Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Summary
On episode 624 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan continues his six part series on building the best you with part three, the blueprint. This episode covers how to turn a vision into a written plan using what he calls A-SMART goals: action, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.
Allan argues that most people fail because they set goals around outcomes they cannot fully control, like a number on the scale, instead of the actions that actually drive those outcomes.
He also covers why writing goals down, keeping them visible, and sharing them with people who can support and hold you accountable makes them far more likely to stick.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com/club
Key Takeaways
- Write A-SMART goals, not just SMART goals. Allan adds a second A for action to the standard SMART model, because he believes goals need to start with something you actually do.
- Focus goals on actions you control, not outcomes you don't. You can't fully control what the scale says week to week, but you can control what you eat and how much you move, so build goals around the behavior, not the result.
- Make the action specific. “I'm going to run this month” isn't a goal. Naming the course, the distance, and how many times a week turns it into one.
- Make the action measurable. Define exactly what success looks like, like two servings of vegetables at every meal, so you can tell whether you actually did it.
- Make the goal attainable. Don't write a goal you have no realistic shot at hitting, like running 100 miles in a week with no base fitness. Overreaching goals just set you up to quit.
- Make the goal relevant to your actual vision. A goal that doesn't connect to what you're really trying to build, like training for a five mile kayak trip when your real goal is weight loss, pulls focus from what matters.
- Give every goal a time bound. Open-ended goals don't create urgency. A deadline, like two resistance workouts every week this month, is what keeps you emotionally engaged.
- Write your goals down, keep them visible, and share them with people who can hold you accountable. Writing changes your odds of success, keeping the goal somewhere you'll see it daily reinforces it, and sharing it with people who are involved or who can support you taps into the human drive to stay consistent with what we say we'll do.
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 625 – Building the best you – part 4 of 6
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 624
Published: 2024-01-09
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): —, our co-host, Coach Rachel
Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube (audio only)