I don’t know how you are doing with your New Year goals, but I, for one, am stumbling out the starting gate when it comes to my fitness goals.
The thing is, I am not discouraged one bit; ok, I am a little discouraged, but not much. Why is my level of discouragement so minuscule? Because I hedged my bets.
I planned for life to get in the way of accomplishing my goals. I had a plan A, B, and C in some cases and even made up a plan E on the fly. This has helped me stick to my goals even when it would have been much easier to give up and start again.
If you are struggling and your dream of “2022 being your year” has all gone to complete s then let me offer some timely advice.
“When plans fail, do the smallest step which moves you one grain of sand width closer to your goal.”
A real-life example of this is my goal of working out 3-4 days a week. Unfortunately, this has not gone as planned. My backup plan is if I miss my workout, my goal is to focus on logging my food, so I don’t overeat. Still, if it’s noon and I have already eaten three to four handfuls more of Cheez-It’s than was initially planning, then I will at least get a 10-minute walk in that day.
I know that whatever happens in life, I can make time for a 10-minute walk and that 10-minute walk will bring me closer to my goal of getting back to a healthy lifestyle. And once I complete that walk, I get the endorphins from accomplishing my small goal. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will hit my workout and track my food, but at the very least, I know I will get my walk.
The point is every time you set a goal, ask yourself, “if I didn’t hit this goal, what is the smallest step I could take while still moving forward?” Keep asking this till you get to the most minor step you know you can hit each day.
Example: You currently get 50 grams of protein each day. You set the goal of hitting 100 grams.
If I don’t hit 100 grams, I would be happy with 80 grams
If I don’t hit 80 grams, I will drink a protein shake
Small steps forward are still forward; you will never make it to the finish line if you start over each time you stumble.
Your Fitness Sherpa,
