It’s that time of year, when we pass into the New Year and want a fresh start. We use the January 1 date as a refresh point for the coming year, whether that is fitness, diet, lifestyle, relationship based etc. When doing this we set goals! Goals are great, as they help set a long-term vision of where we want to be, while giving us that short-term motivation to keep going. We are given direction, focus, and a purpose as to why we are doing something. In this weeks PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave blog, we will talk all about goal setting, being accountable and some strategies you smash whatever goals you have this year!
Firstly, what is a New Year resolution? PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave
If you look in the dictionary, a resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something”. This is great, however it’s where a lot of people get unstuck. Making the resolution is the easiest part; we say I want to exercise more. The difficult part is following through and going to the gym 4-5 times a week for the next year. This is where accountability comes into it, keeping ourselves accountable to those great resolutions we set!
There are a few ways to go about this; our favourite method is through the use of SMART goals.
SMART is an acronym, and we use these to help create useful goals. Each letter represents a different aspect of a goal. Here we will break it down.
S – Specific; we need to make goals that are clear and specific to what we want to achieve, straight to the point.
M -Measurable; this is probably the most important aspect to help keep us accountable. An example is the goal of “going to the gym 4 days per week”. This is measurable, we have an exact amount of times to go to the gym, rather than “go to the gym during the week”.
A – Achievable; the goal should be attainable; if we make goals to difficult (i.e. Go to the gym 7 days a week) we are setting ourselves up for failure. Goals can change, take small steps early and let them evolve as we start ticking the smaller ones off.
R– Relatable; the goal is around what you want, and are after. If it’s fitness related, then going to the gym is a goal.
T– Time bound; another important part! We have to make goals time bound, they need to have an end date. Otherwise they can go on forever, we also use these time periods as points to tick off the goal or re-asses where we are at. For example, if for weight loss, you wanted to lose 5kg in 3 months time. Awesome, we’ve got a time period. If after 3 months you have completed it, then great job! However if not, it’s not the end of the world! We use this time to re-assess what worked and what didn’t. If we didn’t have that time period, we might have just kept going through the motions, or given up completely.
Now we have talked about goal setting, the next area to focus on to really help us make an effective change is… BARRIERS!
Overcoming Barriers – PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave
More often than not we can set awesome goals, but on our journey to achieving these we encounter barriers, issues or problems that prevent us from achieving what we want. Most often for fitness related goals; it is time, motivation, understanding etc.
These barriers are all too common, however we can work on ways to overcome these.
Step 1. The best way to start is for you to sit down and think about any potential barriers; to have the self-autonomy to reflect on what you think will affect you. Because at the end of the day we can sit here and tell you what most likely will, but you truly know what the real barriers are.
Step 2. Think of ways or activities to overcome these barriers, some examples would be;
- Work an issue? Having your gym attire set out before you go to work, so when you get home it is right there ready to go, giving you that motivation to go.
- Time an issue? Try working out in the morning before work, waking up a little earlier to get that quick workout in, leaving you energised and ready to smash the day ahead!
- Motivation an issue? Try training with a friend, or even making one at the gym! We find here at PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave that the social side of the gym can motivate heaps of members to keep coming and training their ass off. Enjoying the environment around you is powerful, it keeps motivation up.
These are just simple examples to trying to overcome potential barriers, the main takeaway here is to just be aware of barriers. To always be thinking of ways to overcome these, treat them as speed humps rather than a wall! We can slow down for the speed hump but then move over them, don’t let it become a wall and stop you all together!
Staying accountable? PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave
This last aspect is a mixture of the last 2 topics, goal setting and barriers. To stay accountable we can set goals and address barriers, but there are also other strategies to keep accountable!
- Create a schedule: Breaking down your day/week allows you to see times you can fit exercise in. Rather than deciding on the day whether to exercise or not.
- Reward yourself: If you have been smashing your goals, reward yourself! It’s your own personal pat on the back, to say great job, keep on going.
- Review, review, REVIEW!: Review what has been working, what hasn’t. Reviewing your goals, and adjusting them based on your progress is really important. What you felt was important 3 months ago, may have changed slightly, therefore reviewing is really important.
- Of course, goal setting, writing down barriers and just understanding yourself what you find important is very powerful in keeping yourself accountable.
A longer blog this week, however an important one! As instructors, we love seeing our members achieve their goals; it’s the one reason we are in this industry. As always, check out our FaceBook page to find out more about goal setting and staying accountable. If you have any questions about it, or need help come in and ask us at PCHC Personal Training Mulgrave! We offer as much help as possible to make these goals possible. We love conversations with our members, and we wish that 2019 is the year you smash all the goals you set!
Heres to an awesome 2019, The PCHC Mulgrave Team.
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