Setting Goals
Remember: “Most people overestimate what they can do in a month and underestimate what they can do in a year.”
When new to fitness, it is difficult to predict time frames. You may not have the experience to know how long it will take for you to achieve your goal.
Here’s some examples of client “goals” I have come across in my time as a trainer:
“I want to get in shape. You know… something like Cristiano Ronaldo.”, one of the greatest athletes of all time.
“I want a six-pack.” without addressing my diet.
“I want to lose 20kg in 3 months.” Oh, and I still want to drink at the weekends…
It’s not that these are bad goals. It is just that the amount of work that goes into achieving them is often more than the clients expect or are willing to do.
Note: these goals came from people who work 40+ hours a week, with limited experience in exercise and dieting, who have had a poor relationship with their body for at least the last 10 years.
You can liken these goals to the tip of an iceberg, and the work to achieve them as the rest of the iceberg, submerged under water.
Image by: MoteOo
Remember: “We are all victims of our own momentum. Our habits shape our body.”
Here’s some examples of momentum driven by habit:
You’ve gained 20kg since you last weighed yourself. Not because it just suddenly appeared, but because you’ve consistently eaten more food than your body needs to maintain weight.
You have 16” arms, when you used to have 12” arms because you have consistently and progressively lifted weights for the last 6 years.
You’re struggling to get into exercise because you haven’t exercised, routinely, for at least 8 years and you have more of a motivation to not exercise. You value ‘Netflix and chill’ over health.
Here’s a couple more ways to think about it:
It takes time to form new habits and even longer to cement them into ritualistic behaviour.
The accumulation and average of your behaviour and actions, over the last few months, years, decades, has given you the body that you have now.
The challenge is to overcome this momentum and steer yourself in a new direction.
Let me help you by taking you through a process of 4 questions.
Question 1 - What I want my body to be and be able to do?
Some examples:
Be able to do 50 push ups in a row.
To reduce my body fat percentage by 15%.
To run a marathon, next year.
Question 2 - Who else has done this and what was their strategy?
Some examples:
Start off with 1 push up, then add 1 push up every week till I hit 50.
My personal trainer is lean, he knows how to maintain a healthy weight. I’ll follow his guidance.
My friend built herself up to running a marathon, I’ll see what advice she has to offer.
Question 3 - What behaviours and actions do I need to exhibit regularly?
Some examples:
I can spare 5 minutes, each morning, to do push ups.
I need to build awareness of my eating habits. I’m going to use this new app @ate to keep a photo food diary.
I need to build up my body slowly, but surely. I will gradually increase the distance I run by half of a kilometre each week.
Question 4 - How do I keep myself accountable?
Some examples:
I’m going to set a push up alarm to trigger me every morning. I will then tally up how many push ups I did, on a piece of paper, by the mirror in by bathroom.
I’m going to get my personal trainer on this app too, along with a couple of friends, and I’m going to create a community around this goal.
I’m going to set these runs as ‘Events’ in my Google Calendar and treat them with the same respect as my work consultations.
Remember: “Most people overestimate what they can do in a month and underestimate what they can do in a year.”
Think about it like building the tiniest snowball, and then rolling it down a hill. Over time, the snowball picks up more snow, picks up more speed, and has a growing momentum. If given enough distance and time, the snowball becomes an unstoppable force.
In a similar way, given consistent effort and enough time, you will build positive momentum and be well on your way to hitting your goals.
If you still need some help deciding which direction to start rolling your snowball, fill out this form using the button below, and we can chat.
Keep moving,
Monty