It’s that special time of year when you can’t turn around without hearing and seeing people proclaiming, “New Year, New Me!”. The fresh page of a new year tends to have a revitalising effect on the human mindset, with many resolutions being made without a second thought.
The issue is, resolutions also place additional stress on our shoulders. You’ve told everyone this is your year and now you’re terrified of failure.
The key to maintaining your 2020 goals, lies in smart goal setting and EFM are here to show you how.
Here are our top tips for powering through your 2020 goals:
It’s great to go in guns blazing into a new routine, but you may end up overdoing it if you approach it with too much gusto and not enough thought. First and foremost, set SMART goals. Give yourself the best chance at accomplishing your 2020 goals by making them:
S – Specific M – Measurable A – Achievable R – Realistic T – Timely
Not sure what a SMART goal is? A SMART goal could be to run a half marathon by May 2020. The important thing to remember is that your goal has to be specific to you, so it won’t be the same for everyone. It is important to factor in key aspects of your lifestyle to determine whether this goal will be achievable. For example, if you don’t train regularly or lead a healthy lifestyle, it may be more difficult for you to achieve that goal than someone who does. Determining SMART goals that are relevant to you is the first step to creating achievable 2020 goals.
The key to achieving your goals is to plan for the long term. Set gradual daily, weekly or monthly goals to get you there.
If you’re aiming to eat healthier in the lead up to your half marathon, try to go a whole day without succumbing to temptation, then three days, then a week and so on. Don’t tell yourself you can’t have it ever again, just say “today I can’t, but if I feel like it tomorrow I can.” You’re tricking your mind into not reacting with fear to the prospect of “never again”, and you may find the next day you don’t even feel like it anyway
If you’re wanting to increase your training in preparation for your half marathon, try to introduce it into your routine gradually. Your body - just like your mind - needs time to adjust to the concept of regular movement. Don’t put pressure on yourself to hit the footpath striding like Usain Bolt in your first week in your runners. We all have to crawl before we can walk, and that applies to adults as well. Download a great fitness app or invest in a Fitbit and set a daily step goal or calories burnt goal to achieve. Experts recommend 10,000 steps a day should be the average we all fit in. Start off by walking and just get going. Before long you’ll feel up to a light jog and voila - one day you’ll be running like a pro!
It doesn’t hurt to motivate yourself with a few incentives, as a reward for achieving your goals. This could be a new set of earphones to play your favourite tunes while you work out or a power pack to keep your phone fully charged. At EFM we stock a range of mobile accessories that will help you to Power Through your 2020 goals:
Find us online at myefm.com or us instore at: