“Average people have wishes and hopes, successful people have goals and plans”
Maybe a bit late to the new years resolutions party but it is important to remember your health and fitness journey can start anytime – you don’t need to wait for a Monday or a new month or till after you get back from holiday.
Building a healthy lifestyle is not about quick fixes or all or nothing and to help you out on setting and achieving your goals this year I have highlighted my 7 top tips to see you living a happier, healthier, more active 2019!
Let’s Do This!
1 -Make them SMART
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time-based
2 – Don’t Overload Yourself
Make between 1-3 goals, this way you don’t become overwhelmed and you don’t have a billion things to remember to do/keep track of.
My tip to clients is to make one fitness, one nutrition and one lifestyle – so for example going to the gym 4 times a week, including 2 new healthy recipes per week and going to bed at 10pm at least 4 days a week.
The reason I say this is because although the main goal may be to be a certain dress size or fit into your old pair of jeans, your lifestyle as a whole – this is the key to the long term results of your goal.
3 – Focus on the Positives
You might have noticed my goals all involve doing something rather than cutting out. As soon as you tell your body you can’t have/do something you instantly want it more. Aim to try 1/2 new recipes each week, experiment, try new foods and find out what you really like to eat – perhaps you will surprise yourself.
4 – Write Things Down
Get those goals written down. Sounds silly but this is so important to make things concrete for you and it is a great way to keep track and keep focused on your goals.
At the start of each goal setting journey I also like to write down why it is important to me to achieve this goal and what made me start it. This is a great tool to look back on when things are feeling particularly tough and actually something I look at each day to start positive and go smash each day!
5 – Practical Implications
What can you physically do to set yourself up on your goal achieving journey? When I set my goals I write down a list of ‘tasks’ that will help me achieve this.
So for example my goal to hit the gym 4 times a week:
- Leave an hour on Sunday to plan for the week ahead – this could be while watching TV/just before bed or first thing when I wake up but time to look at my schedule for the week and see when I can fit them in
- Decide what I wanted to achieve in each session – I am a big fan of variation and don’t always like to plan my sessions to a tee but a rough guide or maybe attending spin or going for a swim – booking into a class especially towards the end of the week or maybe even at the start can be great accountability for you when you know you maybe lack a bit of motivation to go
- Writing these dates into my diary– you may know that saying “workouts are like meetings with yourself and successful bosses don’t cancel!”
6 – Tell Your Loved Ones
Telling your family and friends is a great way to keep focused and provides a great support network for times that you are finding it tough or need that little extra boost.
Perhaps you may even get them on board – work together and make going to the gym/cooking a social and fun event and be there for each other when it gets tough!
7 – Don’t Give Up!
Remember so long as you are consistent the majority of the time one ‘slip-up’ isn’t going to send you back to square one unless you let it.
Balance is key when achieving sustainable results and I like to think of it as building a house, each step you take towards your goal counts as a brick and occasionally a brick may be taken away but keep focused on your goal and remember why you started – you are the only one who can decide whether you get there or not.
Do you Really Want This?
The first stages are always the hardest and just like building a house it is hard to visualize the end and giving up is by far the easier option but follow these steps – believe in yourself and create the happier, healthier better version of you!
Remind yourself everyday why you started this journey – and I will always be here to support you, you’ve got this!
Sinead x