I have a question for you. It could hurt a little, but it’s going to be like a good honest question from a long time friend. You know…a good hurt that makes too much sense.

How’s you’re New Year’s resolution going?

Ouch…You ok, bud? Can we still be friends? I know that it’s touchy to bring up resolutions four months later when we’re almost to April, but only 25% of people are committed to their resolution 30 days later. And only 8% actually accomplish their resolution.

I have a good friend who when he decides to do something, jumps into it with everything he’s got. For example, he decided to go on a diet and so to him that meant no cookies, no sweets, only healthy food 100% of the time. Sounds like a good plan, right? Who doesn’t want to eat healthier and why not go in with your whole heart? Well, guess how long it lasted…a couple months, a few weeks? More like a few days. I have another friend who decided to start working out again after years of being away from it. He decided to jump right back into bench pressing without much preparation. Now the is facing a shoulder surgery because he tore his rotator cuff in his attempt to lift heavy weights quickly. If it sounds like I am telling on my friends…and I am—you know who you are, so please forgive me 🙂

You know what I love about these two examples? I love that they are motivated to try something. I love that they want to make changes to their lifestyle and form healthier habits. But the problem is that motivation is quickly lost unless the changes they decide to make are sustainable.

So what’s the solution?

Actionable, measurable, goals made possible by small but consistent changes.*

What the heck does that mean, you ask? And how do I do that? Keep reading—I’ll tell you…

When I first joined St Helena Fitness as a member, I wanted to try a little bit of everything. I tried a spin class and I loved it. The only problem was that it was at 6:00 am. For you early birds, that’s not a big deal. But me? I don’t love the early morning workouts and I decided fairly quickly that if I was going to workout on a regular basis, this early class wasn’t going to be for me. I wouldn’t be consistent enough for it to work for me so, I had to figure out ways to reach my goals that fit into my life.

An actionable goal is specific—you can hear the difference in the wording. The difference can be subtle but it’s important for mindset. Instead of “I want to get more fit” it’s “I’m going to workout 3 times a week.” Or instead of “I want to eat healthier” it’s “I”m going to cut soda out of my diet.” The difference is that the goal isn’t vague and intangible, it is clear from the get go what your action plan looks like. Start small so that  you know you can follow through with your own plan. Set yourself up for success! Once you’ve mastered your first small goal, build off of it with another small change, and then another, and then another…you get the point.

Secondly, good goals are measurable. Otherwise how do you know if you’re reaching them? Measurable goals are more easily defined when our goals are actionable as mentioned above, but what I love about fitness goals is that there are many tangible ways to measure them. Like, literally measuring yourself is one example, or taking advantage of the In-Body Scan machine. Or maybe you have a goal to get stronger—so how much stronger (in numbers) have you become since setting your goal?

Measurability is important for our motivation. Knowing that the changes we are making are actually working keeps us going! It keeps us going on the days that the cheeseburger from Gott’s sounds waaaayyy better than the salad in our fridge at home. It keeps us motivated when it’s raining outside and staying at home sounds cozier than heading to the gym. One good decision usually begets another and then another and then another. And guess what you have when that happens?? Yes!! CONSISTENCY!!

The good news is you don’t have to wait for January 2020 to start on a new goal. You can start setting new ones right now and begin fresh. Start right where you are, with what you have, with what you know and write down what you desire for your life. It’s not too late, you’re not too old, you’re not too young, you’re not too anything. Go for it you Goal-Getter!!

*If you’ve set goals and have been consistent, but  your still not seeing results, there may be a better way to train and/or nutrition plan that fits with your goal. If you’d like help or have questions, come set up a free consultation with our head personal trainer, Joey. We love helping people conquer their goals!!