Sunday, January 6, 2013

New Year, New Me!

Happy 2013! 

Obviously I have not been blogging but it's a new year and I have taking on new challenges and new adventures.  My Marathon Training group will be starting it's third (!) season in just two weeks and I was recently selected to be a 2013 Colfax Ambassador so it seems high time that I started writing again in order to support all of these new ventures.  Plus, it will be a great way to support my runners and my clients as they take on new challenges in this new year!

It's only fitting that my new post be about resolutions and setting appropriate goals since it's the time of year when most people make grand resolutions, get in shape, save money, take more time for myself.  Everyone has been there.  Below is a great chart that shows some really interesting facts about new years resolutions and how to attain them.  This information came from a company that I work with called Wello.  They connect a trainer and client through a two way video feed.  It's a great concept and a great way to get workouts in during travel or a busy work week.



The statistics are really interesting but what I love is the information on how to succeed.  It talks about setting "SMART" goals.  I tell my clients this ALL the time.  The key to succeeding is making sure you set goals that are S.M.A.R.T. This helps take those vague ideas and transform them into reality!

Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being achieved than a general goal.

Example - A general goal would be "I want to get in shape." Pretty vague, huh? A better and more specific goal would be "Join a health club and go 3 times a week."

Measurable - Establish concrete ways to measure your goals. Goals need to be measurable so there is no doubt about whether you achieved them. They also help you measure progress.

To determine if your goal is measurable ask questions, like "How much?" or "How many"

Attainable - Your goal must be attainable - not too difficult but also, not too easy! Easy goals don't motivate you and overly difficult goals may frustrate you.


Relevant  - ur goals must be relevant to your particular interests, abilities, and needs.

Time-bound - Your goal must be bound by specific deadlines. Timelines can be short and long term (actually short term goals help you break down your bigger goals into more manageable steps) and should help you stay focused.

For example, if you wanted to lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks that gives you a timeline for when you want to reach your goal. You can go further and break down that larger goal into smaller goals of losing 1 lb a week.

Hopefully this trick will help you stay on track this year!

Here's to a healthy and happy year!

E-