Setting a Monthly Health/Fitness Goal (+Printable Planner)
Planning is so helpful in being successful, especially if you’re like me: Sometimes I find myself so completely overwhelmed by all the things I want to do and accomplish right this instant that I end up being almost paralyzed and not getting anything done. Do you ever feel that way? When I have one task on my mind, I’ll see it through to the end and get it done quickly. When I have a million tasks to do, I get so stressed and don’t even know where to start and I usually end up … taking a nap. Seriously. I cope with overly ambitious to-do lists by doing the least productive thing possible. Go me.
It’s a work in progress, but to avoid this, I find it’s best to break down a big goal into smaller goals and focus on one step at a time. Multitasking is great to an extent, but rather than chipping away at multiple projects at once, it’s a lot more satisfying to give myself one or two smaller projects a day and immediately see them through to completion.
Planning to Achieve a Monthly Goal
STEP 1 | Pick a goal that’s realistic to achieve in a month’s time.
If you’re new to running, don’t set out to finish a marathon in four weeks. If you’re 100lbs overweight, don’t challenge yourself to lose it all this month. When it comes to transforming our bodies and lifestyle, slow change is often the most sustainable type of change.
STEP 2 | Identify the challenges you’ll face.
This is important! Take some time for honest self-reflection. What’s prevented you from achieving this goal in the past? What aspects of your life (crazy work schedule, bad habits, social calendar) are going to make achieving your goal difficult? Identify the speed bumps you’ll encounter so that you can plan ahead to avoid them. Keep these in mind as you complete step four.
STEP 3 | Break your month goal into four weekly stepping-stone goals.
If you’re participating in the DietBet, this is easy: each week set a goal of 1% weight loss. Similarly, if your challenge is to drink a gallon of water a day or stretch for 20 minutes a day before bed, your weekly stepping stone goals can be the same each week (“drink 7 gallons of water”; “stretch for 20 minutes every day this week”). If the challenge you set for yourself is based on mastering a specific skill or completing a large task, then it’ll take a little more thought in determining where you want your progress to be by the end of each week.
For example, my goal of learning to hold a handstand unassisted could be broken down into these four weekly goals:
- Week 1: Be able to hold a handstand with feet supported against wall, using a spotter to help me get into the pose.
- Week 2: Be able to kick up unassisted into a handstand with feet supported against wall.
- Week 3: Be able to hold a handstand without a wall for support, using a spotter to help me get into the pose.
- Week 4: Be able to kick up unassisted into a handstand without a wall for support.
I’m scared just typing that. Is it too late to change my month’s challenge??
STEP 4 | Make a list of what it’ll take to achieve each week’s goal.
Keep in mind your list of challenges! For example, if you’re participating in the DietBet and know that one of your personal issues with losing weight is your tendency to snack on sugary foods late at night, maybe you prepare for that by keeping carrot and celery sticks in the refrigerator. Write down on your list for each week: If I get the urge to snack on sweets after dinner, I’ll opt for raw veggie sticks instead at least five nights this week. If you know you lose motivation to workout after a long day at the office, maybe you add “sign up for three 6AM bootcamp classes at my gym” to your weekly list.
Possible DietBet example
When you’re writing out how you’ll achieve each weekly stepping stone, be realistically ambitious. Feed off the excitement and initial motivation of taking on a new challenge, but know that nothing goes completely as planned. Make sure to allot for a little wiggle room so that you don’t end up feeling guilty and being hard on yourself for little “slip ups” (aka life).
STEP 5 | Plan the week ahead.
I try to plan no more than a week at a time because things come up and schedules change. This is where you get specific. On Tuesday I’m going to the 6AM yoga class at my gym. On Sunday I’m meal planning for the following week. On Wednesday I’m packing a lunch for work to avoid unhealthy food at the company’s catered meeting.
DietBet goal example continued from above image
I like to use my at-a-glance planner, I know a lot of people use their smart phone’s calendar, and I’ve also created a downloadable daily to-do list for each week that you can print off if that is more your cup of tea.
STEP 6 | Pick a reward.
Succeeding in your month goal is reward enough, but it never hurts to dangle a carrot in front of your nose either. If you’re doing the DietBet, your reward is getting to split the pot with the other winners. I’ll also be hosting a giveaway each week for everyone who hits their weekly stepping-stone goals. But since there’s no guarantee you’ll win the giveaway, pick a reward you’ll give yourself at the end of the month as well. I’ve been eyeing a ton of cute workout gear at Lululemon lately, so if I can nail my handstand by the end of the challenge, I’m going to treat myself to an outfit.
Printable Monthly Health/Fitness Goal Planner
CLICK TO VIEW PDF AND DOWNLOAD
You can simply follow the steps I’ve outlined above and jot down your game plan in whatever form of planner you currently use or, if you’re looking for something separate, I’ve put together a month’s guide to crushing whatever goal you’re setting out on. Click above to view the printable PDF. You’ll then have the option to download (it shouldn’t do it automatically if you’re worried about being on a work computer).
If you’re going to play along with the weekly giveaways and set a health & fitness goal this month, leave a comment and let me know what your challenge is! Knowing what everyone is shooting for will help me create relevant content all month long.
