If you鈥檙e feeling a little flat about fitness goals set in the New Year, Jen Segger, performance coach and endurance athlete, has some advice that鈥檒l make you want to dust off your gear and get out there again.
鈥淓verybody starts the New Year with great intentions,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut 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.鈥�
Firstly, she said, choose a goal you鈥檙e going to enjoy achieving.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be stoked on your goal. It鈥檚 got to be your goal, something you鈥檙e excited about. And you need to know why you鈥檙e trying to achieve it.鈥�
Next, you鈥檒l need to know what steps to take to get there.聽
鈥淭he tendency is say, right, I鈥檓 going to lose 20 pounds in January. But that may be unrealistic without a game plan and small steps along the way.鈥�
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.
鈥淪uddenly saying, 鈥業鈥檓 now going to give myself four hours to exercise a day,鈥� when you鈥檝e never really exercised in the past may not be so realistic,鈥� 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.
鈥淎 lot of it is creating new patterns for yourself because we鈥檙e creatures of habit.鈥�
If you know in advance that you鈥檙e not a morning person then don鈥檛 sign up for a 6 a.m. class, she said, unless you鈥檙e 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 鈥渕otivating snowball effect.鈥�
If finances are proving to be a barrier to your goal, consider what steps you can take to remove that barrier.
鈥淚f 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.鈥澛�
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.
鈥淵ou have to be proud of the things you did positively. Some days will have setbacks but don鈥檛 be discouraged, it鈥檚 how you come back that matters. Congratulate yourself on what you did well, then look at where your focus should be next.鈥�
When you wake up the next morning, set your intention for the day, she suggested.聽
鈥淩eview your daily goals because constant focus creates habit, so you have to give it that attention.鈥�
Another way to stay on track is to share your goal with someone else because it makes it more real and holds you accountable.
鈥淣ot necessarily posting it all over Facebook, but sharing it with your close friends because they鈥檙e going to check in with you and ask how things are going,鈥� she said.
Surround yourself with too with people who are already up there because that鈥檚 how you鈥檙e going to learn, she said. This could be a coach, for example. Someone who鈥檚 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鈥檛. It鈥檚 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鈥檙e trying to achieve. 鈥淚 do think rewards are good, just as long as they go with the goal,鈥� she said.
Finally, just as in Dr Seuss鈥� book, Oh the Places You鈥檒l Go, 鈥淭hings will fall apart but that鈥檚 when you reset your goal again. Don鈥檛 beat yourself up, just reset in the morning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to happen.鈥�
