Overcoming Busy

January Goal Reporting

January 25, 2010 by Marci

This month, I set the goal for myself to get back into a steady exercise routine.  It has been three weeks since I started and I am happy to tell you that I have been pretty consistent with my exercise!  I am thrilled with my progress!   Even more exciting than keeping up with the exercise is what I have learned along the way.

Over the years, I have read lots of books on setting and achieving goals.  I like to think I learned a little from each book and I have put lots of those ideas into my goal planning.  However, I’m just starting to learn what works for me.  I have always been a goal setter, yet not always a goal achiever.  This month, I have discovered some simple things that have been key for me to keep striving toward my goal – I’m not there yet!

Work on one main goal at a time. It is great to have many goals, but to work on them all at one time can be foolish – not to mention, stressful.  Prioritize your goals.  Which one(s) are most important right now?  If you want to work on more than one at a time figure out which ones can naturally go together.  My list of goals includes getting into a workout routine, eating more fruits and veggies, getting to bed at a descent time each night, writing a book, updating my blog and much more!!   There was no way I could work on all of it at once.  I chose to do what would set me up for better success in other areas first – taking care of my health.

Make a clear, precise goal. Many of the goals we make are too vague.  Goals like eating healthy, exercising more or writing a book leave too much room for distraction and disappointment.  For instance, my goal at the beginning of the month was simply to get back into a steady exercise routine.  A great goal, but without a plan, it’s pretty useless.  So, the more precise goal became to use the pilates reformer three times per week and do cardio 3 times per week.  That gives me a much clearer, measurable goal.

Craft a goal that is both realistic and achievable. Make sure your goal is something you can actually achieve.  If your goal is to lose 1oo pounds by the end of the month, you might want to lower your expectations just a bit.  You might want to lower your weight goal or lengthen your time frame.  That way, you won’t get discouraged and give up when you have not hit the mark you were shooting for.  When I decided that I needed to exercise more, I didn’t make a goal of running 5 miles a day/ 4 days/week.  Although that might be a far off goal, I knew there was no way that was going to happen right from the start.  I chose a goal that was actually attainable right now.

Clear any obstacles. After making that clear, precise and realistic goal, you need think ahead to what might get in the way of achieving that goal.  Is it time?  Is it money?  Is it education?  Can you clear that obstacle?  Before you tackle your main goal, you might have to make little goals along the way to take care of some of those obstacles.  For me, this month, I had to get over the obstacles of time and energy.  So, I made the sub-goals of getting to bed before 1o and being more conscious about my diet.  Reaching those sub goals set me up to achieve my exercise goal more easily.

Keep track of progress. As you are working toward your goals, record what actions you are taking.  For my fitness and nutrition goals, I took a magnetic calendar and put it on the fridge.  Each day I wrote what type of exercise I did and how many fruits and veggies I actually ate.  There is something about seeing what you have actually done, or not done, to achieve your goal to keep you going.

Re-evaluate your goals periodically. As you work toward achieving your goal, ask yourself “Am I closer to my goal now than I was a day ago or a week ago?”  If yes, then keep going.  If no, then figure out why.  Is the goal unachievable?  Is there an obstacle in the way?

Stay motivated. One of the major reasons that we don’t achieve our goals is that we lose our motivation.  We are all fired up at the beginning and then as time goes by and the newness wears off, we start to lose that energy and excitement.  That excitement is what gets us motivated, but we have to turn that into determination.  That will keep us motivated.  If weight loss is your goal, keep a picture of yourself at your goal weight or hang a swimsuit or jeans in your goal size in your room or in front of the fridge!  My husband and I are going to Cancun in March, so I am motivated to look good in a swimsuit by then.

Be accountable. This was huge for me.  Linking up with Chele at The Bona Fide Life and taking part in her Goal Gathering Monday challenge made me really want to set goals and succeed.  When you know that you committed to report back to someone and blog to the world about your successes and failures , you tend to want to make sure you are successful!  Consider checking out GGM each week to post how your goals are going.  Another great idea is to have a friend that you could report to at a certain time each week.  Having some sort of accountability and support might just be that extra push you need to get you to your goals!

So, I learned a lot about goal setting this month, but how did I really do as far as achieving my goals?  I worked out on my reformer 3days/week just like I stated in my goals.  However, it is freezing here and I haven’t gotten to go outside to do any cardio.  (I love to walk.)  Instead of cardio, I worked out a couple days a week on the pilates ball and did ab work.  I wanted to eat 2 cups of fruit/day and 2.5 cups of veggies/day, but I didn’t quite make it most days.

My goals for this next month are pretty much the same with a few tweaks

• Pilates reformer 3 days/week
• Pilates ball workout 2/days/week
• Seek out a way to do cardio (I am putting this off because I really hate cardio, but I know I need to do it!)
• 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of veggies/day
• Get to bed before 1opm

Did you set any goals this past month?  How did they work out for you?  Do you have any goals for this next month?

Another great resource is the SMART goal planning method outlined by WonderWomanWannabe.