April 26, 2024

Set Weekly Goals

March 20, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Set Weekly Goals!

Short term goals of 3-6 months are important, as are long term goals of 6 months or longer to keep our focus. However, setting weekly goals keeps motivation high day in and day out. Write down your weekly goals and check off your progress as you go. 

Here’s how to get started:

Break it down. Set a weekly mileage goal or weight training goal by workouts logged, or even number of exercises, sets or weight mastered.

Reward small steps. Every workout counts and should be acknowledged as important.

Adjust as soon as possible. Weekly goals allows feedback sooner than short term goals. This means less time wasted moving in a direction not supportive of our goals.

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Do you have a running goal? by Jason Saltmarsh

January 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment

This time of year, runners are busy publishing their 2014 running recaps and setting ambitious new running goals for 2015. There’s a lot of buzz out there about ultras, trail races, marathons, and personal bests. Goal setting can be a difficult and intimidating process for runners. Most of us are just trying to get out the door each day.

It doesn’t have to be. Choose goals that are reasonable and attainable so that you don’t end up frustrated or injured. A long-term goal, like a BQ (Boston Marathon Qualifying) time, may take several years to achieve. Try breaking it up into smaller goals that you can celebrate every 3-6 months.

6-Month Running Goal

Run a faster 5K. The most-popular race distance in the United States is the 5K. It’s short enough to build your base mileage quickly and with a dash of speed work, you’ll be ready to grab a new PR in 6 months or less.

12-Month Running Goal

Run your first marathon. A full calendar year allows you to safely increase your mileage without risk of overuse injury. With careful planning, you can be ready for your first full marathon in 2015. Forget the clock. Finish your first 26.2 with a big smile on your face.

Long-Term Running Goal

Write your bucket list. Anything goes because this is where you’ll discover your motivation and passion for the sport of running. Your goals are entirely your own. Your Twitter buddy may be excited about conquering the famed Leadville 100, and you may want to keep your streak alive at the local St. Paddy’s 5 Miler.

We all have different reasons for running, the most important thing is to enjoy the miles.

Jason Saltmarsh is an RRCA Adult Distance Running Coach and competitive masters runner. He enjoys racing at distances ranging from 5K to the marathon. Jason’s goal is to share with others the benefits and joys of running, fitness and healthy living. For more information, please visit saltmarshrunning.com

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Increase Motivation to Get Unstuck by Nicole Burley

September 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Does Your Shift Need a Shove?

You swore that this was going to be the year that you dropped 20lbs/changed jobs/started a new career. You really meant it when you said it, too. But somehow, as the days and weeks passed, and as life got in the way, those goals fell by the wayside and nothing has changed.

It’s frustrating when you want things to shift in your life, but you find yourself feeling terribly stuck. The truth is that nothing shifts unless YOU make it shift. Your life requires your participation – and action.

Sometimes, though, if you’ve been stuck for a while, a shift isn’t quite going to cut it. Sometimes, you need a gentle, loving…shove.

3 Ways to Shove Yourself Into Action If You’re Stuck

1. Shout it from the rooftops.

Tell someone. Put it on Facebook. Tweet it. Send out a mass mailing. Whatever feels ‘public’ to you. When you share your goals with other people, you create instant accountability.

2. Choose something else entirely.

If you can’t seem to get started on your goal to stop drinking soda, then perhaps this isn’t the right time for that effort. Rather than force yourself to follow through on something that isn’t meaningful in this moment, why not choose a different goal? Choose something that resonates with who you are and where you are right now.

3. Ask for help!

Enlist a professional. A certified life coach can help you get out of your own way. Sometimes you need someone whose job is to challenge your thinking and encourage your growth. It’s also a GREAT way to stay accountable and banish your excuses.

What are some of your favorite strategies for helping yourself shift gears? Do tell!

Nicole Burley, M.Ed, ACC is a certified Life Coach and Health Coach and creator of the Healthy Habits Coaching Club. www.NicoleBurley.com

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New Year’s Healthy Living Prep by Maggie Ayre

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The New Year is a perfect time for trying something new. Unfortunately however, all too often our New Years Resolutions are set up to fail. The reason why is we tend to go over the top with our goals. For example:

 

  • Go to the gym EVERY day in January
  • ONLY eat fruit for breakfast
  • Eat 23 portions of fruit and vegetables EVERY day

You get the idea. Often our goals are simply unrealistic. Then as soon as we “fail” we go back to our old habits.

