Get 2013 Started Right: Seven Simple Steps to Achieving a Fitness Goal

In a previous post there was lots of feedback on the topics of writing goals down with a deadline.  Because of that this post is titled Seven Simple Steps to Achieving a Fitness Goal.  This is inspired from Brian Tracy’s book No Excuses and he says, “There are more complex and detailed methodologies, but this seven step method will enable you to accomplish ten times more than you were able to before and you will do so far faster than you can currently imagine.”  The seven steps and how you can apply it to your fitness goals are listed below.

1. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish (Be specific and measurable):  Often people want to lose weight but they are not specific enough about what they really want.  Most people say, “I want to lose weight.” However, by saying “I want to lose 15 lbs of body fat” makes the goal specific and measurable.  By restating the goal you now have a target instead of a thought.

2. Write the goal down:  A survey done by USA Today on New Year’s Resolutions found that participants with unwritten goals had a 4% success rate.  Subjects who wrote their goals down were 44% successful.  By simply taking 10-15 minutes to write goals down, success can be greatly enhanced.

3. Set a deadline:  Doing this will create a sense of urgency.  People who have done events like marathons, triathlons, or physique competitions usually go above and beyond what they expected (Especially when they do it for the first time).  A big reason for this is all the events listed have a competition date.  Even though people who do these may not have a written goal, they usually achieve it because of the deadline.

4. Make a list of everything you can think of that you can possibly do to achieve the goal:  Tracy calls this “Mind Storming.”  Create a list of twenty behavior changes that you need to do to accomplish your goal.  Examples can be “I will perform Base Building cardio 3X/week for 45-minutes” or “I will eat a Caveman/Cavewoman breakfast” or even “I will not eat within 2-hours of bedtime.”

5. Organize the list by sequence and priority: Take the list of twenty behavior changes from #4 and put it in order from least to most difficult.  When people figure out their obstacles from the beginning, prioritize them and check them off when completed (Or make them a habit) they usually achieve their goals in a much easier fashion.  This is because it isn’t as overwhelming as trying to do everything at once.  A great book to learn more about this process is The Power of Less by Leo Babauta.

6. Take action immediately on the first step:  Once you have prioritized your list of twenty changes divide them by the number of weeks from your deadline to start dates.  For example if you have 10-weeks to your deadline, focus on one goal every two weeks.  This tip is from the work of Nutritionist John Berardi, PhD creator of the Precision Nutrition program.

7. Do something that moves you at least one step closer to your goal each day:  People should start with the easiest change.  It usually isn’t very overwhelming and they can be successful right away.  As you become successful, momentum is built, confidence rises and the goal becomes more realistic each day.

In conclusion the months of October-December can be the time where most Americans fall behind on their fitness goals.  If this happened to you use the above steps to make your New Year’s Resolution goal a reality in 2013.