Why
Today I thought I’d share the information I provide to my clients the very first week they begin a program with me.
Mindset is THE most important part of a fitness journey. Thoughts affect your feelings which in turn determine your actions or inactions. Getting your mind focused and in the right space is imperative. The foundation of your fitness journey is to be clear on what exactly your goals are, making sure they are realistic and sustainable, determining action steps that will help you reach your goals, identifying what might get in your way, your reasons why, and then how you’ll feel when you reach these goals.
I highly encourage my clients to participate in the weekly worksheets and videos. Providing videos ensure that some insight may be retained vs just reading off a piece of paper, and you are 42% more likely to reach your goals just by writing them down. 42%- that is almost guaranteeing half the success by just writing them down. Also, I believe sometimes you don’t know what you exactly think or how you are really feeling until you are specifically asked and required to write your thoughts/beliefs out. In my first video/worksheet I address these core topics:
#1 – goals- I like to think of goals as an analogy - you are on a boat – in the middle of the ocean. If you don’t know where you want to steer your ship, where will it go? If you are in the ocean and don’t know where you are headed you will just stay still treading water or end up who knows where. Establishing exactly where you want to be will assist in creating your action plan (how to reach your goals) Long term goals are where you would like to be in a years time and short term would be in 4 weeks. When I meet up with clients I’ll go over their goals and making sure they are realistic and sustainable. Most times, it’s not what they want to hear. Everyone would prefer to hear, yes you can lost 20# in 3 weeks. Yes, you can eat whatever you want and not exercise and get that six pack. But we all know what is more realistic and healthy.
#2 – Actions steps - these are what you think you need and can do in order to reach your specific goals. For instance, start exercising x amount per week. Try cutting back on soft drinks.
#3 – foreseen struggles – here are things that have prevented you from reaching your goals in the past. Maybe you know there are things that may come up that will affect your progress. Maybe even dealing with mental mind drama with the scale, all or nothing attitude, or limiting beliefs could be the future culprits. Recognizing what may get in the way, will help us to establish strategic plans to combat these issues when they arise.
#4 – why – here we get into the roots to why you want to reach your goal… Yes you want to lose weight, get fit, tone up – but why? maybe more confidence, pride, comfortable in your clothing, more energy, etc.
#5 – associated feelings/thoughts – completing this portion will make this journey wake up some of the positive emotions and thoughts and help you to feel/believe that it is possible. Also, understanding how you will feel/think/act once you get there will instill a deeper desire to reach your goal. So, how would you think/feel/act when you ultimately reach your final goal. Maybe you’ll feel successful, accomplished, believe you can do anything, maybe you’ll stand a little bit taller, you will carry yourself with pride, maybe you’ll be wearing different clothing that makes you feel even better about yourself, maybe you’ll be participating in different hobbies?
Below are the questions from the first worksheet – I encourage you to answer the following (writing them out of course).
Let this be the start of your journey – or if you have already started, let this be a start to engrain mindset building into your program.
1) List your long term goals: (1 year from now) 2) List your Short term goals (1-2 months):
3) List the actions items you’ll need to take in order for you to reach your short term goals:
4) List what might get in your way during this journey:
5) List your why, your reasons for wanting to reach these goals
6) List the feelings/emotions/thoughts you’ll feel when you reached these goals: