Achieving Success: The Importance of Goal Setting
One of the top reasons people do not return to the gym based off of an online search is people not seeing results, and not seeing them quickly enough. In a previous post I used an example on how motivation is only the spark to a flame, and that cultivating consistency is what keeps that flame going. Essentially, my argument was that the idea of “constant” motivation was a myth, and that the secret to success involves consistency. However, I want to expand on this and widen your perspective on how to better support your goals. I want to help you discover ways that will create a desire for you to return to the gym, aiding in that process of forging consistency. Many people fixate over a number on a scale, but there are so many other ways to measure your success. If you follow some of the steps here, I promise your chances of adhering to a healthy lifestyle will increase exponentially, and you will form habits that will carry on throughout your life.
Why is it important?
Many people truly value the ability of having gratification sooner than later. To many people it is the number on the scale, or the size of their body in the mirror. Though these are metrics you can use, there are ones I believe to be better. Ones that I also believe to occur faster. It is important to set some metrics that are attainable leading to that gratification we carve. We need reasons to come back to the gym, and unfortunately the big ones I tell patients all the time (even citing earlier health complications, or death) isn’t enough. At least not in the beginning. So, it is important to set some reasonable and attainable goals from the start because that proves to the individual that showing up does actually have an impact. Even before they notice changes in the mirror.
I’m not saying that looking at the scale or mirror is wrong, but if you use these as your metrics, you should automatically tell yourself to not expect a significant change until about the 3-month mark. If you can do this, great. Unfortunately, the 3-month mark is on average the point of when people begin to “drop out.” So, it’s clear that goals must be set that can be hit sooner to show progress and increase adherence. Anything from making sure you hit your “number” of calories or protein a day, to tracking your strength within the gym. I recently had a client that at Week 1 was unable to squat her weight (aka getting up from a chair easily). At week 2 end she was doing 10-12 reps of her own body weight which was exciting for her. You must expand your perspective of what a “goal” can be within a fitness setting. Otherwise, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure.
Types of Fitness Goals
Performance Metrics
This form of goal setting is often forgotten about however it is one of the first things you will notice. After only a couple of weeks your strength and endurance will increase. I find it helpful to take note of the weights you are able to lift when you start. Take notice of the weight, the number of reps, and a general idea of how “hard” you felt it was. Keeping a log of some of your exercises may honestly be helpful. It may be tedious to log every exercise, so instead focus on the core big lifts such as the squat, deadlift, bench, or overhead press. Pick a couple of those and continue to track those numbers. If you show up consistently 2-3 times a week and eat adequate protein, I am certain you will see a noticeable gain in strength after a month.
Body Measurements
This one is by far the most common method of setting goals but it can often take longer to see results people are happy with. I think it is a totally reasonable way to measure your goals, but, here are a few things you should know about this method.
If you are using the scale, measure yourself in the morning. That is your most accurate weight. You will naturally be heavier by the end of the day due to the changes in water retention, meals you’ve consumed, and visits to the bathroom throughout the day. If you still elect to weigh yourself at night, then only weigh yourself at nights to have consistency. Lastly, I would do this on a weekly basis, sometimes even bi-weekly due to the amount of fluctuation the body can go through. The line of weight loss does not follow a consistent downward trend. It instead follows a rollercoaster-like downward trend.
Understand that the weight gain you see between the morning and night is NOT all fat gain. In fact, almost all of it is shift in water weight. Your body weight can fluctuate as much as 3-5 lbs in a day. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. It all has to do to with what you eat, drink, the exercise you did, and sleep. This of it this was, for you to gain 5 pounds of fat in one day where one pound equals 3500 calories, it would require you to NET consume 17,500 calories in a day…possible but extremely unlikely.
The other body measurement commonly used is how you appear in the mirror. I personally find this pretty difficult to estimate progress well. If this is the route you do want to take, then I would recommend taking weekly, not daily photos. I would also recommend them to be roughly in the same area, with similar lighting, around the same time. What I’m getting at when it comes to appearance or weighing yourself, is that in order to prevent clouding up your results, you should keep all the other variables consistent.
Fitness Assessments
A more unconventional way is to evaluate subjectively and objectively how easily you are able to complete your daily activities. Let’s say you feel pretty winded after taking the stairs. Well make it a goal to continue to take the stairs, and after a month evaluate how much easier it’s become. I know these sound like small goals however the whole purpose of exercise is to ultimately make your life easier down the road.
Perhaps you go for a mile walk and see how you feel by the end of it. Or you can set a goal to see how long it takes to complete that mile. You may also carve out 15 minutes in a day and see how far you can go in that time. Again, these may seem insignificant or small in nature, but they count. Movement is movement. And all of those goals do in fact contribute to a healthier and an easier lifestyle.
