THE GOAL SETTING STRATEGY

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Why Goals are Important: Finding your Focus

Goal setting and finding out the true reason why your goal is worthwhile to you is like finding the key to a treasure chest. When you establish this, motivation is easy, hurdles are no obstacle and if you trip you just jump right back up.

Two Types of Goals
1st is a long term goal. This helps focus and motivation throughout the 10 week Fitness First Get Fit programme. Temptation and distraction will always rear its head. It’s your focus and motivations that will help you stay focused.

The 2nd is a weekly goal that you will set yourself to achieve for each individual week. You will be given weekly prompts and templates. This includes establishing a weekly goal and a subsequent weekly reward once achieved.

Motivate me to Fulfil my Health Goal

Here’s a step by step guide below to your purposeful goal. You can also download your goal setting focus sheet: here

Establishing your Goal

7 Steps to helping you find a goal that will motivate and drive you to optimise your achievements with the Fitness First Get Fit Nutrition Programme.

Instructions: Find a place you enjoy and can concentrate. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Please write your answers to below questions to help you clarify your thought process.

1. Your Current State:
   What problems are you facing right now?
   Are you comfortable with your current situation?
   What is stopping you from achieving what you want?
2. Your Desired State
   What specifically do you want to achieve?
   How would you know if you had it?
   What would happen if you got it?
3. Evidence
   How will you know that you have achieved your goal?
   What measures are you going to use to track your achievements?
4. Your Values
   What is important to you about achieving your goal?
   What does having your goal give you (that you don’t have now)? (1)

Focus table to Help Identify your Goals

1. Look at your answers to the above section
   Ask yourself, “what is the purpose or intention of (your goal)”? In other words; if you reach (your goal), what does that mean to you? Is your goal worthwhile enough to motivate change even when temptation calls?
2. If it is then it is a good goal to have. It is not motivating, then you may want to revaluate your goal choice.

Stay on Track

Set your weekly goal. This should be something that will help you toward an objective set in your weekly programme subject. Read the relevant week’s programme first before deciding. The important this is that it progresses you toward your health goal.

Enjoy the challenge and the empowerment it brings.

Set your Weekly Goal

Set your Weekly Reward

Tip: If you find this challenging, refer to the Long term goal structure and apply the same questioning to establish your weekly goal.

Example of Weekly Goal

Example of Weekly Reward

Remember my Reward

Rewards are fun. Studies show that if you have something to look forward to it literally alters your brain chemistry when thinking about the upcoming reward releasing endorphins at the mere thought (4). Relaxation and fun are key to health. Rewards give you a reason to prioritise a dash of fun or relaxation in your busy life. After all, you have earned these rewards yourself.

Long term Reward – Completion of your Fitness First 10-Week Get Fit Programme
You decide. Here are a few examples to get you started.

• Weekend away
• Get your colour chart done, then go shopping, spend $xxx.
• Day of golf or deep sea fishing
• A day (or weekend) of nothing at all. Rest, read, eat or sleep.
• Hire a stylist to make you over
• Sign up to an exercise class for xx sessions
• Book a course on a topic you’ve always wanted but never done
• Renovate a room in the house
• Learn something new that excites you
• Indulge in whatever it is that relaxes you the most
• Do something wild. Sky diving, bungee jumping, safari.
• Spend $1000 on yourself in one day
• Get a weekend pass card from the kids to kick up your heels
• Book tickets to an amazing concert or theatre.
• Anything at all, you just need to feel totally excited by it.

Weekly Reward – Your weekly goal is smaller but just as important. It is only 7 days until the next goal and another reward. Again, it can be anything as long as you love doing it and you look forward to it. Remember, you have to achieve your goal you set before you can reward yourself. Some basic ideas include:

• Cozy night in with favourite movie and takeaways
• Sleep in on a weekend
• Bath with bubbles and a book
• 1 hour reflexology
• Saturday morning café, coffee and paper/magazine
• Walk in my favourite park
• Pedicure
• Night out with the lads to watch (football, rugby, baseball, golf or tennis)
• Go to a movie
• Visit the friend I’ve been wanting to see for along time
• What is your ‘happiness key’?,Make this your reward
• What do you love to do but don’t prioritize?

Acceptance of risk and waiver of liability
I confirm and acknowledge my participation is limited to my own abilities and medical condition(s) (known or otherwise). I acknowledge associated risks of participation in the event I suffer from a medical condition, disability or other injury which may compromise my health and safety. I further acknowledge this may impact my end result and I absolve Fitness First of all liability, losses and damage for any injury I may suffer as a result of my participation.

Reference

1. Conversational frame,www.nlpinsingapore.com
2. Keys to achieving an achievable outcome, www.nlpinsingapore.com
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thai-nguyen/hacking-into-your-happy-c_b_6007660.html
4. Argyle, M (2009) The Physiology of Happiness, Routledge, London.

   https://books.google.com.sg/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tVWzAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=thoughts+of+happiness+release+endorphins&ots=9X3oY4oJv_&sig=c2RCN0XjNLppiTyIEVsI1fFBioY#v=onepage&q=thoughts%20of%20happiness%20release%20endorphins&f=false

The Fitness First Get Fit Nutrition Programme has been formulated in conjunction with Sara Valentine at Valentine Nutrition.