I want you to be successful and feel encouraged, so you can reconnect with your health and fitness goals. I want you to use this encouragement to begin engaging in all of the activities that you truly love! So, let’s dig in and start with how you can create reasonable goals to have the success you deserve.
Go grab those two checklists from my post last week, so you can have them ready in a minute. As you are getting those answers, I also want you to think about what you really want to be able to physically do this next year. Once you have a few ideas in your head, we will look at the steps you need to take to get there.
First, let’s review your information from last week’s blog and change those answers into something you can use to be successful this year. The first step to creating a more effective approach to your success is to become aware and conscious of what worked and what didn’t work for you last year. After you know that, we can easily come up with new helpful strategies to ensure a positive outcome for this next year.
If you didn’t have clear goals and a layout of manageable steps to complete to achieve them, that might be where things went awry last year. So, I want you to be clear and create between 3 and 5 dream goals. This can include physical activities, as well as healing from past or current injuries.
Carving out the time in your schedule is the next piece. I want you to look and be reasonable about how much time you can give yourself daily, weekly, etc. I usually suggest you look at where your time is being spent, and make some changes, to create new healthy patterns and not let yourself keep habits that don’t help you live and move towards a more healthy lifestyle.
Having a support network is also essential to overall success. This network should include family and friends, as well as doctors, so make sure you didn’t leave that out when working on your checklists last week!.
Steps for Success :
2020 Dream List (Example)
- Walk 3 miles 3 times a week
- Take a salsa class
- Workout pain-free
Time Management
Look at your calendar and carve out at least a minimum of 10 minutes daily, as well as an additional 30-45 minutes 3 to 4 days a week for movement and exercise. The 10 minutes daily will include release work on a roller and balls plus stretching.
Support System (Example)
Partner – Exercise together and do physical activities we enjoy together.
Doctor – Helps me understand any restrictions I might have and supports my well-being.
Friend #1 – We walk together weekly. This helps me show up for her and myself.
Friend #2 – Take a dance class together, where we learn new movements that challenge my brain and body.
Goal Setting
Now, the final step is to set goals that are attainable. We want you to feel successful!
I want you to start with one goal from your dream list and let’s break down what you need to achieve that goal.
Goal: Take a salsa class without worrying about injury or muscle tension.
Steps to Achieve Goal:
- Start with a beginning class recommended by someone you know if possible.
- Give yourself some time to release and stretch both before and after class.
- Do exercises during the week that help strengthens the muscles you are using in the class.
- Don’t overdo it! Start slowly!
- Do this with your partner or a close friend for support.
That doesn’t seem to difficult now does it??
Also, can you see how the goals in the examples are quite specific? Stating that you are going to walk 3 miles 3 times a week is easier to keep track of then simply stating that you are going to walk more. If you are not walking now, simply saying you are going to walk more could be walking to the corner of your street and back again and it is hard to stay accountable since the distance and time frame can vary from day-to-day. However, when you say you are walking 3 miles 3 times a week, you can easily check off each of the days that you reach that goal!
Let’s reconnect you with your dreams this year and make 2020 your best year ever!
