by Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, METS
It's that time of the year where goal setting becomes the main focal point for most individuals. There are many ways to go about achieving your goals, but the following five tips will help you achieve greatest success in 2015!
1. Focus on the process, not the outcome
The most successful individuals who attain their goals focus on the process of getting there instead of the main outcome.
There are two types of goals: outcome and process.
Outcome goals are the big ones: your main race of the year, losing 20 pounds, overhauling your daily nutrition plan. These goals are very beneficial to have in place as they will improve your accountability to yourself.
However, process goals are much more important in order to succeed in any outcome goal that you set. These goals are the small baby steps that help you attain your larger, outcome goal. If your goal is weight loss, then good process goals to set would be to become more metabolically efficient with your daily nutrition plan, drink more water and get more sleep.
Look at your outcome goal then work backwards and set process goals that will assist you in being successful in your journey!
2. Have a glass half full mentality
It's no secret that positive individuals live life with a bit more enthusiasm. As you approach your goal setting and plan to achieve these goals, be sure to have the "glass half full" mentality. It will provide you an easy strategy to deal with a few setbacks that you may encounter. Be optimistic that everything happens for a reason but do everything in your power to continually move forward with your most positive attitude.
3. Plan for setbacks
When you break it down, trying to achieve a goal that you have set is a behavior change. Because of this, there are various behavior change cycles that you will go through as you strive to achieve your goal. One part of this change is called relapse. It is almost certain that you will have some sort of setback and that is okay. In fact, you should plan for it. Having a setback or two (hopefully not more) is actually a very healthy step in making a change.
4. Identify solutions
I mentioned the setbacks that you may encounter and while you will have them, a very important thing for you to do is to identify solutions to these setbacks. For example, if you are trying to lose weight but you have business dinners with clients and you know it will be hard to eat according to your plan, a simple solution can be advanced preparation. If you can control all of your meals and snacks before the dinner then at least you know that you have been on target up to that point. Then, during the dinner, do your best to "minimize the misses." It's okay to stray off of your plan for a short time but the most successful people only let this be a minor setback for a short amount of time. So the dinner isn't as you would have planned. Try to balance your blood sugar as best as possible then shake it off. Tomorrow is a new day and you can pick up right where you left off.
5. Ask for help
This is difficult for many people to admit, but it is okay to ask others for help. It's tough to achieve some goals without a good positive support system. Identify friends, families and co-workers who are positive and inspirational and place them on your support team. Lean on them when you need a pick me up or just some advice on how to best proceed to achieve your outcome goal. Many times, these individuals can help you keep on track with your process goals.
Here's to a successful 2015!
Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, METS is a sport dietitian and elite triathlon coach. He traveled to the 2008 Summer Olympics as the U.S. Olympic Committee Sport Dietitian and the personal Sport Dietitian for the 2008 Olympic Triathlon Team. He has served as coach for Sarah Haskins, 2008 Olympian, was a performance team member (sport dietitian and strength coach) for Susan Williams, 2004 Olympic Triathlon bronze medalist and was the coach of Jasmine Oeinck, 2009 Elite Triathlete National Champion.
Bob's book, Metabolic Efficiency Training: Teaching the Body to Burn More Fat, teaches athletes how to structure their nutrition and training program throughout the year to maximize their body's ability to use fat as energy and improve body composition. He also has a Metabolic Efficiency Recipe book in electronic format with over 100 metabolically efficient meals and snacks. For more information and to order the books, visit www.enrgperformance.com or email him at bob@enrgperformance.com