Working toward the best version of yourself.
Each month, we will post one article that is meant to help you stay on track and motivate you to achieve those goals you’ve set for yourself. Whether they were part of a New Year’s resolution or you just woke up one day and decided you needed to improve your life, this series is for you.
2 minute read
The beginning of the year is a time when people make resolutions or swear off of them. Let’s do something different this year, let’s not make a resolution to achieve something great: let’s improve and work towards being our best selves. Let’s take a single step in the right direction, every day.
Think about what you want…what you really want. Let’s be specific. For example: I want to be able to complete a full marathon by Fall 2016. (Read more about SMART goal setting HERE.)
Perhaps even more important that goal setting is the power of positive thinking: ask yourself why you want to achieve your goals and think about the positive impact achieving those goals will have on your life and the people you love. Visualizing achieving those goals is probably just as, if not more, important than any other thing you can do to set the tone for a day, a workout, a year, etc. Affirm your goals each day, create a vision board—if you find that helpful, take a few moments at the beginning and end of each day to re-focus and really think about what achievement will look like for you. Marie Kondo, author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, emphasizes that the more specific ways a person can envision their life after accomplishing their goals, the more likely they are to take steps towards achievement. This same philosophy can apply to health, fitness, and any other areas of your life you wish to improve. (Read a more about Marie Kondo HERE.)
What has worked for you in the past? What are you planning to do differently in 2016? Share your strategies with us via FACEBOOK OR TWITTER for a chance to win a bottle of Poliquin BCAAS!
But let’s consider this argument: what if you’re limiting your potential by defining goals so specifically?
Graeme Turner wrote THIS article on breakingmuscle.com that provides some great food-for-thought that argues against traditional goal-setting methods, when it comes to fitness goals. Turner argues that if you’re working towards a specific goal, you may in fact be setting limitations to meet your goals. Turner recommends instead that we work consistently toward small improvements over time; those improvements will eventually lead to overall improvement and success. Read the full article HERE.
Whatever your feelings about goal-setting or a steps-into-miles method, a positive attitude/visualization of yourself, consistent work, forming good habits, and making self-care a priority will help you make gains toward whatever it is you really want out of long-term health and a fit lifestyle. If a more traditional approach of pen-to-paper goal setting is useful to you, keep that practice. If it’s something you find leads to being hard on yourself or disappointment, ditch it in favour of the kaizen approach to your health and fitness. James Clear, an expert in the field of behavioural psychology, expands on the idea of making improvements in small increments, he says: “It’s so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making better decisions on a daily basis.” (read the complete article HERE.)
As you consider the New Year and the opportunities it presents to improve your health and fitness, take heart that every step you take, every workout session, every good night’s sleep, every nutritious meal you consume will accumulate, over time, to give you the lasting health and fitness you want and deserve.
Have a fantastic day!!
Your Pursuit Training Team
Recommended Reading
https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/an-nearly-foolproof-way-to-achieve-every-goal-you-set-wed.html
http://www.actionforhappiness.org/take-action/set-your-goals-and-make-them-happen
http://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains
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