Six Mistakes You’re Making When Setting Your Fitness Goals (and How to Actually Reach Them)
Goals. We all have them, but are you setting goals that motivate you or are you setting goals that actually set you back?
I’ve gone through ups and downs on my health journey when it comes to goal setting. I’ve learned the hard way that there here are healthy goals, and then there are unhealthy goals… and can you guess which one is not motivating?
Setting unhealthy goals for yourself will almost always lead to falling off track, and more often than not you fall harder than you would if you had never set the goal in the first place. So what does setting healthy goals look like? Let’s break this down by addressing goals that are not healthy. Here are a few common mistakes people make when setting their goals.
Your goals are not realistic. If you set a goal to lose 10lbs in a week, that’s not realistic. You are setting yourself up to feel discouraged, to feel like you failed and to feel like you will never reach your goals. If you’ve set an unrealistic goal like this for yourself, I need you to hear this. You are not a failure. You are capable of meeting your goals. You just need to set the RIGHT ones. A healthy rate of weight loss is roughly 1-2 lbs per week. So take a step back and asses how much weight you need to lose. Backtrack from there and set a realistic timeline for yourself. Another unhealthy example here is setting a goal to look exactly like the fitness models you see on Instagram who have been training for years. That can create a sense of discouragement too. We live in a world of instant gratification. We can get pretty much anything we want through an app on our phone. When it comes to your health, you need to shift your mindset. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Set long-term goals for yourself, and remember that this takes time but time is what makes this a sustainable lifestyle. You can get there! It just takes dedication, hard work and time!
You’re relying on “get skinny quick” methods. Your mama probably told you this as a child, but I will tell you again. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. There is no quick fix when it comes to getting healthy and fit. No amount of slimming tea is going to help you lose the weight you want to shed. You might notice a difference in bloating as you get rid of a little bit of water weight, but you’ll notice those “results” diminish after you have a few meals and it comes right back. I am all about something that might help to feel less bloated, but just know that no pill or tea is going to do the work you need to do to reach your big goals. Also when it comes to bloating, you’re better off in the long run to identify the source of the bloating. You might have a food sensitivity or it could be something as simple as eating too quickly (that is my problem!). I think these “get skinny quick” supplements breed a really unhealthy mental state. You become focused solely on your looks, and it puts you on a rollercoaster. Focus to on taking care of the one body that you have been given, and heal yourself from the inside out. Eat healthy. Workout. Be good to yourself. Throw away the poopy tea and your magic weight loss pills. You can do this the right way! If you have an able body and a desire to change, then you have everything you need right now to get healthy.
You’re only setting goals specific to weight loss, and you’re missing one key ingredient. If losing weight is your goal, then exercise needs to be a part of the equation. You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again- roughly 70-80% of your results will stem from your diet, yes. But don’t forget about the other 20-30%. Weight loss alone will not necessarily lead to a massive decrease in body fat. As you lose weight, you also lose muscle mass. If you want to lose weight and tone up, you need to fuel your body with good foods, but you need to incorporate cardiovascular exercise and strength training into your routine. The good news, is that you can get both of those things in one workout, and you don’t have to spend hours on the treadmill. That’s why I love the program I’ve built so much! You will never see me running, outside of a few sprints here and there. I get my cardio through a mix of HIIT and weight training, which I’ve found to be the most effective combo for weight loss and muscle gain… oh, and the workouts are 45 minutes or less.
You’re not setting a mix of short and long-term goals. It’s important to focus on the big picture and set long-term goals for yourself. Like I said before, this stuff doesn’t happen overnight. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t see progress along the way, and that progress should be celebrated and motivate you. Small goals can help to make your big goals seem more attainable. So have a mix of short and long-term goals for yourself! Let’s say that you have a goal to lose 20 lbs and want to build muscle and tone. Set weekly and monthly goals for yourself along the way that will help you to get there. For example, a goal might be to get 4-5 workouts in that week. A could might be to stick to eating the healthy food that you meal prepped for the week. A goal might be to be able to complete a certain number of pushups within the next month. That seems much more doable than saying, “for the next four months, I’m working out five days a week and not having any cheat meals.” Setting a goal for that one week or month will motivating you to stay on that track for the next four months to reach your big goal. If you’re working out and eating healthy, you will see results week over week. Celebrate those wins and avoid negative thoughts, and let them motivate you to reach your big goals!
You’re getting hung up on the number on the scale. Throw your scale away. I could end this point right there. I’ve talked to so many people who feel like they have lost weight and are noticing change, and then they jump on the scale and say “aw man, I gained weight. I’m never going to get there! How is this possible?” Sound familiar? Y’ALL focus on how you feel, not the number on the scale. Muscle takes up less space in your body than fat. So while the number on the scale might go up or stay the same, you can still be losing inches and adding tone muscle while looking leaner. The best way to track your progress is to take photos. I recommend taking them weekly in a bikini or fitted shorts and a sports bra. If you’re committed to eating healthy and working out, you will notice change over time. There might be days where you fluctuate. Having those photos to refer back to will help you to see where you started and how far you’ve come. The only other type of measurement that I encourage is literally measuring yourself. It will be super motivating to realize that you’ve lost an inch or two around your waist when you feel like you aren’t making progress. Lastly, focus on how your clothes fit and how you feel. Being less tired or feeling less stressed are wins too (and happen to be side effects of working out)!
You’re setting goals without a plan. A goal without a plan is just a dream. A plan is what turns your dreams into reality. A plan is what will get you there. If you’re setting big goals, but not making a plan as to how you’re going to reach them, you probably won’t progress. You know what you need to do in order to reach your health and fitness goals. Eat clean, workout and be good to yourself. Shift your intentions from doing this because it feels like punishment and do it because you want to be good to yourself. That’s what will set you up for success. If you’re not sure where to start, invest in a plan that’s been created for you already. You can sign up to be one of the first people to try my 8 week workout program when it launches. Just sign up for my emails (I promise not to spam you- I don’t have time to create spam), and you’ll be notified. I love the program I built because it’s a mix of HIIT (which helps to get rid of stubborn fat just under the skin and is one of the most effective workouts for weight loss) and strength training (which helps to build muscle aka tone). The most important part of the program are the 8 week devotionals. Our thoughts drive our actions, so if you’re going into this viewing yourself in a negative light, you’ll continue to yo-yo up and down and struggle with consistency. In my devotionals I’m sharing the lessons that God has taught me along the way about how I view myself, and how He’s shifted my perspective. These devotionals are something that God pressed so strongly on my heart, and in my mind they are the most important aspect of this journey you’re about to start.
I hope this provides you with a little bit of encouragement to set some healthy goals for yourself and get started. You can do this. I promise!! And if you need a little bit of help along the way, I’m here for you. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and connect with me on Instagram! That’s where I like to connect with people the most, and I would love to chat with you!
Xoxo,
Heidi