The Goal Setting Trap!
"So what are your current goals?"
Everyone who is into fitness asks this question. It is a great question to be sure, I mean if you don't know what your goals are how can you possibly stay motivated and stick to your plan? A lot of people ask me what my goals were/are. I thought I would give a short outline of what I have worked on, achieved, and have planned for the future.
Starting out, my biggest goal was to feel better about myself and my self image. That was a physical goal as well as a mental and emotional one. I also wanted to be stronger and just be able to do the things in life I wanted to do (like hiking or biking trails, etc) without feeling drained or out of breath.
Starting out I did not set a goal weight for myself- my therapist and I decided that focusing on the scale was not a healthy choice for me. I tend to get obsessed with numbers and with weighing myself- so in the beginning I only weighed in once a month. We both agreed that weight alone is a crude measurement of health and that the BMI index is kinda BS. Check out Buzzfeeds opinion: https://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/b-m-bye
My therapist and I spoke at length about non scale victories or goals that I could work towards. We spoke about pants/dress sizes and where I thought I might be happy- and of course body measurements like bust, waist, hips, etc. I honestly in the beginning thought that a size 10 was almost un-thinkable, un-reachable. I had been a size 12-18 since I was in early middle school....10 seemed small to me. But months went by and I found myself at a 10 quicker than I thought I might...I think it was somewhere around April? Slowly over time I have now worked my way down into a size 6 jeans- and even those are now getting loose....it is a sort of surreal experience. You can read my post about my struggles with Dysmorphia on this blog as well.
As far a scale goals I ended up in August setting a goal for myself for the end of October- 145 lbs. After speaking with my doctor and my therapist and several friends who are also trainers I made the decision to stop my cutting phase (the time period of loosing weight) at 145. I don't want to start severely eating into any lean muscle mass I have retained while working in my calorie deficit-so if you see muscles-I already had that amount of lean mass you can just see it now because there is less body fat surrounding them! I am currently about 5 lbs from my goal with exactly 3 weeks to go until my deadline!
Then starts a whole new kind of weight training, and eating program, and set of goals! So my plan is start a short bulking season for 9 weeks (Nov., Dec., and 1 week of Jan.) to try and build some more muscle mass. That, of course, is going to take a different kind of mental toughness because with gaining muscle mass some body fat is going to come with it too. I need to be able to keep myself on the right track without freaking out about gaining body fat.
As far as strength goals go I have a few in mind...my bench press is pretty sad though I do not know what my current one rep max is. I would like to re-test everything in the beginning of November to get a better idea of my progress. I'd like to get my bench press to 120lbs.
My squat is also sadly lacking- again no idea of where I am. Today I did several sets around 130lbs so I'm guessing my max is around 140-145...I would love to get my squat up to 170-ish.
My dead lift is what I train the most right now. My current 1 rep max is around 230lbs, I had set a goal of getting to 300 lbs by the end of the year- we will see if I actually manage to pull that off!
People also often ask me what my aesthetic goals are-how I want to look...I have ideas in my head of what I would LIKE to look like. Maybe I can post some inspirations below.
So having said all of this I would like to give you all some tips I have learned about goal setting:
1. Make sure you have a clear vision in your mind. Make sure your goals are clear.
-Any time you are setting out on a journey you need to know where you are going. Make sure your goals are clear in your mind. It can be easy to get off track and lose your way when you can't see the path clearly in your mind.
2. Write your goals down-write them on your bathroom mirror-look at them every day.
-I have mine written in dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror- I see them and read them to myself every day. Write positive things there about yourself, write out statements that make you feel powerful and in control. Write whatever you want.
3. Set attainable short term goals and dream big with your long term goals.
-So many people fail on their weight loss journeys because they see the task ahead of them as a huge monster. They say to themselves "I have to lose X amount of lbs" and become overwhelmed with the monolith in front of them. Have your long term goal, but set it aside for shorter, smaller goals that you can reach quickly. This will help you gain confidence and keep you headed in the right direction.
4. Accept that progress is not linear.
-Probably the hardest part of the goal setting process is realizing that sometimes we don't make our goals- or we don't make them in the time we allotted ourselves. Progress takes time and true life style changes will take the longest of all. If you find yourself not meeting your short term or long term goals then you need to try switching up your eating or lifting program...make sure you are accurately tracking your food and exercise.
