You probably need to rewrite your goals - go all the way back to the drawing board and do it again.

The sad truth is that most people give up on their goals by the end of January, feel like a failure, and have yet to experience a body that feels really good.

And the reason most people don’t accomplish their goals is not because of motivation, or lack of coaching, or lack of time… it’s because they set the wrong goals in the first place. They were doomed before they ever even started.

So, while everyone else is moving on and no longer talking about goals, let’s rewrite your goals right now and get you to the finish line this year.

First Month Down

It’s already January 21, how are those goals going so far?

Three weeks ago, everyone was talking about goals. Every single podcast episode, every social media post, every blog post, on the news, everywhere. Goals, goals, goals.

• Most people talk about goals in the beginning of the year but then forget about it and move on, never revisiting it.
• We scratch that itch, absorb all the emotions from being highly motivated, get the dopamine hit so we feel like we did something worthwhile, and then drop it and move on with life.

I made it my mission to clean out our closet and get things better organized. I’ve got some clutter in there that’s driving me nuts, old clothes that I can get rid of, and on and on. I saw all the commercials for bins and organizing tools, and in my mind I was like “YES - I’m going to do this.”

• But it never really materialized out of my brain, it just stayed as an idea or in the category of “I really should do that…” and my closet still drives me nuts every time I walk into it.

Not An Isolated Problem

Obviously, it’s not just me. January 10th this year - the second Friday of the year - was called National Quitter’s Day

Most habits fizzle by Day 10! And we especially struggle with sticking to our goals in the health category

Most adults have committed to 126 diets over the course of their lifetime - that’s a lot of quitting!! The majority of adults are currently unhealthy and are not on a good trajectory

The obesity rates in America are higher than they’ve ever been, risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other life-threating health issues are higher than ever, and even non-life threatening body issues are plaguing adults:

• 54 million adults suffer from back pain
• 1 in 5 adults have some form of arthritis
• An estimated 10 million people have osteoporosis, and about 43 million others have low bone density, placing them at risk for developing osteoporosis

What do you think the odds are that a large majority of these individuals have made health goals for their body and somehow struggled to follow through? Maybe you’re one of them.

The reason that most people FAIL to achieve their goals isn’t because they didn’t have enough motivation, or didn’t have the time, or didn’t have the coaching…

…they set the wrong goals in the first place.

Let’s Learn How to Create Achievable Goals

One) Make sure you have an outcome goal and behavior goals that support it

What most people don’t know is that when you create a goal, you can’t just make one goal. You actually need to create several goals at once.

• Outcome Goal - What’s the big thing that you want to accomplish?
  • “I want to lose 20 pounds this year.” Great!
• Behavior Goals - What are the smaller things you need to do on a regular basis that will get you to that goal? This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where 99% of your focus will be.
  • “I’m going to eat PRO’s at 90% of my meals each week, and I’m going to move my body somehow every single day, and I’m going to do a workout 3 days a week.”

Two) Make sure your goal is as specific as possible

• A common goal: “I want to lose weight this year”.
  • This is far too vague. How would you know if you’re on the right track?
  • How much weight? Is it just scale weight or is it a clothes size, or body fat percentage?
  • A better goal: “I want to lose 15 pounds of body fat this year, and gain 5 pounds of muscle mass for a 10 pound difference on the scale and one pants size.”
• A common goal: “I want to eat better this year.”
  • And what does it actually mean to “eat better”? Will you eat vegetables at every meal? Are you going to eat more slowly?
  • Also, why do you want to eat better? This goal actually feels like a behavior goal - something that you would do to help you get to something else.
  • A better goal: “I want to have only one intentional splurge per day and at all other meals have protein and produce and eat to 80% fullness.”
• A common goal: “I want to workout more.”
  • What does that look like? What are you going to consider a workout? What’s more? Once a week? Three times a week?
  • A better goal: “I’m going to go for a minimum 10 minute walk every day at lunch, and then do 3 30-minute long strength training workouts each week on M, W, and F at 9am.”

Three) Keep simplifying it until you’re a 9 or 10 out 10 on the confidence scale

• Maybe you got through step one and two, you created some good outcome goals and behavior goals for yourself, and you got super specific with it, but you’re still not getting it done.
• You probably made your goals too lofty.
• If I were to look at your goals and say, “Great! Now on a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to actually follow through and do this? Be honest.”
• If your answer is anything less than a 9 or 10 out of 10, go back and start slicing and dicing until you can get yourself there.

“I want to lose 15 pounds of body fat this year, and gain 5 pounds of muscle mass for a 10 pound difference on the scale and one pants size. And in order to do this, I’m going to have only one intentional splurge per day and at all other meals have protein and produce and eat to 80% fullness. I’m going to go for a minimum 10 minute walk every day at lunch, and then do 3 30-minute long strength training workouts each week on M, W, and F at 9am.”

Wow, this actually sounds like a lot. So, how can we make this easier for you?

In Real Life

One of my friends, Lauren, used to set fitness goals every single January like “get in shape” or “work out every day,” but they always fizzled out right about now. She felt like a failure every year.

Then, last year - she changed her approach. Instead of vague goals, she got specific:

• She got really clear on what she actually wanted to accomplish - her big outcome goal. (For her, she wanted to have more muscle and decrease her body fat percentage from 30% to 25%.)
• Then she got crystal clear on her behavior goals or daily actions. (Her plan was to walk for 15 minutes every day and do 3 stretches when she got back in the door, strength train twice a week, and eat meals that always had PRO’s.)
• She made sure these felt doable, like a 9 out of 10 on the confidence scale.

This time, she stuck with it—and by summer, she felt stronger, more energetic, and her clothes were already fitter better, she could see some muscle, and most importantly, she was finally confident in her ability to achieve her goals!

Big Takeaways

Revisit the goals that you have for your health this year. Rewrite them with these steps in mind:

1. Create an OUTCOME goal and BEHAVIOR goals that will get you there
2. Be as specific as possible
3. Simplify it and continue to break it down so it’s easy enough that you’re a 9/10 on the confidence scale

More Resources & Links

The Jumpstart 30 Program for Beginners - Jumpstart your health & fitness journey with Megan’s signature 30-day program for true beginners!

FREE Weekly Jumpstart Newsletter! Master your midlife health in just 3 minutes a week with this easy-to-read newsletter

FREE 5-Day Core Tune Up - A free mini-course to dramatically improve your functional core strength, create better alignment, and relieve back and hip pain for good!

Need help getting started! Get Megan’s FREE 5-Day Jumpstart Tips guide!

The Back & Hip Fix 30-day program - Reduce your chronic back & hip pain in less than 10 minutes a day!

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