GOAL SETTING 101
Congratulations! If you are in the mindset of setting goals for yourself and working towards them, it means that you are in an introspective place and ready to make some changes. Getting to that place, in itself, is an achievement. There are a few ways that you can approach goal setting. Being wise in how you set your goals can really make a difference in your level of success.
Let’s start with the big picture. Here is an example of a set of goals that I would consider to be well-rounded to set someone up for success.
I will improve my health by losing 8 pounds in 2 months, be able to hike 1 hour without stopping, and get into a better sleep routine. I will do this by:
Spending 5 hours per week on meal planning/prep and exercise.
Hiking once per week, starting with 30 minutes and adding 5 minutes per week.
Reading at bedtime rather than scrolling on my phone.
Setting out my workout clothes and pre-setting the coffee in the evening to enable morning workouts.
With this type of framework, you have outlined both the ‘What’ and the ‘How’, making it more likely that you will follow through.
Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks to make sure that your goals are healthy and achievable:
Time Commitment: Take into account how much time per week you are willing to realistically spend working towards a particular goal. Make sure, when all is said and done, that you schedule time for yourself to execute on your goals and truly commit to spending this time productively. Better yet, find a friend who will spend this time with you for added accountability!
What vs How: Once you’ve established your higher-level goals (what), set some sub-goals that establish what commitments you are making (how) towards achieving those goals. This is linked to the time-commitment that you’re able to make and will give you tangible actions to take on a daily/weekly basis to help you reach your goals one day at a time.
Weight Loss:
When it comes to weight loss goals, first evaluate if you actually need to lose weight and what a healthy weight for you would be. As women, we are hard on ourselves, and we are conditioned to believe that weighing less is a sign of success and health. Evaluate why you want to lose weight, and whether that desire is driven by the way you are conditioned or by a legitimate health reason/concern. It’s also okay if a weight-loss goal is purely cosmetic, but at least spend some time thinking it through and try not to equate self-worth and success purely with the number on the scale.
You might talk to your doctor or use an online tool to calculate your current Body Mass Index (BMI) and what weight would bring you into a healthy BMI range. BMI is not the end-all-be-all and is specifically less meaningful to people with higher muscle mass, but is a good starting point for the general population to understand if they are truly overweight.
If you do need to lose weight, a healthy rate of weight-loss is 0.5 lb - 2 lb per week. Losing weight in this range means that you are doing it in a way that is sustainable, has a lower chance of gaining it back later, and keeps you at lower risk for overtraining and an impacted immune system.
Achievement and Feeling-Based Goals: Make sure that you round out your goals with some Achievement based goals and Feeling based goals as well. This will help you measure success in multiple ways and help you from feeling defeated or frustrated in the process of achieving those appearance-based or weight loss goals.
Examples of Achievement-Based Goals:
I want to be able to walk or run 1 mile without stopping.
I want to be able to do a pull-up unassisted.
I want to be able to take the stairs at work without getting winded.
Examples of Feeling-Based Goals:
I want to have more energy throughout the day.
I want to feel more comfortable in my body and have more confidence.
I want to sleep better and feel more rested when I wake up.
Make your goals SMART - Consider the following criteria for your goals as you work through them. Making them ‘SMART’ will make them easier to measure and help you to succeed. Google ‘SMART Goals’ for an in-depth look at this methodology’.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
