If you’re feeling a little flat about fitness goals set in the New Year, Jen Segger, performance coach and endurance athlete, has some advice that’ll make you want to dust off your gear and get out there again.
“Everybody starts the New Year with great intentions,” she said. “But I find the reason people fall off is not through lack of motivation, but through setting unrealistic goals or not putting in place the structure on how to get there.”
Firstly, she said, choose a goal you’re going to enjoy achieving.
“You’ve got to be stoked on your goal. It’s got to be your goal, something you’re excited about. And you need to know why you’re trying to achieve it.”
Next, you’ll need to know what steps to take to get there.
“The tendency is say, right, I’m going to lose 20 pounds in January. But that may be unrealistic without a game plan and small steps along the way.”
Write down your goal, she suggested, then break it up into weekly and monthly steps.
Next, review the daily habits you need to change to make it happen.
“Suddenly saying, ‘I’m now going to give myself four hours to exercise a day,’ when you’ve never really exercised in the past may not be so realistic,” explained Segger. Instead, consider existing commitments, such as work and famil,) and how your new schedule might look.
We all have limited time, so make what time you do have count, she explained.
“A lot of it is creating new patterns for yourself because we’re creatures of habit.”
If you know in advance that you’re not a morning person then don’t sign up for a 6 a.m. class, she said, unless you’re willing to make the lifestyle changes to accommodate that.
While some people can successfully change everything at once, she said, others may benefit from introducing change gradually, something she calls the “motivating snowball effect.”
If finances are proving to be a barrier to your goal, consider what steps you can take to remove that barrier.
“If doing yoga is your goal but finding the money for a yoga pass is hard, set your goal for starting yoga in April and, in the meantime, pick up extra work to enable you to purchase your yoga pass and start training.”
Make these initial steps part of your plan too.
Once the plan is in place, the biggest thing is checking in with yourself. Before you go to bed, reflect on your goal and ask how you did today, she explained.
“You have to be proud of the things you did positively. Some days will have setbacks but don’t be discouraged, it’s how you come back that matters. Congratulate yourself on what you did well, then look at where your focus should be next.”
When you wake up the next morning, set your intention for the day, she suggested.
“Review your daily goals because constant focus creates habit, so you have to give it that attention.”
Another way to stay on track is to share your goal with someone else because it makes it more real and holds you accountable.
“Not necessarily posting it all over Facebook, but sharing it with your close friends because they’re going to check in with you and ask how things are going,” she said.
Surround yourself with too with people who are already up there because that’s how you’re going to learn, she said. This could be a coach, for example. Someone who’s going to develop your skill set, offer a regular check-in, and move you forward.
Some people may benefit from a little competition, she said, while others won’t. It’s all about your own personal character.
As for rewarding yourself for good behaviour, go for it, suggested Seggers, but try to avoid anything that takes away from what you’re trying to achieve. “I do think rewards are good, just as long as they go with the goal,” she said.
Finally, just as in Dr Seuss’ book, Oh the Places You’ll Go, “Things will fall apart but that’s when you reset your goal again. Don’t beat yourself up, just reset in the morning,” she said. “It’s going to happen.”
