Your Goals Aren’t

“What do you mean my goals “aren’t? My goals aren’t what?”

Well for a lot of you reading this, they probably aren’t existent. You don’t have any (and if they aren’t written down, posted and reviewed regularly, stop kidding yourself – you don’t have any).

Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition fame breaks goals into two separate and distinct parts, and the distinction is critical to success.

1) Outcome Based Goals are the objective or objectives that you hope to accomplish. “I want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks” is an outcome based goal, as is “I want to earn $100,000 a year by the age of 30”. You can’t directly control the outcome, rather the outcome will be the result of things you have to do.

2) Behavior Goals represent the steps that need to be taken to accomplish your desired outcome.  This is where the rubber hits the road. When you want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks, your behavior goals will likely include “I will reduce my total calorie intake by 500 calories a day for the next 10 weeks”, and/or “I will not miss training at bootcamp for the next 10 weeks.”

See the difference?

You directly control the behavior goal.

You choose to take action on it…

or you don’t.

Behavior goals for a 10-week fat loss program might include some of the following (which are familiar to many of you):

“I commit to eating breakfast every day for the next 10 weeks”.

“I commit to taking 3 grams of fish oil and a multivitamin every day for the next 10 weeks”.

“I commit to planning my “splurge meals” and eating junk food only during these 2-3 meals a week”.

“I commit to exercising 4 hours a week, with at least 2 being with my trainer at bootcamp”.

Building Behavior Goals does not have to be complicated. These are regular daily and weekly action steps that will positively and immediately impact your Outcome Goals.

Following is a real world example from a client that we received just yesterday. It is an outstanding example of behavior goals that are sure to contribute to her desired outcome (fat loss). She has already shared how establishing these goals with a end point (she set them for the month of August) has helped her overcome the feeling that she was somehow depriving herself. She just has to keep them for a month, not the rest of her life. So turning down the blueberry waffles wasn’t that hard, because it’s only for a month. Great lesson there as well!

Here are her behavior goals for the month of August.

***

1. I will keep my list of guidelines in a spot where I can easily
see them, and I will read them every day.

2. I will exercise 4 times every week.

3. I will write down specifically what I am eating.

4. For the rest of August, I will . . .

a. eat protein and vegetables at every meal.

b. drink a minimum of 80oz. of water each day.

c. eat no more than one whole grain bread serving each
day (and no later than lunch time).

5. For the rest of August, I will not . . .

a. eat any dessert items except for perhaps on special
occasions.

b. eat any pasta, rice, white potatoes, or white bread.

c. eat any more than one serving of cheese and one
serving of nuts or nut butter each day.

***

Now there is a lot on this list, yours doesn’t necessarily have to be this long. In fact here is what I want you to do. Establish one outcome goal for the next 8 weeks. It could be “lose 8 pounds in 8 weeks” or “drop 2 inches off my waist in the next 8 weeks”. Note there is a specific time period involved, don’t skip that part!

Now that you know your desired outcome, establish 3 behavior goals that support that outcome. You have some great examples above, and your trainers can help you if you are stuck.

Once you have your outcome and behavior goal(s), post them to the comments below.  Hold yourself accountable to meeting both categories of your goals. We look forward to seeing what you come up with, as well as coaching you to get there.

Now Make It Happen!

Dean & Nancy