Many athletes who walk through the doors at Tradewinds and take that first step towards committing to a healthier lifestyle have specific goals in mind. They may want to get fitter in general, or they may have a specific amount of weight they want to lose. Some athletes want to get back to a size they previously wore, or have more energy to keep up with their kids or pets or their busy lifestyle. And others want to prevent disease or mobility issues later in life. As time goes on and those athletes become long term members of the Tradewinds community, those very specific initial goals can get fuzzy over time. So how do we as Tradewinds athletes measure our success against goals, and is it important to continuously update goals?
Measuring success can look different for everyone. For some, it may be specifically tied to numbers on the scale, body measurements, or medical results such as blood work going in a more favorable direction. For others, those numerical results might be tied to consistently increasing weights and reps inside the gym. Pushing more pounds, completing more reps within the same time limit, or even increasing steps throughout the day. And oftentimes, some individuals’ results can be more difficult to measure; simply feeling better in your skin, feeling more energy throughout the day, sleeping better, or feeling proud of your consistency in the gym
There’s nothing wrong with committing to being consistent in the gym and being satisfied with simply feeling better and fitter! But for those athletes who thrive on setting specific goals, it’s important to set yourself up for success. Research shows that in order to be most successful, goals should be clearly stated, realistically achievable, have a set timeframe attached to them, and have a specific way to measure success. This is called the SMART goals method.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting individually with many athletes over the last month, and it’s been so exciting to hear you state your current goals. Some folks want to lose some pesky pandemic pounds, some want to challenge themselves by lifting heavier weights during class, and others want to commit to attending more sessions consistently. Stating your goals is the first step, and it’s important because once your coaches are aware of your current goals, they can encourage you specifically towards hitting them.
The next step is to make sure those goals are realistic within the timeframe you’re setting for yourself. Increasing weights is amazing, but by how much? A good example of how to set a specific, achievable goal within a set timeframe is to say, “By the end of September, I will add 10 pounds to all my barbell lifts.”
Notice how that doesn’t say “I want to add 10 pounds,” but rather, says, “I will?” It’s also important to be clear and committed, even down to the way you verbally state your goals. Is it a desire, or a commitment that you WILL follow through with? Speak it into existence!
For athletes saying they want to attend more sessions throughout the month, perhaps they will and perhaps they won’t. What is “more,” precisely? According to the SMART goals method, it would be ideal to not only state a specific number of times you will attend sessions this month, but it should also be realistic in relation to where you currently are. If you’re only managing to come in once a week, it is probably a stretch to say you’re going to commit to 6 times a week out of the blue. But why not commit to twice a week this month and then bump that up to 3 times a week next month once you’re consistent in hitting that initial goal?
Finally, once we’ve stated our realistic goals with determination and communicated them with our coaches, and once we’ve committed them to a specific timeframe, it’s important to be able to measure our success in hitting them. If you’re looking to lose weight, why not start with an In-Body Scan at the gym, so you have a baseline, and then after a specific timeframe, do it again to measure your results. An at-home scale will only tell you so much, because it’s possible that you’ll lose body fat, increase your muscle mass, but not show any difference in actual pounds on a regular scale.
For lifting heavier, you can track your lifts in the SugarWod app and compare your before and after over time! For gym sessions, track your attendance in Kilo, or ask any coach to give you an update on your attendance. And once you’ve successfully hit that initial goal, what’s next? We can’t just slide backwards into our old ways, or become complacent because we hit that one-time goal. Keep pushing yourself forward and challenging yourself! If you successfully increased your lifts, maybe it’s time to take a look at your protein intake throughout the day. If you’re hitting your desired weekly sessions, maybe you can challenge yourself to go to bed earlier in order to get more sleep at night.
Tradewinds athletes are ever evolving, ever improving themselves. Setting goals in a smart way is one way to keep yourself engaged in your own wellness journey, and making sure to challenge yourself further once you’ve hit those goals is a great way to keep complacency at bay. What are your specific goals at this time, and what’s your plan to achieve them?