The good news is, there is a better way! Instead of focusing on what you’re going to do focus on what you want to achieve. For example:

  • Drop a dress size by February 1st
  • Be able to run a mile by 20th January
  • Get fit for skiing by half term

Each time you go to the gym or eat healthy, your actions will be a small step to achieving your goal.

Miss a single exercise session or eat an unhealthy snack? It doesn’t put you right back to square one all! It does mean however, that you’ll have to work a bit harder to keep on track.

The important thing is to choose the right goal!  It’s got to be something that means something to YOU. For example, as a teen I often joined my friends on a diet or exercise regime but I never stuck to it.  It was their goal, not mine. Here’s the bottom line:

Choose carefully.  What do you want to achieve in 2013?

Answer these questions:

  • If you could be the very best version of yourself what would you look like? What would you be capable of? What would you do?
  • What one step can you take in January 2013 to move towards becoming this person?

This single step should form the basis for your first goal.

When could you accomplish this by?  This should become your end date.  If your end date is further than 6 weeks into the New Year you need to set a mini-goal or mile stone along the way.

For example, my goal may be to be a size 10.  If I am currently a size 16 this will take longer than 6 weeks to achieve.  What could I achieve in 6 weeks?  If I work really hard I could drop 2 dress sizes but a more realistic goal would be to be a size 14 by 31st January and a size 12 by 28th February.

The next step is to decide how to achieve your goal.  In this example I might decide to snack only on fruit and only drink water whilst making sure I do 60 minutes activity everyday and 30 minutes of higher intensity activity 3 times a week.

What will your goals be for January 2013? Leave a comment and share your goal. Decide and commit!

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls.As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon. Maggie may be reached via www.maggieayre.com, www.nutritionplansforteens.com, www.femalefitnessrevolution.com

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Are you taking risks with your fitness or playing it safe? By Amy Christensen

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: How to Create a Risk-Friendly Environment for Personal Growth! Written by Amy Christensen

Have you ever wondered why sometimes it’s easy to step outside your comfort zone while other times it can feel like the biggest risk you’ve ever faced? Taking risks is how we discover our boundaries, redefine our limits of possibility and accomplish things we never imagined we could. In order to take the kind of risks that encourage us to grow (and take more), it helps to create a supportive environment conducive to pushing ourselves.

Your Risk Threshold. We all have a threshold for risk. Some people thrive on seeking out high-risk activities, while others shy away from even the most mundane change to their routine. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Baselines shift over time (sometimes moment-to-moment). What was exciting last week might suddenly feel overwhelming today. That’s totally normal. There are a lot of varying factors that affect our threshold. Get familiar with your baseline to help you decide where (and when) to start pushing.

Creating a Risk-Friendly Environment. Whether or not we’re willing to take a risk is dictated by a combination of factors. Some days it has little to do with the risk itself and a lot to do with where our threshold is on that particular day.

Here are five areas that can have an impact on whether or not a risk will push you in the direction of personal growth:

The Company You Keep. Who is with you on this journey? (And do you trust them?) Feeling safe within a group can boost your level of confidence and provide a great space to test your limits.

Your Skill Level. Know your current skill level and where you want to go. Smaller, more consistent steps forward is more efficient than giant leaps that leave you exhausted. (Note for women: we tend to underestimate our abilities, so take that into consideration when assessing.)

The Atmosphere. For example, are you prepared for the weather? Whether it’s an outdoor adventure or career move, getting a handle on (and feeling comfortable with) the external environment can help you prepare for any surprises.

The Level of Sustained Risk. In other words, how long will the “risk” last? Will it be short and exhilarating? Or will it be more sustained? A steep 50’ mountain biking descent might be an exhilarating challenge, but multiply that by ten, and the fun-factor goes down as the risk is prolonged.

Your Energy. If we’re expending a lot of energy elsewhere (work issues or illness), it can be difficult to muster up the necessary courage to test a new personal boundary.

Step outside your comfort zone and test your limits. You can go farther than you ever dreamed possible.
 

This article is written by Amy Christensen. Amy is a certified professional life coach with a passion for helping women step out of their comfort zone and break through self-limiting barriers. Based in Boulder, CO, her company, Expand Outdoors, focuses on creating healthy, sustainable, and fun lifestyle changes. Contact her at amyc@expandoutdoors.com or via www.expandoutdoors.com. You can also connect on twitter, @expandoutdoors and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/expandoutdoors

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