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How to Set Goals

Fail to plan and you plan to fail!

Follow these simple steps and achieve your goals now!

Step1

The first thing you must do is select your Outcome Goal. What do you want to achieve. (eg. Lose 5kg)
You must be specific. You can't have your objective goal simply stated as "Lose Weight". It is too general and cannot be measured.

Step 2

Now that you have decided what it is you want to achieve you must set a realistic time frame. You must take into consideration how much sacrifice you are prepared to make and how hard you are prepared to work. If you want to lose weight, a realistic rate would be 0.5-1kg per week.
Your Outcome Goal will be a combination of Step 1 and Step 2 : Lose 5kg in 10 weeks.

Step 3

You must now break down your Outcome Goal into smaller, more manageable behaviours. These are your Process Goals, the most important of all because these are the everyday activities that will enable you to achieve your Outcome Goals.
Clearly define which behaviours you will undertake to keep you focused on attaining your goals.

For example:

Exercise 30 minutes per day.
Reduce fat intake to 20g per day.
Reduce alcohol intake by having 4 alcohol free days per week.
Improve daily activity by: Walking to work; Playing outside with the kids for 15min per day; Not using the remote for the TV; Only eating 1 regular serving at dinner.

Step 4

You now have a defined plan for achieving your goals but to ensure success you must also set Performance Goals. These can be set for your exercise and your eating plan. These are the standards that you must demand of yourself!

For example:

Exercise

Be punctual for every session.
Achieve at least 90% attendance for all planned sessions.
Always complete all set tasks during training.

Eating Plan
Eat slowly.
Only eat regular sized portions.
Drink water with your meal to help fill you up.

Step 5

Place your Outcome, Process, and Performance Goals where you can see them daily. Keep them on your mirror, desk at work, or fridge door!

Step 6

Tell others about your goals. You have a greater chance of sticking to your plan if others know about it. We can all be very good at lying to ourselves or justifying behaviours (eg. "A few chocolate biscuits won't hurt" or "I'll only eat the broken biscuits cause they don't count") but it is much harder to fool others. They may even decide to set similar goals for themselves.

Additional tactics to help achieve your goals

1. Although it is good idea to undertake an exercise program, Incidental Activity (activities undertaken during our normal day: moving around the house or office, sitting at your desk, preparing meals, playing with the kids, walking to the bus stop, etc) makes up 70% of our calories burnt each day. This is where some people reduce the impact of their new exercise program. They train, come home, sit down and rest! They increase the amount of exercise in their life but decrease their normal daily activities, which can result in only a small amount of calories burnt each day. Increase both and reap the rewards!

2. Each week you will have certain situations that may test your resolve. These can be identified as Crisis Situations. You must be prepared for these so design a plan to overcome such situations and achieve your goals!

For example:

Friday afternoon drinks: I will limit myself to 2 schooners of light beer.
Dinner with friends on Saturday: I will call the restaurant in advance and ask them to fax a copy of the menu so I can study my options and not make a decision on an empty stomach.
Son's soccer game: I will prepare sandwiches for my lunch.

3. When designing your exercise program identify which activities you enjoy and only incorporate those. You will not adhere to an exercise program that you don't enjoy!

4. Give yourself a reward for achieving your goals! It may be a holiday, a new dress, or a new stereo. It must be something that you really want, something that will urge you on when you may feel like giving up!

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