How Can Goal-setting Contribute to Fitness Failure?
What a strange question, you may ask? Goal-setting contributing to fitness failure? Huh? What’s that all about? Stay with me, because this is important.
The Right Goal Works
The whole process of setting a goal, working towards it, and then actually achieving it can be exhilarating and extremely powerful. But what if it’s the wrong goal? The wrong goal, both for you and the situation, can be devastating.
Let’s say your goal is to lose 50 pounds. Nothing wrong with that. (If you ask most health professionals, they will tell you that losing ½ to 2 lbs per week is recommended.) So that means that it will take approximately 24-26 weeks (6-7 months) to lose the 50 pounds. The problem comes in when you say your goal is to lose 50 pounds in 3 months! You are setting yourself up for failure.
That’s not enough time. In addition, you aren’t leaving room for setbacks, down days and times you “just don’t want to.”
If you take it off fast, it comes back faster.
To Set or Not to Set
So what are you saying Carol? Is setting goals a bad thing? Of course not. Goal-setting is empowering, gives you the push to do it and when learned correctly, cannot be left out of any successful equation.
However, there is a learning curve to goal-setting and this point cannot be ignored. I call it the 5 W’s + H similar to what you learn in journalism school.
- WHO: Who are the players? Just you or you and a personal trainer, fitness coach, nutritionist, etc?
- WHAT: What program or method will you use to lose the weight? A formal nutrition program, joining a gym, taking some classes, watching videos?
- WHERE: Where is definitely the place where the sweating will begin. The gym, your den, the garage, the pool, a friend’s house?
- WHEN: When will you do all this? Before work, after, during lunch, while the kids are at school?
- WHY: The BIG ONE, why? Why are you doing this anyway? A reunion, wedding, you need to, you want to, your doctor says you have to?
- HOW: Implementation is the key to success here. Scheduling your sessions, times to eat, times to rest and relax, along with shopping for food, all play a part in how this will play out in the end. If you don’t address the inevitable questions of how you will accomplish your goals, your project is over before it begins.
Check out my interview on People You Need to Know Radio with SparkPlug and Jackie. We discussed, “How To Get The Fitness Mindset .“
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