Set Loftier (& Smarter) Goals

Long story short, I failed. But I’m also doing better than ever!

Almost exactly one month ago, I wrote a post called Developing and Maintaining Habits. In this post, I talked about my ultimate quest to develop a fitness habit. I said that my goal was to walk 30 minutes every morning for the next month (until July 28th to be exact). It lasted 2 days.

So what went wrong?

My major fault was setting too simple and too difficult of a goal at once.

While I am not in phenomenal shape, I can probably walk for 30 minutes without breaking much of a sweat. So… Mistake #1: There was really no physically challenging aspect of this goal. I realized that at the end of the month I wasn’t going to see or feel any huge changes to my body or my fitness, so I began to feel like my daily walk wasn’t a priority.

My First Solution: Find a more difficult, yet still attainable, goal.

After about a week of doing absolutely nothing in terms of physical activity, I stumbled upon a 12-week couch to 5k to half-marathon running plan. I decided right then and there to print the plan and started it the very next day. That was 2-weeks ago.

This plan starts out very simple, so it feels challenging but not overwhelming. Each week is designed to have you run 4 days, cross train 2 days, and rest 1 day. Three of the weekly runs are for time, meaning that it doesn’t matter how far you run, and one of the weekly runs is for distance, meaning that you run for as long is it takes to hit X milage. The first week, the runs were each 30 minutes, but you start out alternating between running 2 minutes and walking 4 minutes. This week (week 3 for me) my runs will range from 35 minutes to 4 miles. Typically, once a week a replace one of the runs with a long-distance hike. Even though I do all of my running on dirt trails, it is still good to mix things up and explore new trails. This gives me something to look forward to each week, knowing that I wont be running the same route every run. Hiking also works your leg muscles differently than running on flat surfaces, so I’m hoping that this will keep my muscles fresh and help me avoid overuse injuries. Finally, for the cross training days, I typically browse Twitter for images or links to various body-weight exercise routines. Again, this allows for some variety and ensures that I am not working the same muscles every workout.

I have also noticed that having the plan printed out and having each day clearly outlined is extremely helpful for keeping me accountable. I know what I have to do; I do what I have to to get it done each day; and then I mark an “X” over each box as soon as I have finished my workout. For me, it is a major point of pride to go back and see all of the X’s and reflect on what I have accomplished so far.

So what was my second mistake?

I never mentioned this fact in the initial post, but my original plan was to wake up each morning at 6 a.m. to walk. So… Mistake #2: Trying to change too much at once. Prior to this point, I was waking up naturally (without an alarm) most mornings between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. — a far reach from 6 a.m. So when I think back on it, I wasn’t just trying to create/change just one habit, I was really trying to create/change two habits.

My Second Solution: Focus on one habit at a time.

While I would love to wake up earlier, I now know that I am not ready for that much change. Right now, my primary focus is on fitness. Perhaps if I can remain consistent for another two or three weeks, I will be ready to focus on the habit of waking up earlier. But for now, I will continue to allow myself to wake up naturally and plan my running accordingly.

To summarize:

1.) Find a goal that seems to be just out of reach yet is still attainable. It will keep you motivated far more than a simple goal.

2.) Find a workout plan, print it out, and place an “X” over workout you have completed. In just a few weeks you will be able to look back at your accomplishments with pride.

3.) Focus on this one habit before starting the next one. Nothing will be more detrimental to your success than attempting to change too much at once.