Will You Have Better Success Setting Goals or Intentions?

To be honest, one thing I love about working with moms is there doesn't tend to be the same influx of aggressive January goals (with unsustainable plans to achieve them) that are common in traditional fitness settings. Moms are exercising for healthy pregnancies, postpartum recoveries, injury prevention, mental health, and to be role models to their families. These are sustainable, year-round goals that don't require an extra push in the New Year.

However, with that said, there is nothing wrong with feeling a little extra motivated going into January. Personally I use goal setting in many areas of life, but when it comes to resolutions in the new year, I've found more success by setting intentions. If you're feeling motivated to kick off 2023 with some changes, let's see what might be the best approach for you...and your next steps.

What is a goal? A goal is a desired result. It's something measurable to achieve

What is an intention? An intention is a guiding principle. It's more about the way you want to live or show up.

When to set goals? If you have something very specific you want to accomplish, in a set amount of time then goals are really helpful.

When to set intentions? If there isn't a specific result you can/want to measure, an intention can help you align your decisions, actions, and thoughts throughout the day/month, or year.

Where to start with goal setting? SMART goals are the most common framework, but there are other helpful tips when it comes to fitness goals. If you work best with a plan of action, then setting out a measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely plan to achieve your goals is your next step. If you're working with me and it's exercise-related, please let me help you with this! An example might be "be able to run at 6 months postpartum with no pain".

Where to start with setting intentions? Make sure your intention or mantra is positive and simple. Your intention should be something that you can keep in the forefront of your mind daily. You don't need a specific plan, rather you try to align your thoughts and behaviors with it. An example might be "move more".

Wishing you much success!

Fitness Consistency During a Pandemic: Plan Your Workouts Like You Plan Your Meals

This year has been all about tips and tricks to stay motivated and consistent with your workouts. I’m here to offer you a new strategy, and although it won’t work for everyone, it will give you a chance to shift your perspective. The reason for writing this, came from a question I got about “how to stay motivated with fitness during a pandemic”. My first thought was don’t rely on motivation. My second thought was to give yourself some grace. And then my mind went to the way we meal plan.

Indulge me...Consider your last family dinner. Did you find a recipe? Make a shopping list? Have to go to the store and then prepare a multi-step meal? Or maybe dinner was an old family favorite, made with pantry staples? If it was takeout, was it a go-to favorite, or did you scroll Grubhub searching a bit for a new spot? Maybe it was a combination meal where you bought some veggies already prepared, but fixed the main dish?

My point is that, no matter how you got that meal, the outcome was the same. You wanted a meal, and then you made it happen. My other point is that I bet you don’t always reach that outcome the same way. My assumption is that some weeks you have extra time and feel extra motivated, and those weeks you might take more time in selecting recipes and actually going to the store. Other weeks you might be short on time and do a combination of grocery delivery, meals that require no recipes, and maybe some take out.

Are you still following? Well, if you’re struggling to stay consistent with workouts, maybe you take that same approach. Maybe instead of having the same expectation for yourself each week and failing, you plan your workouts like you plan your meals. The only time I would say, the approach might not be effective is similar to if you have serious fitness goals and all you eat is takeout. That just doesn’t work. But, if your goals are a bit more flexible, then similar to how you eat, a varying weekly approach might be just what you need to stay consistent with fitness during a pandemic.

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So, how do you plan your workouts like you do your meals? 

Weeks that you’re short on time and energy (weeks you’re favoring take out): These are days where your workouts should be the most convenient and less intense. If walking is easiest for you, plan to do that. If jumping in your regular virtual class is best, that’s your move. Whatever it is, it should take minimal planning or thought. It also should energize you and not exhaust you, so monitor the intensity that gives you that best boost.

Note: maybe one day during this busy week you have a little extra time, so like you would search for a new take out spot, maybe this is when you add a bit of a twist to your convenient workouts. Try a new walking route or a new virtual class. Keep it convenient, but with a little bit more effort.

Weeks that you’re feeling super motivated (weeks you're searching for new recipes and taking the time to go to the store): These are the days you want to be more ambitious with your workouts. Perhaps you’re finding a new fitness studio to try or you’re adding an extra workout in that week. Maybe these are the days you’re increasing your training volume with more sets, reps or resistance. Take the overall motivation you’re feeling and roll it into fitness.

The last note is that if you operate better with more of a schedule…meaning you do your grocery shopping on the same day each week, or plan meals out ahead of time, or perhaps sticks with Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and so on…you’d probably have more success and consistency if you approached fitness that same way. You could pick one day to plan your workouts for the week (or have someone do it for you) and just stick to the script. This means you don’t even have to stay motivated, you just follow your plan. 

I’m hoping you found this perspective interesting and some of you may find it a helpful strategy. I think at the very least it allows us all to realize that fitness is a lifestyle and you look beyond the short term. One day or one week isn’t going to throw off a lifestyle. By planning workouts like you do your meal, it allows you to manage the ups and downs of life during a pandemic, with a bit more flexibility and acceptance of uncertainty. If you’re on a motivation rollercoaster and feeling inconsistent in your workouts, I’d say stop resisting and see what happens if you treat your workouts like you do your meals.

