You Should Always be Setting Goals (part 1)
When I compete, I always sit down and pencil in 4 goals (starting 12 weeks out):
Goal #1 – come out of the competition healthy (meaning don’t injure myself)
Goal #2 – weigh in at 1kg under my weight class
Goal #3 – a snatch, clean & jerk, and a total that I want to lift
Goal #4 – get on the podium (place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd)
Each of these goals is specific, measurable, adjustable and are a catalyst for action, realistic, and have a timeframe (12 weeks). Even if I only hit a few of these goals, I’ll be successful. Not everyone competes, but everyone has something about their health and/or fitness they’d like to improve and make better. So, what if you’re not wired to pay attention to the scale or the numbers you are lifting? What if that gets old but you still want to achieve your goals?
Start setting goals that have nothing to do with either, but will still keep you on track, and might even accelerate the results you ultimately want. Here are some of those non-scale or numbers related goals you can start implementing…
Drink More Water
The list of benefits for drinking more water or being better hydrated is too long to list (lol), so we’ll leave it at it will help everything else - period!
Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Adding more fruits and veggies into your diet can have significant benefits, from lowering your blood pressure to better cardiovascular health to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in fruits and veggies help support overall cardiovascular function which contributes to optimal fitness. They also help with digestive health and weight management and have positive impact on blood sugar levels. They're low glycemic loads prevent sudden spikes, helping to keep hunger in check.
Cook More at Home / Eat Out Less
On the subject of food, another goal can be to cook at home more often. Not only do you get the chance to dabble in a new hobby, but cooking in the comfort of your own kitchen may help you hone in on more nutritious ingredients to include in your everyday meals. Cooking at home may also provide the following benefits:
- It can save time
- It can save money
- It helps promote portion control
- It provides an opportunity to unplug and enjoy a meal with loved ones.
Increase Non-Exercise Activity Time (NEAT)
Training is important, but for far more than just weight loss. In fact, moving your body helps reduce your risk of nearly every kind of disease, especially common ones like diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer. If you're having trouble allocating enough time in your busy schedule to head to the gym, a healthy goal to set is to increase non-exercise activity time throughout the day. This includes things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking farther away from the store so you have to carry your heavy groceries a bit longer. These quick bursts of movement weaved into the day are known as high intensity incidental physical activity (according to a September 2019 editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine). These activities can improve your fitness and may even improve your heart health and respiration, even if you're only getting a few minutes each day. This will not only limit the negative effects of prolonged sitting, such as an increased risk of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes, but it will actually energize you and eliminate food cravings brought on by fatigue.
Spend More Time Outdoors
If you're upping your daily activity, why not commit to doing some of it outside? Not only does it open a world of opportunity for different types of movement to engage in (hikes, swimming, kayaking), but enjoying the great outdoors comes with a host of other health perks. Some of the benefits of spending time outside include:
- Getting more vitamin D
- Improved mood
- More relaxation
- Better ability to concentrate
Set Aside (more) Time for Self-Care
The fast-paced, high-pressure world we live in today leaves very little, if any, time for us to relax and truly feel at peace. More than ever, it is important to carve out time in our busy schedules for self-care. Even a few minutes of engaging and pleasurable activity can lift negative mood states, clear the mind for more accurate and effective problem solving and support energy needed to face challenges that inevitably will occur. Most importantly, you always feel better after spending some time on YOU!
Working on these goals will not only help accelerate progress towards your other goals, but they’ll also all improve the quality of your life. Achieving your goals isn’t just about what you get, it’s also about what you become!