starting your weight loss journey, if you don’t lose 10 pounds the first week or two, you can get discouraged. We must be REAL with ourselves and set fair expectations.
If you are trying to cut out something in your diet, be REAL with your expectations. Most of us aren’t able to just go cold turkey. Try going every other day without that item, then once that becomes easier, try going every 5 days, etc. Start small and set yourself up for success!
What goals do you have? Let’s conquer them together!
