Have you ever felt suddenly inspired? “I am going to lose weight!” or “This year, my whole diet is going to change for the better.” But then… things do not go according to plan. You end up feeling discouraged, frustrated and feeling like you aren’t able to change.

Let’s chat about why you may be struggling to reach those goals!

1. Remember that Life HappensOne thing I constantly tell my clients is to remember that “life happens.” You can make the perfect workout plan or nutrition plan and have every good intention of sticking to the plan 100%, but that does not mean you will. Why? Well, life has a way of creating chaos: kids get sick, work calls last longer than planned, you get stuck in traffic because of construction or you get sick and can only keep down white crackers and Gatorade. When obstacles or unplanned detours come in the way of your roadmap to your goal, accept the obstacle, see if you can plan around it or make adjustments, but do not feel like you have failed or need to start over. Overcoming obstacles and pushing through life’s challenges will make reaching that goal so much more empowering. Do not take a bump in the road as a sign of failure or feel like you need to quit, it is simply a growth spurt.
2. Not setting clear goals“I want to lose weight”“I want more muscle”All of these are goals but they are lacking some details. With weight loss, how much? How do we measure your success with more muscle? How specific you get with your goals is up to you, but it’s important to include some level of detail in order for you to be able to track your progress, and to know exactly what you are working towards. One acronym that’s helpful when deciding on your goals is SMART.
   • SPECIFIC
   • MEASUREABLE
   • ATTAINABLE
   • REALISTIC
   • TIMELY
3. Expecting immediate resultsChange takes time. Change that you want to maintain, takes a bit longer. I’m sure you have seen ads that say “lose 10lbs in 10 days!” Can you lose 10lbs in 10 days? Possibly. Is it good for you? No. Will the weight stay off? More than likely, no. Quick fixes do not yield long term results. Instead they satisfy our need for immediate gratification. What this does in the long term is set you up for a cycle of weight loss/weight gain. This cycle of up, down, up, down is not good for your body, especially women, because our hormones can get wonky through this process. In addition, this cycle can also cause negative feelings towards food and exercise.

Next steps:

Take time to reflect on past goals that you did not complete and see what caused the disruptions. You should also review goals you have reached (finished your degree, saved up for a house, etc.) and see what helped you complete those goals. Having self awareness is so important when it comes to wanting to create sustainable change.

Have more questions? Leave us a comment below about goal setting and we will get back to you!