expert think tank goal makers · 2020. 3. 19. · management and kinesiology, nasm, gym jones...

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thrive

HAS YOUR NEW YEAR GLOW WELL AND TRULY WORN OFF, RESULTING IN A SERIOUS LACK OF

MOTIVATION? THIS MONTH, OUR EXPERT PANEL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF GOAL

SETTING TO REIGNITE YOUR FIRE AND MAXIMISE

YOUR RESULTS. INTERVIEWS: KATELYN SWALLOW

GOAL

ALEXA TOWERSEYPersonal Trainer and founder of Creating Curvesalexatowersey.com // @actionalexa

QUALS: BSc Biology and Psychology, Post Grad Dip. Sports Management and Kinesiology, NASM, Gym Jones certified instructor, Precision Nutrition, Bio Signature

EXPERIENCE: 15+ years

EXPERT THINK TANK

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SOFIA TOUMBASMaster Trainerthethaigress.com // @thethaigress

QUALS: Master Trainer (Cert III & IV Fitness)


DANIEL TRAMONTANAVision PT Master Trainervisionpt.com.au/studios/brighton // facebook.com/daniel.tramontana

QUALS: Vision Master Trainer, IAPC Certified, MP Level 3 Transformation Specialist.


ALICIA GOWANS Founder and head coach Ally’s Angels & Alphasallysangels.com.au // @allysangels_fitness

QUALS: Qualified personal trainer and sports nutritionist, WBFF Pro Fitness Diva


TRAVIS ‘TJ’ JONESTrainer and founder of Result Based Training gymsrbtgyms.com

QUALS: Cert 3 and 4 in fitness, C.H.E.K Institute Certified Coach, Poliquin Level 3, AOK Health Corrective Exercise Specialist, FMA Strength Institute Level 3, Australian Strength Coach Level 2


TOWERSEYOne of my core philosophies is ‘train for your objective’. If you don’t know what you are trying to achieve, then how do you formulate a plan of attack and how do you measure your success? Training for fat loss is different from training to put on lean muscle; training for strength is different from training for an endurance event.

A good majority of people allow themselves to be satisfied with merely exercising – training with no set purpose. They go to the gym to ‘tick that box’ and get instant gratification. However a valid goal doesn’t need to be body composition, weight loss, lifting PB’s or even performing in a specific sport. A valid goal could be the commitment of turning up to the gym five days a week for a month. From my experience, it’s often simple goals like this, especially in the beginning, that can create habits that last a lifetime. My key tips:

» Take the stress out of the situation and invest in a coach who understands what is required for you to reach your goals. You don’t have to know everything, find someone who does. Being overwhelmed by information (‘paralysis by analysis’), can kill a goal before it’s even off the ground.

» Be accountable to somebody or something other than yourself. Keep a lifestyle diary that allows you to identify any limiting factors outside of the gym, track

your food in My Fitness Pal to bring your awareness to what you’re putting in your mouth, hire a personal trainer who will charge you if you cancel a session or join an online program with a social media community that will encourage you to share your journey while supporting others.

» Enjoy the process. This doesn’t mean that you have to look forward to every workout, or enjoy every meal, but you do need a certain amount of buy-in to stay committed. Before and after photos are a powerful tool. Most of my clients get excited by what they can ‘see’. Visual cues are very powerful, and noticing significant changes in your own body is often motivation enough to keep going. If aesthetics aren’t your thing, dial in to what excites you – whether that be running a six minute mile, deadlifting double your bodyweight or achieving your first pull-up.

» Understand the difference between motivation and discipline. I can guarantee you won’t always feel motivated to train, but you don’t need to be. Motivation doesn’t get you results, discipline does. Day in and day out, you just need to turn up and get the work done. If motivation is an ongoing struggle for you, I suggest finding a good pre-workout that will pump you up (I use FitMiss Ignite), downloading a new playlist (I have Power Workout by Spotify), and visualise yourself and how good you’ll feel after you finish.

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TOUMBASGoal setting is a large part of how I operate as a trainer and as a coach. I teach the importance of setting short- and long-term goals with athletes because it’s a very effective tool to have. However, my focus is not necessarily on the outcome of the goal itself, but the progression in skills acquisition and particular character attributes.

