Let's Talk Goals...

I would say that it has been way too long since I have set actual goals. Sure, I may think to myself that I want to accomplish x, or it would be awesome if I could do y, but I don't actually do anything to make a PLAN to meet those goals. So all they ever are is a wish. And wishes can float away on a stiff breeze; believe me, I know this because all of my wishes float away as soon as the going gets tough. LOL So it's a good thing that our Sweat Pink/Fit Approach blog prompt for this period is "What are your current fitness and healthy living goals? What's your strategy for staying on track with achieving your goals?"

Honestly, if Sweat Pink hadn't prompted this, I wouldn't even be thinking about it. Sad, I know...but perhaps you're in the same boat and need a little kick in the rear to think about your current goals and strategies for staying on track just like I did!! If so, then I definitely encourage you to create a list of your own goals and SHARE IT, because remember how I talked earlier this week about tips for beating the dog days of summer and one of them was to create a plan and write it down and another was to keep your goals in sight? Yup - turns out I could use a little dose of taking my own advice! ;-) So, I for one, am thrilled with this prompt because it's making me really take a good look at my goals in a SMART way.

I talked last week about my racing plans for fall, but I didn't necessarily talk about my goals for fall or how I am going to achieve them. Keep in mind that when setting goals you should be using the SMART method to ensure it is more than a wish.

So let's look at some goals for a moment...

1. My absolute biggest fitness goal right now is to work my plan from Coach Tiffany: S: Do every workout to the best of my ability on that day. M: I'm reporting back to her via our training document, so I'm definitely measuring not just if it got done, but the quality of it as well. A: Through baseline testing Coach Tiffany knows what I'm capable of and is giving me workouts that should be attainable, yet challenging. R: Definitely relevant as I have a jam-packed racing schedule and want to show up at my January half marathon feeling totally prepared and confident. T: January 9 is the deadline, and with a weekly plan being given to me I have mini-goals to accomplish each week that are part of the bigger picture. This is definitely a really good goal for me right now!!

2. My biggest health goal right now is to lose some weight so I can go into my half marathon in January a little lighter: S: Lose 20 pounds by January 9. M: Definitely measurable since there is a number on it and not just "lose some weight". A: Attainable - yes, this is totally attainable. It is just about 20 weeks until my half marathon so if I go with a very conservative 1 pound loss a week, that takes me right to the deadline. R: Relevant yes, because it will help me meet #1 goal above. T: Again, totally time-bound because it has the built in deadline of January 9.

3. My biggest wellness goal right now is to get a solid routine in place so I am in a better place to handle life's little bumps and detours: S: This one is a little less specific, but I'm going to go with it anyways because it is something that needs to happen. We had a lot of changes around our house with kids in school and people in jobs, and babies on the way, so getting a routine is critical. M: I'm going to need to dive into this goal a little deeper and give myself specific steps toward achieving the larger goal; such as have all big items on the calendar by Sunday of each week; do my grocery shopping by 3:00 PM each Saturday, etc. A: Again, a little harder, but I think it is attainable. R: Definitely relevant as if I'm on a routine I am much more sane and if I'm not sane I'm going to really stumble on goals #1 and #2. T: Eh, this one is tougher, but if I set some mini-goals like I mentioned in M then it will become time bound. I am hopeful that by the beginning of September I will have a fairly solid working routine and then I can assess how it is working throughout September and make tweaks if needed. I'll be headed back to school in late October so it is absolutely CRITICAL that the routine is highly functioning when that happens so I don't just keel over and die.

Question: What's one of your current health, fitness or wellness goals? How are you going to ensure you stay on track to meeting it?