Lastly, another metric I found helpful is one where you can attempt to see how many squats, or push-ups (on knees or feet) that you can do every two weeks. Log those and notice the change overall. Just remember to do them under relatively similar conditions.
The difficulty with setting these goals is that your performance on these may not always coincide with your physical appearance, however it is SO important to realize that this is still progress. Being able to walk further, walk faster, and/or with greater ease is a huge win. If you do absolutely nothing towards yourself, these simple things will only get harder as you age.
Nutritional Logs
If you go this route then whatever you decide as your goal, you must ensure that you do not exceed your TDEE calories if you are trying to lose weight. If you are trying to gain weight, then ensure you are slightly above your TDEE calories instead. As long as this rule is followed, how you decide to meet your goals will be fine.
I personally think the more simple the better. For anyone I have worked with in the past, I have always been a believer of first locking down the calories. I always tell them to eat cleaner than you did before (I keep that vague and up to them to decide) however they are not allowed to pass their TDEE number. I do this to ease an individual into the process, but also because at the end of the day none of it will work if you still over consume. It wont matter what diet you follow. It will be the cleanest one you can find and you can still gain weight if you surpass that number consistently. To figure out your TDEE go to my posts about TDEE and BMR. Otherwise, here is a link to one of the calculators.
Another goal you can set is to aim for X amount of protein based off the formula of 1.6-2.2 grams/kg in an exercising individual. The upper limit would be more appropriate for someone undergoing rigorous exercise attempting to pack on muscle, while the lower limit would be appropriate for someone starting out. The benefit of using this metric as a goal is that you prioritize your protein intake which is crucial for the weight loss/muscle synthesis component. You are then only required to focus on the calories left to “spend” between carbs and fats of your choosing. Obviously you want to keep these as clean as possible, but this was it at least simplifies the process.
You can even set less numerical goals and instead aim to just change the look of your plate. For every full plate of food you consume, remove one cup of those simple carbs and add on a cup of protein. Just like that you decrease the amount of carbs you are likely not using, and increase your protein intake. Similarly, you can choose to increase your vegetables as a goal. A whole plate of vegetables would still likely be less calories than a cup or two of simple carbs. And it would be nutritious. Carbs do have a role in the exercise and nutrition journey. But I will get into all of that in a separate post.
Psychological/Mental
Finally, a metric that is often forgotten about but pretty damn important. This one can’t really be measured objectively, however, how you feel can still have a pretty profound effect on your motivation and your overall outlook on your goals. My most honest clients may not see the results they want in the mirror quickly, however they will tell me that their overall sense of well-being, their focus, and their overall satisfaction increased. I’m actually in the works of researching a correlation between mental illness and attendance to the gym. I’ll keep you all posted on the results of that!
I find a lot of people struggle going to the gym the more they think about it. Try to commit going just 2-3 times a week. Literally just show up. Get out of your head, don’t think about it, and just head to the gym like any other task you set out to do that day. Setting a goal such as this keeps it simple, and guarantees showing up to the gym even if it is just for 30 minutes.
Now, this metric likely should not be the only metric you use, but it should be a metric you are always evaluating to expand your perspective on what benefits exercise and nutrition can bring you. Only 18% of gym-goers actually use their gym membership consistently (Statista 2021), and only about 20% of Americans have gym memberships. So, just showing up puts you in the top 5%. You should absolutely be proud of this.
Be proud of making a change, for you and for the people around you. Our goal as Americans (or wherever you are reading this from) is to change this statistic, not become the statistic. Normalize exercise, good nutrition, and health as a common activity, not a rarity. So, keep this in mind when you show up to the gym. You never know who is watching and who you may end up motivating.
Take Aways:
Your progress in and out of the gym will NOT be linear. Expect up and down fluctuations.
Pay attention to your strength gains, they are likely the first thing you will notice.
If you are going to use body measurements then ensure that you are always trying to do so under similar conditions. Ie. Same lighting, same location, same time of day, etc.
Pick 1 or 2 physical assessments you want to get better at and check on this every 1-2 weeks.
Remember, results take time for you to really notice, stick to weekly or bi-weekly check ins. You will not appreciate anything significant day to day.
If you’re expectation is to see results after one week, then eliminate that thought and save your mental health. Plain and simple. Don’t set expectations that are unreasonable. They will only upset you.
Explore how you feel mentally, as you do physically. Physical metrics are important, however it all fits into the holistic picture of your overall health
If you choose to consistently show up and make a difference, congratulations. You are in the top 5%. This cannot be bought, it is earned.