Goal Setting Tips with Tia

Photo: Oscar Bravo

Hey Team,

Whether you’re into the whole New Year’s Resolution thing or not, setting Goals is something we should be doing year round, to keep ourselves motivated and accountable to achieve the things we desire, or to get the outcomes we are striving for. Whether that be in our professional lives or personal ones. Setting Goals helps us stay on track.

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) Goals is something that has been used for a long time, but I believe there is a lot more to it than just that. Although it is a great way to start. First things first, you need to set goals that motivate you. If a goal doesn’t have meaning to you, you are less likely to stick to it. Also, I find ranking your goals very useful as well, if there’s multiple things you are trying to achieve at once, it can become very overwhelming, and that is usually where people give up (hence why the gyms are usually emptier by the end of February haha). Start simple. Try ranking your goals of top priority to least, and write down why, so you know why they are valuable to you. Now you’ve listed why they are important, they now mean something more, and again you’re more likely to stick to them.

Here’s an example of a typical start of the year resolution.

“This year I’m going to go to the gym more.”

Let’s look at this more:

Why do you want to go to the gym more?

“I am going to go to the gym more, to improve my daily active lifestyle, which will allow me to be able to keep up with my kids on the playground, to be able to pick up the heavy case of water at the grocery store, and to not get winded when going up the stairs. Also, to feel better and more confident in myself.”

Okay, now this goal has meaning to you. Now what?

Let’s get more specific..

“For the first 4 weeks, I’m going to mark on my calendar 2 days each week to set time to go to the gym. If I can keep up with that, in the next 4 weeks, I will plan 3 days each week.”

We are also trying to build a habit. If you go from 0-100 it’s not going to be very sustainable, and the pressure you’re putting on yourself is extremely high! Start small and build up from there.

To be more Measurable, give yourself a deadline or check-in date.

“By March 31st, I will have gone to the gym a minimum of 30 times.”

Attainable. Be realistic with yourself. Life is busy, give yourself a buffer if things shift. Your kid came home sick from school, you now have to skip your gym session, is there another place you can fit it in? Can you squeeze in a home workout instead?

Relevant. With putting meaning to it, it should be clear as to why this fits your lifestyle. Also using Short-term goals vs. Long-term goals can keep things more relevant at the time.

“By March 31st, I will be able to do 10 Push-ups.” Now you’ve put in smaller, specific goals, in your long term goals. Again, trying to keep the motivation high, and keep your brain stuck to something.

To keep things on a time-table, if you’re using a whole year that can be a lot. So keep it timely, as I suggested before, how many workouts/check-ins you will have done by a certain date. Having a finish line/goal date, will keep you on track.

Some other tips I find very helpful are:

Tell a friend or find a friend to do it with you to keep yourself accountable.
Set yourself a reward for keeping on track. If it’s going to the gym, for example, saying: if I’ve reached my goal of 30 check-in’s by March 31st, I will buy myself a new workout outfit.
At the start of each week, sit down at your calendar, and plan when you are going to set time for your goals.
Keep things simple! I think I’ve touched on this, but again, focus week by week, and trust the process and yourself.
If you get off track don’t sweat it, there’s always the “Well, guess I’ll try again on Monday” attitude. But there’s no reason why you can’t reset in the middle of the week/middle of a plan.
Goal/Habit Stacking! This I stole from James Clear- Atomic Habits book a couple years ago and it really stuck with me:

“After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].Here are some examples:

● Meditation: After I brew my morning coffee, I will meditate for one minute.

● Pushups: Before I take my morning shower, I will do 10 pushups.

● Flossing: After I set my toothbrush down, I will floss my teeth.

● Gratitude: Before I eat dinner, I will say one thing I am grateful for that day.

● Networking: After I return from my lunch break, I will send one email to someone I want to meet.

Habit stacking works well because you not only create a specific plan for when and where you will implement your goals, but also link your new goals to something you are already doing each day. You can read more on how to stack habits and set triggers for your goals in my popular guide, Transform your Habits.”

Hopefully this helps you find a way to sit down, put your goals on paper, and think about the things you want to accomplish, short term or long term. And remember, we are always here to help if you need some guidance or assistance in achieving these goals! Our goal is to always help you be the best version of yourself, in and outside the gym.

Coach Tia

TRAINING MONDAY TUESDAY

WARM UP: 3 x

5/side lying thoracic rotations

5/side bird dogs

30 sec kneeling quad stretch

10 slow air squats

Skill: 2 Hang Squat Snatches, pick load Every 1:30 for 12 mins.

Work with light to moderate weight if just learning this technique. Goal is to drop smoothly under the bar as it is rising. If you don't have full depth OHS ability, stay within the range that you can control

WOD:

Every 2 mins for 14 mins do: 5 Power Cleans 5 Burpees 3 Shoulder-to-Overheads

Choose your weight! Keep in mind the STO will be tougher after the burpees. Extra credit - add a rep to everything each round for rounds 5, 6, and 7