All in all when it comes to setting goals and reaching them know that YOU have the power to change your life---believe in yourself and there isn't anything you can't do! (cue cheesy 80s music)
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| A quick selfie before hiking Stone Mt. in GA |
Starting out, my biggest goal was to feel better about myself and my self image. That was a physical goal as well as a mental and emotional one. I also wanted to be stronger and just be able to do the things in life I wanted to do (like hiking or biking trails, etc) without feeling drained or out of breath.
Starting out I did not set a goal weight for myself- my therapist and I decided that focusing on the scale was not a healthy choice for me. I tend to get obsessed with numbers and with weighing myself- so in the beginning I only weighed in once a month. We both agreed that weight alone is a crude measurement of health and that the BMI index is kinda BS. Check out Buzzfeeds opinion: https://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/b-m-bye
 |
| exactly. |
My therapist and I spoke at length about non scale victories or goals that I could work towards. We spoke about pants/dress sizes and where I thought I might be happy- and of course body measurements like bust, waist, hips, etc. I honestly in the beginning thought that a size 10 was almost un-thinkable, un-reachable. I had been a size 12-18 since I was in early middle school....10 seemed small to me. But months went by and I found myself at a 10 quicker than I thought I might...I think it was somewhere around April? Slowly over time I have now worked my way down into a size 6 jeans- and even those are now getting loose....it is a sort of surreal experience. You can read my post about my struggles with Dysmorphia on this blog as well.
 |
| Look at that accomplished smile! Hiking at Crowder's Mt. in NC |
Then starts a whole new kind of weight training, and eating program, and set of goals! So my plan is start a short bulking season for 9 weeks (Nov., Dec., and 1 week of Jan.) to try and build some more muscle mass. That, of course, is going to take a different kind of mental toughness because with gaining muscle mass some body fat is going to come with it too. I need to be able to keep myself on the right track without freaking out about gaining body fat.
 |
| This was today's gym mirror selfie... |
My squat is also sadly lacking- again no idea of where I am. Today I did several sets around 130lbs so I'm guessing my max is around 140-145...I would love to get my squat up to 170-ish.
My dead lift is what I train the most right now. My current 1 rep max is around 230lbs, I had set a goal of getting to 300 lbs by the end of the year- we will see if I actually manage to pull that off!
People also often ask me what my aesthetic goals are-how I want to look...I have ideas in my head of what I would LIKE to look like. Maybe I can post some inspirations below.
 |
| Check out these fit AF babes! |
 |
| It might take me years and years of hard training to look like this but damn I do love Sara S. |
 |
| Megsquats is my serious fitspo right now. |
So having said all of this I would like to give you all some tips I have learned about goal setting:
1. Make sure you have a clear vision in your mind. Make sure your goals are clear.
-Any time you are setting out on a journey you need to know where you are going. Make sure your goals are clear in your mind. It can be easy to get off track and lose your way when you can't see the path clearly in your mind.
2. Write your goals down-write them on your bathroom mirror-look at them every day.
-I have mine written in dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror- I see them and read them to myself every day. Write positive things there about yourself, write out statements that make you feel powerful and in control. Write whatever you want.
3. Set attainable short term goals and dream big with your long term goals.
-So many people fail on their weight loss journeys because they see the task ahead of them as a huge monster. They say to themselves "I have to lose X amount of lbs" and become overwhelmed with the monolith in front of them. Have your long term goal, but set it aside for shorter, smaller goals that you can reach quickly. This will help you gain confidence and keep you headed in the right direction.
4. Accept that progress is not linear.
-Probably the hardest part of the goal setting process is realizing that sometimes we don't make our goals- or we don't make them in the time we allotted ourselves. Progress takes time and true life style changes will take the longest of all. If you find yourself not meeting your short term or long term goals then you need to try switching up your eating or lifting program...make sure you are accurately tracking your food and exercise.
All in all when it comes to setting goals and reaching them know that YOU have the power to change your life---believe in yourself and there isn't anything you can't do! (cue cheesy 80s music)
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