I want to set realistic and attainable health/fitness goals for the new year, but I’m not sure how to do that. Can you help me? a friend emailed me the other day. Firstly in my opinion there are goals and there are goals. Here’s the breakdown to what I mean.
There are two main types -> Objective Based Goals (OBG’s) and Action Based Goals (ABG’s) OBG’s are what we most set when we talk in general its the “what” that we want to achieve like losing weight, getting stronger, being more flexible, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol bla bla. ABG’s on the other hand is the “how” we plan to achieve our objective. Which can be looked as the ‘to-do’ list, and it outlines our daily actions in which we take to achieve our objective like hitting your calories, walking the ‘x’ number of steps, lifting weights ‘x’ number of times a week, cardio and so on, I think you get my gist.
In general (loosely) people just love setting tons of objective based goals and completely ignoring the action based ones that should always accompany them. And in truth I am in the opinion that it is the infinitely more important one. Without them, you’re significantly more likely to fail, BUT guess what? You already know that! Yes, we all do we know exactly what needs to be done to achieve those OBGs but somehow ‘life happens’ well…so we tell ourselves when we don’t get on with it!
Anyways, I believe that if you want to take your New Years Resolutions more seriously, and set yourself up for success this year STOP saying what you want to achieve and make sure you outline SPECIFICALLY the HOW you are going to achieve it.
Plan For There Are Goals
One of the most simple, yet effective ways to turn goals into achievements is planning them out in advance. Action plans create an opportunity for personal growth because they set out a means to achieve short- and long-term goals.
That is what I mean to there is goals and there is goals. To accomplish them, you need to know how to set them. You can’t simply say, “I want” and expect it to happen. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve, and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. Before getting into my 6 golden rule of goal setting I practice, here are a few practical examples of good Objective and Action Based Goals for this New Year.
Ok well here are my 6 rules I follow, first whip out your fitness journal if you dont have one get mine here. Specialy designed to help you keep accountability for the next 12 weeks.
Motivate
When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them.
SMART
The simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence is this. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant Time Bound
Write It
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word “will” instead of “would like to” or “might.”Frame your goal statement positively. Track it with 12 Weeks Fitness Journal
Celebrate
The simple practice of recording your progress helps you to appreciate your small wins which in turn boosts your sense of confidence. Celebrating small wins stimulates dopamine release in the brain, a feel-good chemical that reinforces the learning experience and strengthens our sense of connection to those we work with. Change and growth are promoted through positive emotions more than through disciplined practice
Action
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal.
Persist
Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity, not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals. Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high..
These are of course just the very basic in examples. You can customize yours however you like.
Just a REMINDER:
-Do NOT set too many OBG’s. 2-4 per year is plenty.
-Do NOT forget to set daily ABG’s for every objective.
-Do NOT quit if you miss a day. Get back on track & keep going.
Happy new year – Make It Great!
#mgfnest | mama-gets-fit 
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