NEW YEAR, NO PROBLEM
Hey guys! It's a new year and you've got a new coach here at Pippin Performance to help drop some knowledge on ya! This is my first blog here and I'm really pumped to share some tips on how to set and reach goals that will actually stick.
Many take the opportunity of a new year to set new goals. This is an exciting time to think about the possibilities and what you want to accomplish in 2018! It's not always easy though so we put together a few tips to help you show this year who's boss. No more resolutions....let's get long lasting results! Check out this video or keep reading below to get started.
ALL OR NOTHING?
When it comes to goal setting, we sometimes get so excited to start working towards a goal that we tend to go all in; changing everything at once so we can reach our goal faster. While the enthusiasm is amazing, this “all or nothing” mentality doesn’t really set us up for success to actually reach our goals. If anything, it’s setting us up for failure where we feel overwhelmed and eventually drop the ball. What are the best strategies to say good-bye to disappointment and hello to results?
It can be so overwhelming and hard to be successful if, for example, we’ve decided we want to change our diets and tell ourselves:
We need to eliminate all processed food
Grow our own fruits and veggies
Buy some chickens so we have our own eggs
Massage those chickens so their eggs are the best
Cook those eggs outside under the sun so we can absorb the energy of the universe...!
Eeeek! Brain overload. Brain overload.
MINI GOALS = LONG LASTING CHANGES
Everything's going to be ok guys. It’s all in how we approach this. There are a ton of goal setting tips out there but one of the things that has personally helped me and my clients is to set small attainable mini goals that ladder up to the larger one. Why?
You can build confidence as small changes start to stack one on top of the other
It’s much easier to stay on course
By the time you’ve reached your larger goal, it will have felt easy and the changes you’ve made along the way will stick
If you think about someone who’s training for a marathon, they don’t jump in and say “Ok I’m not really a runner but I’m going to run 26 miles tomorrow. Woo! Can’t wait!” No. They’ll build up to that by starting at 1 mile, then 3, and working their way up. They start training months before the big day. They stay motivated by reaching these milestones so when race day comes around and they start to get tired, they can tell themselves “I can do this. I’ve run 20 miles before, I can do 26. Just take this one mile at a time.”
Try and use this mentality for the goals you set in your life. Yes, absolutely strive to reach that larger goal but think about what simple, mini goals you can hit along the way. If you’re goal is to eat cleaner in 2018, that’s great! But guess what? It will be very challenging and sometimes a little discouraging if you go all in. Why not start with making a healthier choice for lunch 3 days out of the week? Once you’ve accomplished that successfully, let’s say for a month, you can move on to adding in something else. Before you know it, it’ll be the end of 2018 and you can look back at all you’ve accomplished.
SPREAD THE WORD
Another helpful tool in reaching your goals is to tell others about it. Something funny happens when you do this. It’s like you can’t back out now, right? What will you tell Bob the next time he asks about it in the elevator? That’s accountability and having support of others will help you along the way. If we go back to the goal of eating cleaner, maybe tell your coworkers about it, so when you all go out for a lunch meeting and you’re eyeing that big juicy burger on the menu, they can talk you off the ledge. Go for the salmon! (thanks Bob)
HELLO, MY NAME IS HUMAN
Our last tip is the best one. Are you ready?
Don’t take this stuff so seriously! We’re humans and sometimes things happen along the way that may derail us. If that happens, don’t be so hard on yourself. Just get back up and keep charging forward. You’ve got this and we’re here to help you along the way.
LET’S DO THIS
So what will your goal be for 2018? And why is it important to you? Why does it matter? Putting some meaning behind it makes it that much more powerful. It may even be helpful to write this down and put it someplace in your home or your your office that you’ll see it.
It’s one thing to have a goal but it’s helpful to put a plan in place to help you reach that goal. Think about these questions:
What is your goal? It can be a personal goal, business related, something having to do with helping others. It can be anything but it should be realistic and attainable. This is also where you can think about why this goal is important to you.
When do you want to accomplish this by? If you don’t set a due date for yourself, it’s really easy to get off track. This is another step in establishing accountability.
In thinking about your goal, what are some small steps (or mini-goals) you can hit along the way to help get you there and when will you complete those by? If you don’t know what those steps are, then guess what? You’re first step is to sit down and think a little bit about what things need to get done or habits may need to change. And set a due date. Give yourself a week to come up with this.
Know that you can not only do this - you can blast right through it. Your are unstoppable so stop with the resolutions and start seeing results. Tell us in the comments below what your goal is for 2018 and let’s do this!
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ABOUT COACH JENNY PIPPIN
Jen is a creative and strategic marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry. Her parents also worked in the industry so growing up, Jen learned early on in life the importance of health, fitness and overall wellness. As she got older, her personal passion for fitness grew and she’s been lucky enough to take that passion in to a career she loves.
Jen has worked in a variety of high-level marketing and operations roles for college recreation centers, health club chains, an international fitness equipment manufacturer, and an international dance fitness franchise with over 7,000 franchisees.
Her passion for helping others live their best life has grown throughout her career and after years in the corporate world, Jen decided to take the leap and “make it official” with her husband, Matt Pippin. She's beyond excited to bring her love for whole food nutrition, coaching and fitness to the team to help clients reach their strength and nutrition goals!
Certifications:
Precision Nutrition Level 1 in Exercise Nutrition
NASM Certified Personal Trainer