A couple of days ago, I encouraged you to take a closer look at your WHY, the first factor for great fitness. Did you take a few minutes to do that? Hopefully, it helped you gain some perspective and tap deeper into the passion and motivation with which you embarked on this journey.
Today, we will put that WHY into action.
# 2 – Put a sensible Plan in Place in order to be great in fitness
Now that you are clear on WHY you want to change, and WHAT you want to accomplish, the next step is to have a clear PLAN.
You’ve probably set (or at least heard of) SMART goals before, so the process shouldn’t be too foreign. As a recap, SMART is an acronym for goals that are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACTION-BASED/ATTAINABLE, REALISTIC, and TIME-BASED. For a more detailed analysis, read this post.
Unfortunately, when goals aren’t connected to a WHY, they aren’t as effective.
This is because there is minimal drive or emotional connection to them. Consequently, the chances of accomplishing them are much lower.
A proper plan for great fitness has these key components:
- A series of SMART goals
- A combination of Outcome goals (milestones to meet) and Process goals (actions to take)
- Goals that are powerfully connected to your WHY
- Strategies and tactics are written down (and implemented) to allow you to consistently accomplish your goals
For example, if you decide that you are going to exercise 4 days per week, you may set a monthly outcome goal to complete 16 formal exercise sessions each month. Each of these sessions will be at least 20 minutes in length and you will sweat moderately during each session.
One of these sessions each week will be outside with one or more friends. You will decide between hiking, biking, running, or some other type of sport/activity.
Your process goals will be planning weekly and daily to schedule exercise times in to your calendar, making sure you account for travel, showering, and changing.
Additionally, you will send an email to 6 friends to let them know about your plans with an invitation for them to join you on your exercise adventures.
You also set a goal to write an exercise plan a month in advance, or hire a coach to create one for you that matches your specific needs.
You can download our FRESH! App and begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle right now! It’s available on Android and Apple.
Can you see how this will be much more effective than simply saying you want to “get in better shape” and “join a gym”?
With these details in mind, I encourage you to take a closer look at how you’ve been approaching your goals. Do you have all of these components in place?
In which areas are you rocking it and doing well?
Which ones could you do better?
What areas do you need help with?
What changes will you make to optimize your plan and results?
It’s the answers to these questions (and more importantly the actions you take) that will determine your success moving forward.
If you need help with certain aspects (or all of it), just let me know. That’s what my team and I do!
Have an amazing weekend!
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