New year's resolutions. Yay or nay?
For those who attended the gym today it's been a major topic of discussion.
My opinion? I think they work great for some and not so well for others. Me personally I quite like them. I think post Xmas craziness the 1st can be a good time to take stock and set some intention for the year.
I do however think for others they can be very restrictive and not the right thing.
Rather than discussing whether you should set goals or not I am going to discuss some guidelines for setting goals if you choose to go down that route.
1- Time Frame.
Setting a time frame for your goals is in my opinion the number 1 thing you can do to help stick to them.
A goal without a time limit on it is just likely to lead to excuses and then frustration when you don't hit it.
On the flip side trying to achieve something in too short a time frame is generally pretty unsustainable and not conducive to being a long-term change.
Obviously how long a goal will take to reach isn't something that can be covered with a blanket approach in an email but I do think breaking your 'big' goal into a few milestones can be a good way to go.
For me that could be as simple as doing a 10K In sub 42 minutes by February and a half marathon sub 1:40 by March​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ in preparation for my marathon at the end of April.
2- ​​Process over outcome.
Contrary to the common consensus of 'smart thinking' books I do actually think you need an end goal.
With that said, focusing on just the end goal generally isn't the way to go.
Weight loss is a common example at this time of year and it is a good one for this example.
Losing 5kg is a great goal but it is just a statement.
-Walking 10k steps a day.
-Sticking to your calorie target.
-Gym 3x per week.
-Getting 8 hours sleep.
These are the habits that will get you to that goal. It's far better to focus on these than just the end part of losing the weight.
3- Visualise the person you want to be.
Okay a bit cheesy but stick with me. Using the above example ask yourself 'what would me 5kg lighter do in this situation?'
Would they swerve the gym? Unlikely.
Would they take the escalator? No they'd probably walk.
I use this lots when envisioning​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ the ideal business.
'What would the gym in Edinburgh that cares the most for their members do in this situation?' Is a question I regularly pose myself.
4- Accountability.
A goal shared is a goal more likely to be hit, Drag friends, family or coaches into the process of achieving your goals and you'll notice a huge difference.
The days you can't be bothered walking are the days your friend will fancy it and keep you on track.
This is why Elevate98 works so well in my opinion. Between the coaches, other members and booking system you have lots of accountability in-built.
These are just a few ideas.
We have a new accountability method for the gym which all members will hear about in the next 10 days or so that we think will be a game changer for keeping you on track.
Happy new year. Here's to another year of Elevating your life.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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