Three Steps to Create Health and Fitness Goals So You Can't Fail (No Matter How Busy You Are)
Have you ever failed to achieve a health and fitness goal? Have you set your mind and intention toward a goal only to be derailed and let that goal fall to the wayside? Yes? Join the club. We've all been there!
I'll show you how to set goals so you can always succeed if you stay committed to action. We'll discuss process vs. outcome goals and how to get the most out of both to overcome typical roadblocks and stay focused.
Process goals are not usually the kind you blast on social media on New Year's Eve. It's the unsexy stuff. They are the small actions you must take daily and weekly to achieve your goal. If your goal is to lose weight, then your process goals to support that may be committing to using a calorie-tracking app, meal-planning each Sunday, packing your lunch for work, or committing to a consistent walking or weight-lifting practice. Process goals focus on the activities or skills needed to achieve an outcome goal. They are the things you can control: your effort and attitude.
An outcome goal is just as it sounds: you aim to achieve a particular outcome. I want to lose ten pounds, run a half marathon in under two hours, wear a smaller dress size, deadlift twice my body weight, or gain five pounds of muscle. These are all great goals, and they may even be similar to a goal you have set for yourself.
WHY WE FAIL
Why do we set goals and then fail to achieve them?
Sometimes, it all falls back on us and our lack of action. Did we take the daily, weekly, or monthly steps to achieve these goals? Or did we get excited about the prospect of that outcome and then fail to take any real action? I think we are all guilty of that.
Or did something else go wrong that was out of our control? Work or family responsibilities ramped up, other priorities took hold, or we got hurt or sick. Shit happens, am I right?
Or we got started, realized we were overreaching beyond what was possible for our current lifestyle or experience, got frustrated, and quit.
Even then, sometimes, we seemingly did everything right. We followed the plan and were consistent and diligent. We white-knuckled through every step and still didn't achieve our goal in the timeframe we desired. What's up with that?
The fact is we can't force an outcome. Sometimes it's our fault, sometimes life's fault, and sometimes no one's fault. Once we accept that we can work towards big goals but can't always control the result, goal setting becomes less of a win/lose scenario. When we focus on the things we can control, our actions and our attitude, the outcome takes care of itself.
STEP ONE: For a no-fail way to set goals, either set specific outcomes or a timeline, not both simultaneously.
Timelines can undermine goals and effort.
When things take longer than we hope and fail to meet our expectations, we get frustrated, stressed, and give up. But remember, we can’t control outcomes; we can only control our behaviors.
I am not against timelines. Timelines hold us accountable. Use timelines with process goals, the things you can control.
It takes the time it takes.
Outcome goal with A timeline
I will lose 10 pounds in eight weeks
I will run a half marathon in under two hours in 12 weeks
You can’t force an outcome in a particular timeframe. Sometimes, we try to force our bodies to cooperate, raising stress and making it all harder. You can’t beat your body into submission. There are too many outside, uncontrollable factors.
Outcome goal without a firm timeline
I will lose 10 pounds of fat when my body responds to my new healthy behaviors.
I will run a half marathon in under two hours when I am fit enough to do so.
Setting an outcome goal without a firm timeline allows the process to take as long as needed. It’s less stressful and allows the body to respond naturally.
Process goal with a timeline
I will meal plan, walk, lift weights, and track calories for the next 12 weeks before vacation.
I will train four days a week, fuel my body correctly, get enough sleep, rest/recovery, and see how much my fitness can improve by my next race in twelve weeks.
When you attach your timeline to the process goals, you give yourself accountability without a potentially unrealistic timeline for an outcome. You can’t will an outcome in a specific time just because you want it to be.
The problem with timelines is that they are usually set randomly without understanding how long these things can take. Social media distorts our view of what is possible. We often overestimate what we can do in a few months and underestimate what we can do over the long haul. Too many marketing campaigns promise six-pack abs in twelve weeks or to lose thirty pounds in three months, and these timelines simply aren’t realistic for most people.
We often pull these goals and timelines out of nowhere. Why do we want to finish a half marathon at a particular time? Why does it have to be the next race? Why ten pounds and not eight or twelve? Why that dress size? Can my body lose weight in only eight weeks in a healthy way?
Often, they are ideas or expectations planted by external sources, such as fitness marketing campaigns selling unrealistic promises.
Understand that it is usually not the goal we want; it is how we think achieving that goal will make us feel. Usually, it's feeling confident, strong, capable, healthy, or respected. Work to tap into those feelings now as you work towards your big goals for success.
Mindset Shift: I don't care how long it takes; I will achieve this goal. The time passes anyway. Set the big goal, go for it, and be open-minded about how long it might take.
