Goals
It was interesting being a part of the accountability group this week. It became really important to me to meet the goals I had set and I pushed myself a lot harder with the added peer pressure. I ran on Wednesday and then actually (almost) met my mileage goal of 15 miles, total, with two Zumba classes. Today I needed to run nine miles to meet my mileage goal and, in my opinion, I definitely got close enough!
It made me really think about goals and how powerful they can be. I have the meta goals in mind, all the time, and hope that those with guide me. However, after returning to keeping the goals for the week in the forefront of my mind really drove me a lot harder. I wasn’t as willing to let myself off the hook and did things I didn’t want to do just to meet the goals.
When I started the group, I looked up guidance for goal asking and found an acronym to keep your goals ‘smart’:
Specific – Rather than “go running,” say “run ten miles this week.”
Measurable – Can you tell when you have achieved the goal? I know whether or not I make my mileage!
Attainable – The goal should be achievable (even if it’s a stretch). More than 30 miles becomes a time issue for me to do weekly.
Relevant – Each small goal should relate to whatever your bigger goals are. I want to be healthy and live longer.
Time-bound – Be clear when you will complete each goal. I make my goals in weeklong increments, guided by bigger time markers like ‘end of the school year’, or ‘by Christmas.’
This made me realize that I was relying on habit and long distance goals to guide me. I didn’t have quantifiable, measurable goals; they were too ambiguous. I wasn’t holding myself accountable and, as a result, I haven’t been making progress in the fat loss area like I want to. I’m more pleased than I thought I would be with the accountability group. I really and truly think it’s making a positive difference in my life!
This week my goal is dialed back in the running area. I have a 15k on Saturday night so I want utmost healing to happen before then. I am running just once or twice and I’ll also dance Zumba on Tuesday and Thursday. In addition to the working out, I’m stopping night eating, drinking more water and trying to wean myself off of the diet coke even more. I’m also off but I’ll confess to a two liter purchased for Mother’s Day!