The first issue I find is that too many clients and athletes have goals that are not necessarily their own. I often get, ‘my friend is competing so I thought I’d give it a go’ or similar; I consider it a disservice to leave it at that and allow this client to continue. The reason why many people lose sight of their goal or motivation is because the goal they chose does not mean as much to them as it should. They may not have realised the intrinsic drive for them to accomplish what they set out to, or it may not exist yet – so I make it my job to help them find it. ‘Fitspo’ pictures on social media can only inspire so much and if the individual does not understand why their goal is so important to them, they will inevitably slow down.

Identifying one specific goal to work towards is paramount. We find that people have many goals, but a split focus will not necessarily help them achieve any of them well. Prioritising goals based on intrinsic motivators (what you really want) is key to success.

I tend to focus on development of attributes such as discipline, commitment and hard work. By acknowledging the practice of these, my clients begin to believe they have the ability to achieve their goal, and self-belief is an incredibly important fuel for anyone’s fire. The client begins to realise that the real rewards are the attributes they have developed and practiced that will ensure their goal is reached; they will have actually accomplished a lot more than the medal they receive or the praise they attain by achieving said goal. Plus they will have developed some foundational tools to make the next goal easier to achieve. By focusing on skill development, I enable clients to realise their personal achievements before they even get to their goal. Maybe they lacked commitment, and suddenly they went to the gym on a day they couldn’t be bothered, or they showed resilience in the face of failure. Regardless of the outcome, they have already won which drives them to believe they are actually capable of success.

JONESBrian Tracy wrote: ‘Your ability to set goals is the master skill of success...Without goals, you simply drift and flow on the currents of life. With goals, you fly like an arrow, straight to your target.”

It’s true. Goals hold you accountable. Goals create commitment. And goals give you the motivation and confidence to go after your dreams. It doesn’t matter if you’re struggling to lose those last five kilos of ‘stubborn fat’ or if you are looking to drop the first 20 kilos that are harming your health and your future, you must set goals. They are the fuel in the furnace of success.

Unfortunately, the art of goal setting is rarely taught. So what makes a good goal and how do we set goals? According

to research, there are five fundamentals for successful goal setting. Goals should be:

» PERSONAL: your goals should be in harmony with your inner values. Or as best-selling author Stephen Covey once said: “Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.” One of the best questions to ask when you’re setting goals is: ‘What do I really want?’

» SPECIFIC: the most successful goals are specific. Such goals keep you motivated and steer your actions in the right direction. It is also easier to measure your progress when you have a clear sense of the outcome. So don’t say, ‘I want to lose weight.’ Instead say, ‘I want to drop my body fat percentage from 31% to 24% within six months.’

» CHALLENGING: of course, remain realistic. So don’t say you want abs in a month if you’re 20 kilos overweight. But don’t be


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TRAMONTANASTEP ONE: IDENTIFY VALUES.When working with clients to set goals, it’s important the desired outcome is consistent with their top values in order for the goal to be considered reachable or realistic. If it’s not, the likelihood of achieving that goal is minimal to none.

STEP TWO: BE PRECISE. Our brains can help us achieve almost anything. But first the brain needs to know precisely what it is aiming for – precisely being the key word. For example, ‘I just want to be happy’ or ‘I just want to feel better’ are vague, broad and hard to measure, making them poor goals. To achieve a particular outcome in either area is only a temporary state and not really a definitive achievement. Instead, be clear: ‘I will run 10km in 45 minutes’ or ‘I will lose 10kg for my wedding in March 2018’.

STEP THREE: CHOOSE PROCESS OVER OUTCOME GOALS.People often opt for outcome goals: goals that focus on the outcome or results of a contest (e.g. winning a bikini comp or coming first in a running race). On the other hand, process goals focus on improving your performance relative to previous, and are often far more beneficial. Usually when it comes to competitions we have only partial control over the outcome as there are so many variables at play. If your goals are viewed only in the context of wins and losses, you may feel like you’ve failed even if you give your best possible performance. Better goals look to improvement, not ‘perfection’.

STEP FOUR: MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS REGULARLY.The more progress you see yourself making, the more motivated and confident you will feel about reaching your goal. Weekly weigh-ins, photos, measurements or other data collection are good tools. Whatever works for you, make sure you measure regularly and always celebrate your progress. It’s also important that you stay committed to assessing and altering your goals when needed

STEP FIVE: SET GOALS, NOT EXPECTATIONS.Setting goals is critical both in sports and life but you need to remember that goals should not become expectations – expectations can weigh you down. It’s one thing to have a goal and work toward it; it’s another – not so healthy – thing to place high expectations on yourself.