STEP TWO: NO PROCESS GOAL IS TOO SMALL
When I discussed this with a strength training client, she joked, "Lea, you are underestimating my ability to flake out on my commitments."
Which brings me to step two: No process goal is too small.
Have you ever tried to overhaul your whole diet on Monday, and by Wednesday night, you are roaming the junk food aisle like a ravenous cat, ready to throw in the towel? Maybe you made it to Saturday night. I've been there, too.
How about a new workout schedule? Were they planned for five days a week in the gym for an hour? Did you have every exercise, every weight, and every rep written in stone (OK on an Excel spreadsheet) outlined for the next twelve weeks, with exactly how much weight you'll increase each week?
Your body (or brain) rejects that idea after about day three, or at least week three, and you're back to your old comfortable habits.
It's a typical case of doing too much too soon.
You have to let your mind and body adjust to these new habits.
How can you scale back and make the goal smaller if you are trying to follow a healthy diet?
Start with breakfast. Is it primarily whole foods from nature? Is it filling and nutritious? Focus on breakfast until you have mastered it for a few weeks, then move to improve lunch, dinner, or snacks.
Maybe just focus on daily protein and vegetable intake. Think about what you can add to improve nutrition rather than what you must take away.
If you tried to work out for five days a week and that fell apart (for whatever reason) within the first month, then consider what might be more realistic for you.
How about five days a week for 10 minutes?
Have you tried three days a week for 15 minutes?
How about one bodyweight exercise for 12 reps and three sets? That’s it.
Drop all-or-nothing thinking; no action is too small if it cultivates consistency.
When we forget about timelines, we have all the time we need to make it stick, so start small, let your body and brain adjust to the new habit, and slowly, over time, you can build on the small, consistent practices.
Will you get ripped working out three days a week for 15 minutes? Probably not, but you are building the foundation of consistency in which to grow in the future. Don't underestimate the power of small habits practiced consistently over long periods.
It takes longer to get there, but the difference is that you arrive at your goal instead of giving up.
Another client said, “I get bored and distracted if it’s not a big effort.” If you can do more, then great, do more, but if you struggle to stick to a plan, do less consistently for better success.
Once you get consistent with small actions, you can build on them for better results.
STEP THREE: NEVER STOP LEARNING
Now that we have put a timeline on our process goals, taken out the fixed timeline for your desired outcome, and understand that no action is too small, the final step is to realize that you never fail if you are always learning. View it as an experiment. Reflect on it when something doesn't go how you want or expect, and make adjustments as needed.
What did you learn? I have learned that cutting out carbs altogether was not for me. It was just a bad plan from the start, but I had to learn that for myself. I didn’t fail when a diet that was inherently unsustainable proved to be unsustainable. I learned that it didn’t work for me. That was an ultimate success because I learned how to fuel my body in the process.
What have you tried? There is more than one path to success. When someone tells me they hate exercise, I wonder if they have tried all the possible ways to move their body. I don’t love crowded, loud, high-intensity exercise classes that others seem to love so much. If that was the only exercise I tried, I might believe it’s not for me. The quiet solitude of running or pushing my limits in the gym fit my personality better. I had to try different workouts to see what I liked. Let go of the idea of the perfect way to get in shape, get out, and do something, and I guarantee you will evolve over time.
What didn't go so well? Great. Learn from it and try something different. Hint: all actions you take should be sustainable over the long haul. Ideas like never eating sugar again, an only egg and tuna diet, or working out hard for an hour seven days a week should be red flags for unsustainable behaviors. Learning about yourself is part of the process.
What worked well in the past? If it went well, are you still doing it? If not, why? And consider if you aren’t still doing it; maybe it didn’t work so well after all. Clients always tell me, “I need to return to doing ‘insert diet here.’ It was the only thing that ever worked for me.” But consider what it means for a diet to work. If you couldn’t sustain it, was it effective? It wasn't that effective if you lost weight but regained it when you stopped.
Can you try a different action? Be open-minded about other strategies. Do some research or talk to a coach about options. There is more than one path to success.
Can you try a smaller action? Ten minutes of positive action towards your goal always beats an hour you planned for but didn’t do.
Can you find support in friends, family, online, or a coach? Surrounding yourself with like-minded people increases your chances of succeeding. A coach can help guide and support you.
Does your goal need to be adjusted? Maybe you learned this goal isn’t for you, and you pivot. That’s OK, too. It’s not a failure if you are learning and growing.
Focus on action and attitude, and you can’t lose. You either win or learn.
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Questions? I’d love to help.