In order to stick with anything – especially something that can be hard work – we have to have goals[1]. Setting goals allows you to see the bigger picture, to keep going when your workouts are hard, or you aren’t in the mood.
We all practice goal setting at one level or another – even just saying “I want to lose weight”, or “I want to get in shape” is a simple form of goal setting – but to be successful, we need to go further than that.
The problem is that setting a simple goal like “I want to lose weight” is too vague, it has no specifics to it, so we can easily fudge it. You’ve managed to lose a pound? Well that’s success, you’ve lost weight!
How do you avoid this? By setting specific goals. For example, if you want to “get in shape”, what does that mean? How many workouts per week? What type of workouts? How much weight loss? By when?
Having these very specific targets is very powerful, and helps us to focus our energy and attention much better. The most commonly used tool for this is what are termed SMART goals. SMART goals are used in numerous areas, from work to weight loss, school to sports.
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
We’ll look at each of these in turn, applying them to a common goal – weight loss.
Specific: The first part of goal setting is to set goals that are very clear – they should emphasize exactly what you want to happen, including detail. Use questions like What, Why, and How.
- For example: WHAT are you going to do? Lose weight.
- WHY is this important to you right now? For example, to look better, be healthier, etc.
- HOW are you going to do it? By exercising more, improving your diet, etc.
Measurable: Making goals measurable is essential. If you can't measure it, you won’t know if you’ve achieved it! Weight loss lends itself naturally to progressive goals – for example, to lose 5 pounds in one month, 12 pounds in three months, and so on. The more detailed and measurable a goal is, the better.
Attainable: Our brain is very good at working towards goals, but they must be attainable. If we know that they are simply out of reach, we will quickly quit. For that reason, you need to set goals that will stretch you, but that nonetheless seem possible.
Realistic: To succeed we need to be motivated, and realistic goals provide great motivation. We understand that we can achieve them with effort, and as we move towards them, that sense of achievement keeps us motivated. So never eating chocolate again might be unrealistic for you, having it just once per week might be much more do-able.
Timely: Finally, your goals need a clear end point. Having a definite ending point makes sure that we don’t backslide. With no end point we can procrastinate forever, but if we have a deadline of losing 10 pounds in three months, we can clearly focus and work towards it.
Organize your workouts:
What do you do when you workout? Do you have a plan? Or do you just throw yourself into it, doing whatever seems like a good idea that day?
While it’s a good idea being spontaneous, you do need some kind of exercise plan. What kind of workouts are you going to do? How often? At what level of intensity?
If you think of different types of athlete and the different workouts they do, it’s clear that what you do will have a huge effect on the results you get. Swimmers, ballet dancers and American Football players each do vastly different workouts, with equally different results.
Clearly there will be a relationship between your workouts and your goals. If your main goal is to lose weight, that means looking at workouts that maximize fat burning.
If, however, you have a different goal – get in shape for a hiking trip, get ready for the upcoming tennis season – then your workouts will need to be geared toward that specific goal.
We’ll talk about some specifics later, particularly workouts for fat-burning, but it is important to know want you want to achieve.
Warm-ups and Cool-downs:
There is little argument these days about the value of a warm-up and cool-down. An appropriate warm-up and cool-down will help to reduce the risk of injury, and improve your recovery between workouts[2].
It doesn’t take much to warm-up – just perform 5 to 10 minutes of easy aerobic exercise (walking, slow running, easy biking). It will raise your body temperature and increase the blood flow to your muscles.
Similarly, at the end of a workout, slow down rather than coming to a sudden stop. Again, this allows the blood flow and the heart to slow down gradually, giving your body time to clear waste products such as lactic acid from the muscles.
Finish your workout with a stretching session, gently applying light pressure to the muscles and joints. This will help to relax them and promote recovery. Although many people stretch at the start of a workout, it is far more effective to save your stretching for the end when the muscles are warm.
[1] Locke and Latham (2002, p. 707-709)
[2] http://www.brianmac.co.uk/warmup.htm