2019 Fitness Reflections: Don't Skip This Goal Setting Step

Setting goals, creating an overall plan and then designing a step by step process to achieve that goal is a strength of mine almost to a fault (as it can be time consuming to create detailed plans). However, this strength is what allows me to help others reach their goals and why I keep Active Mom Fitness training personalized. One discussion I like to have with people before looking forward is to get a picture of their past. So this year, as we approach 2020 and you get ready to set fitness goals for the New Year, I encourage you to reflect on 2019.

Taking the time to acknowledge success and identify challenges will better prepare you to not only set realistic and achievable goals, but put more thought into your plan to achieve them. Do yourself a favor, find 10 minutes and use these questions as a guide. Take a day to let your answers process and then get to goal setting.

2019 Fitness Reflection Questions

1. I was able to be the most consistent with exercise when______.

2. The biggest barrier to interfere with my exercise routine was______.

3. If I plan ahead, I could work around that barrier by ______.

4. One physical activity I’m really happy I did this year was______.

5. One goal that turned out to be unrealistic was_______, because_________.

6. I said I was going to ______ this year, and I did!

7. Exercise this year made me feel______.

8. I really enjoyed being physically active with my family when we ______.

9. One area in my fitness that I could use more guidance and support is______.

10. Yay me! The best part of my wellness in 2019 was ______

I hope you found this reflection enlightening. Keep this in mind as you set and get ready to crush your 2020 goals! If you’re looking for guidance on setting and achieving new goals, schedule a free phone consultation to see if Active Mom Fitness can support you in the new year!

New Year, New You in 5 Steps

New Year, New You? The number one New Year's Resolution for Americans is to “get in shape”

This is probably the case because most of us are ready to stop the indulging we began in November...maybe October if your derailment began after eating most of your kid's Halloween candy. I want to tell you that if your resolution is to “GET IN SHAPE” then YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL. Let me explain why and let me help you succeed.

Don’t worry, I’m not one of those people that hates New Year’s Fitness Resolutions. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. I’m a planner/list-maker/organizer so I actually get excited about planning for a New Year. I’m also a big believer in focusing on your health, including your weight, physical activity level and new fitness challenges. So why did I make that statement? Saying you're going to "get in shape" is too general. The truth is many of us make the resolution to “exercise more”, “eat healthier”, “be more active”, but what does that even mean? We fail not because we're not good enough or capable of doing it, but because we don't have the proper plan or support in place. If you’re serious about your resolution, it needs to be a goal, you nee to have a plan and you'll have a better chance at success with proper support.

I’m guessing you’re not a stranger to goal setting so I’m not writing this to teach you something new. I’m writing this to look you in the face (not really) and tell you that if you said you want to “get in shape”, let’s take the time together, right now to make sure that happens. I haven’t yet sat down to write any of my 2017 fitness resolutions so I’m going to do it with you RIGHT NOW using the SMART goals method. Let's get started together using these 5 steps.

1. State your SPECIFIC goal. Mine is to finally run the Broad Street Run. I've actually gotten in before, but haven't actually had the chance to run it, so this is my year! What is your well-defined, specific resolution/goal?

2. Make sure it’s MEASURABLE. You should clearly know when you have achieved your goal. Saying you're going to "get in shape" is much to subjective. My goal is easily measurable. I either do it or I don’t, but I’m going to make it more specific and measureable by adding a time. My goal now is to run Broad Street in under 1 hour and 25 minutes (ah! Now it’s real!). If you have a race goal, use this calculator to set a goal finish time or pace.

3. Now let’s check to see if our resolution/goal is AGREED UPON/ACHIEVABLE. Well, my goal only involves me (if I didn’t already have set workout days that my husband knows I’ll be at the gym, then I’d probably need to check with him to ensure I’d have adequate training time). How about you? Who else is affected by your goal? Is everyone on the same page? 

4. Next we check to make sure it’s REALISTIC. For me, I’ve done races before, I’m suuuuper experienced in creating training plans (did I mention, I’m a planner and exercise physiologist?) and as of now I believe I’m physically able and ready to train. So yes, if I train, my goal is realistic (unless I can't get in or buy a bib...thinking positive thoughts). Is yours? If it’s a fitness goal and you need some help determining if your fitness goal is realistic for your level and ability, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

5. Lastly, is your goal TIME-BASED and TRACKABLE? This is important. Set a time-line. How will you track your progress? Do you have enough time? When will you achieve your goal? For me, I plan to follow a 12-week training plan so my time-line begins on February 12th and race day is May 7, 2017. I will create and follow weekly training plans, which makes it very trackable. 

And there you have it. We've both set a very specific, measureable and realistic 2017 New Year’s Resolution. The next two keys to success are making sure you have a specific training plan to achieve your goal and support. In the upcoming weeks I'll make sure to share some of my thoughts on creating a plan and enlisting support. Please share your goal in the comments. If you can't wait for my future posts to help you with planning and support, check out the programs I offer or contact me and we'll see how I can help.