As a mental performance coach, my job is to make sure your attitude helps you reach your fitness goals.
During the last 10 years of my coaching career, I've helped athletes get to the CrossFit Games, run a 100-mile race, prepare for Navy Seal training and reach new heights with their personal fitness.
What I've learned is that if you want to improve, then you need clear and specific goals you can keep.
These are my tips for accomplishing any fitness feat you have in mind.
Pursue something that matters to you.
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You won't put the necessary training or work into a goal that isn't appealing to you or satisfies someone else. It's imperative you choose something that motivates you to change and improve.
You have to either believe that it's very important or it has to really excite you. Make sure you're attempting to achieve something that matters to you on a personal level.
Assess where you currently are in relation to your goal.
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Accurately measure where you are right now. If it's a habit you want to change, know how often you do it or don't do it by tracking your actions. If you want to get faster or stronger, make sure you record your current abilities so you have a baseline to start from.
Write out a plan of smaller goals.
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Make daily, weekly and monthly lists of specific things that you must do to get closer to your goal.
Post your lists where you will regularly see them. You can always add or subtract from your lists. As you accomplish your smaller goals, you'll begin to see and feel positive changes.
List what you could cut down on, or give up, to get closer to your goal.
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While it's common to think about what we need to do more of to improve our results, I find it's very effective to also see if there's anything we need to do less of.
What could you stop doing in order to get closer to your goal? Take the time to understand your habits and figure out what you can eliminate to improve your health.
Recruit a support team.
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Talk with your loved ones about your goal and how important it is to you. Ask them to help keep you on track, support you and troubleshoot with you. Share your ideas, and listen openly to their feedback.
Commit to regular assessments.
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The only way to know if you have set a realistic goal is to consistently reassess where you are in relation to your target. If you're not seeing progress, you may need to break your goals down even further or tweak your training plan.
Map out a timeline of assessments, so that you can make the necessary changes.
Focus on what you can control.
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After you've set your goal, and you know what you need to do, start focusing only on the factors you can influence. You can't always control whether you come out on top, but you can control your effort and attitude.
Continue to remind yourself to focus on your technique, nutrition, rest and mindset (because you can't control much else).
Keep your thoughts and words positive.
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Replace "I should" and "I have to" with "I want to" and "I will." Continue to remind yourself why you chose this goal and how amazing it feels to go after it. Enjoy the process and stay optimistic.
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