I’ll be honest; I don’t know what I’m doing. Allow me to elaborate on that just a bit. I’m informed and educated on the actions I’m performing, but I haven’t stopped to reflect on why I’m doing them or what I hope to gain from it. I’m working out and eating with no real plan or objective in mind which, now that I really sit down and think about it, seems pretty pointless. I’ve etched out goals for myself in the past, and even had some earlier this year, but I’ve not been diligent about revising and updating them as I got sidetracked and set-back. Then, when I’d return to action, I would try to resume the path I was on, even if those goals no longer applied. It might be better than not doing anything at all, but without knowing what I’m working towards I don’t know if I’m getting closer, or not. I jumped in the car because I’m anxious to take a trip but I don’t know where I want to go and, without that bit of information, have no way of mapping the route. Instead, I’m just cruising around mindlessly, I guess until I get tired of driving…
That seems like a funny analogy, but I think it fits. In fact, let’s return to it for just a moment to discuss the importance of, not only setting goals but, being specific in their detail. You decide to drive from Pittsburg to Little Rock. If you’re trying to make the journey without a map then you might know to head Southwest, and you’d be going in the right general direction, but you’re going to have a hard time finding it without making several wrong turns, driving in circles and back-tracking. It would be much less taxing on your vehicle, your wallet and your emotions if you first sat down and mapped out a more direct route so you know which roads to take. TSimilarly, you can say “I want to lose weight”, but then you’re driving blindly without first figuring out:
- How much fat (Let’s call it what it is. Weight, as a factor, becomes almost irrelevant in a body recomposition where the weight of fat lost can be offset by the weight of lean mass gained, hydration levels and glycogen stores, etc…) do I intend on losing?
- How much time am I giving myself to lose it?
- Is this a realistic and safely achievable expectation?
- How many calories will I be consuming to accomplish this?
- How far below my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is this?
- How many am I ingesting daily now?
- How do I plan to structure my diet so I consume adequate macro- and micronutrients?
- How are my workouts structured and what will be the frequency of activity?
- Was this figured in to the TDEE calculation? How often will I evaluate my progress to determine what tweaks are needed?
- What do I do when I hit my goal?
Not only are goals important for keeping us on-track, but they’re also a motivating function. When a goal is met it makes us feel triumphant and ready to set – and tackle – the next. For this reason, they probably need to be set in smaller increments so that you’re achieving them more often, seeing actual progress, and staying positive. I just sat down and wrote out short-, mid- and long-term goals for the next 12 months, but I probably need to go back and revise them so that I’m not a) losing sight of them and, b) losing hope. Even when you’re setting goals, if the completion date is 6 months or a year away, it can be easy to become discouraged if you don’t think you’re following a linear path and harder to make adjustments to redirect your efforts.
Tell me about some of your goals. How far out are you setting them, and how often are you updating them to keep pace with your progress?
“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement” – Brian Tracy
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