We all know the New Year is literally around the corner and with that comes resolutions, right? Well, resolutions don’t work so don’t make any.
Huh???
Yes, don’t set yourself up for failure and make resolutions this year. Instead, make healthy and realistic goals. Well what’s the difference?
There’s a BIG difference comrade. Let me explain.
First, resolutions are just a lame attempt to get something done. I like to look at it as wishful thinking. The ONLY reason we make New Year’s resolutions is because everybody else is doing it. Am I right?
We say we “want to do this” or “want to do that”, but in reality, we’re not really committed to “doing” this or that or else we would be doing it already. If you REALLY want to accomplish something, especially something that can be as challenging as slimming down or bulking up, then you have to be serious and committed to do whatever it takes to reach those goals; deciding that you are going to wait ‘till January 1st to get motivated is NOT serious OR committed by any means.
So instead of making some silly resolutions, which everyone knows (including yourself) aint gonna happen, try sitting down and putting some thought into coming up with some healthy GOALS.
Here’s what you do:
I want you to come up with your top 3 goals for the next 90 days. That’s it. Just 3 of the most meaningful goals you want to achieve over the next 3 months. Anything more than 3, or longer than 90 days will basically turn into resolutions because you will be all over the place. Seriously, just 3 goals over the next 90 days.
Now I must mention that these 3 goals need to be measurable. That means that instead of saying “I want to lose weight”, write down that I want to lose 5% body fat, or lose 10lbs of fat (or body weight), or drop 4 sizes. Those are all measurable and objective. If you are looking to achieve some strength goals, than doing 20 pull-ups, or pressing the beast, or even wanting to improve your Functional Movement Screen so everything is at least a 2 with no asymmetry are good as well. These are very measurable and clear cut. Don’t be vague with this, be specific.
Next, write down 3-5 reasons why those goals are important to you. Please, write down exactly why they are important to you. And be specific! Try to get to the root cause of this. If you don’t, when an obstacle comes (and believe me, it will), you will get knocked down and those goals will turn into just another resolution.
After you have your goals written down on paper, your next step is to figure out your actions steps towards reaching those goals. Write down about 3-5 things that will help you reach your goal(s). For instance, if your goal is to drop 15lbs of fat in 90 days, something that will certainly help you reach that goal is committing to stay active everyday. That can mean training 3 times a week with your kettlebells and doing something light on your off days like walking, corrective exercises, or even practicing your kettlebell technique. Notice I said practice, not work-out –keep it light. If that’s too much to chew for you right now, simply training 2-3 x week for 20-30 minutes should suffice. The key here is consistency! If you only train 3 (or even 2) times a week but you don’t miss a single session, you will see some significant improvement! Be consistent. Another big one is taking the time to plan and prepare your meals ahead of time. Try that one out and watch how fast you start to see progress!
After you have your goals written down with your action steps, it’s time to list what you are willing to sacrifice in order to reach those goals. For example: you could eliminate soda, fast food, or could even be something like missing your favorite TV show at night because it ends too late and you never get enough sleep (with the technology these days, just record it. Lol). List out 3-5 sacrifices you are willing to make.
To summarize it for you, write down your top 3 goals for the next 90 days, write down exactly why they are important to you, then decide what action steps you are going to take to get you there, make sure you write down what you are willing to sacrifice, and then finally –go implement and take action!
So there you have it. If you followed the instructions the way I outlined them you should have a clearer vision, and path to help you accomplish your goals once and for all. Don’t dismiss the importance of this exercise because you think you don’t need it. Anyone who is successful, in anything in life, will always have a plan. And remember, a crappy plan that is laid out and implemented is always better than a good plan that never got put to use.
P.S. Be sure to review your goals on a daily basis to keep them fresh in your mind. Also, don't be afraid to post a comment below and share your progress. It might inspire someone else to start as well! : )