Rigid expectation firstly sets yourself up for a win/lose situation: you either meet your expectations or you don’t. Secondly, if you don’t achieve those expectations, it’s easy to question your abilities, causing you to become frustrated with your progress, discouraging you from further goal setting and resulting in damaging behaviour.

Instead of doing something and expecting a certain result or outcome, make that result a potential reality by setting specific and timely goals around the tasks or behaviours required to achieve the outcome. So instead of ‘I must win that bikini competition’, try ‘I must eat six precisely prepared meals for seven days straight this week and complete four intense workouts by Friday.’

afraid to go for goals that push you outside your comfort zone. If you think about your goals, they should give you a tingling sensation in your stomach. Such goals not only motivate you, but they also give you a strong feeling of competence when you succeed.

» WRITTEN DOWN: the act of putting your goals on paper creates a stance. According to Dr. Robert Cialdini, once we’ve taken a stance, we have a deep desire to be consistent with it. The goal becomes a part of us.

» TIME-BOUND: You have to set a deadline. It forces you to take action, holds you accountable and makes it easier for you to measure progress. So take out the diary or whiteboard marker, make it the screen saver on your phone or even write them in eyeliner on your mirror. However you choose to set and document your goals is your decision. But the decision to not document your goals – that’s a fear of failure. That is what ultimately holds us back from success: that little voice in your head ‘what if I fail’. It’s time to step-up and set some big goals. You may fail – but if you follow these steps, you may just succeed.



GOWANSA good goal is a goal that motivates you and that you see value in – which often means it has a ‘bigger reason’ than simple aesthetics. Any goal you set must relate to the higher priorities in your life and needs to be relevant to the direction you want your life to go.

People think that goals are simple to make, and in part they are; achieving them can be more challenging. This is where the ‘bigger reason’ is so important, as it takes commitment, discipline and self-belief to realise any goal. Picking a goal that creates a sense of urgency and an ‘I must do this’ attitude is key to staying the course.

The most common problems I see with clients when it comes to achieving their goals is people letting their emotions get the better of them, and falling into the trap of making excuses or over-thinking. Generally it’s a cocktail of fear, uncertainty, shame and doubt that derails even the most well planned goals. Emotions are powerful and, if left unchecked, can have you demotivated and reaching for the Tim-Tams before you know it. The best way to deal with emotions is to observe them and not get caught in the whirl-wind of how they make you feel. If you are feeling demotivated or like you won’t achieve your goal, it probably has a lot to do with what you are saying to yourself. You need to question your own self-limiting beliefs and explore the why – particularly if you have repetitive patterns of self-sabotage or failing to achieve your goals.

Mid-year is always a tough time of year for staying true to your goals: the weather is colder, it gets darker earlier and people seem to find more reasons to ditch their goals. This is also the time of year where people who have not planned their goals well, or who don’t have goals that are important to them, start to run into trouble. The shine of the New Year has worn off, the goal is not as fresh and you really have to dig deep. The best way to correct a mid-year goal slump is to have an action plan that outlines the steps to achieving your goals. This plan should be written out and revisited regularly, and be somewhere you can tick off the small wins. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking a goal is set and forget – when in reality, goal setting and achievement is an ongoing process that should be aligned to what you want your life to look like.

How do you go about goal setting? There is a lot of literature out there about the best way to set goals, but I have personally always used the S.M.A.R.T principle for my clients.

» SPECIFIC – goals need to be clear and well defined. You want to lose weight, that’s fantastic: how much? What do you want your physique to look like?

» MEASURABLE – you need a goal that allows you to measure progress. Saying I want to get fit isn’t enough. Do you want to be able to complete 20 push-ups? Run 5 km? Lose 5 kg? Being able to measure progress, allows you to maintain progression and celebrate the small wins.

» ATTAINABLE – a goal that is beyond capable achievement will derail you before you even start. If you have a big goal, say to run a marathon, break your goal into smaller goals. Focus on reaching 5 km, 10 km and so on. Before you know it, you will be well on your way.

» RELEVANT – a goal should be relevant to the direction you want your life, career or health to take. Naturally, if your

goal is at opposite ends of what you want for your life, then achieving it is going to be unrealistic. You will be working your butt off and going nowhere fast.

» TIME BOUND – your goal should have a deadline. Deadlines are important because they create a sense of urgency and the ‘I must do this now’ attitude that is important in goal attainment. If you don’t have a deadline, then your goal will fall into the space of ‘one day’ or ‘tomorrow’.

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expert think tank goal makers · 2020. 3. 19. · management and kinesiology, nasm, gym jones...

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