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| Why setting performance-based goals helps for long-term success |
One of the most common phrases I hear as a personal trainer is "I want to lose X lbs".
Most people like to put a specific number on their weight loss goals, whether it's a number they want to lose or a number they want to weigh, it's usually the first goal that comes to mind. This usually stems from stepping on the scale and seeing the number creep up and up and seeing in the mirror something they don't exactly love, so they decide that they want to lose "X" number of lbs and that will be the ultimate goal for them to achieve.
As much as I love it when people have some goals in mind, I'm here to play a little devil's advocate when it comes to setting a specific weight loss goal.
You may wonder, what's wrong with setting a weight loss goal?
It's not so much wanting to lose some extra body fat or get in better shape that's the problem. The problem comes up when you put a specific number on a scale and use that number as the ultimate measure of your success.
Say for example you are someone who wants to lose 50lbs, you start eating better and exercising, but you focus solely on that number your entire weight loss journey as your measure of progress. Over time, you may begin to feel discouraged when the number on the scale isn't going down at the rate you would like it to. Instead of focusing on overall health, building a better relationship with food, creating and sustaining a good workout routine, getting stronger and feeling happier, the only goal that seems to matter is the one on the scale.
Having your goals completely surrounded by the scale number can be very damaging and could potentially create a negative relationship with your body and reinforce struggles with your weight on the scale. When you are only focusing on the scale, you lose sight of all the other amazing progress you are making in other areas.
Most of the time when you want to lose weight, although you think you want to hit a certain number for weight loss and that will give you the ultimate results, what I've found is people really just want to achieve a certain look or body type. Whether you want to be more toned, feel stronger, gain some muscle, etc usually our ultimate goal doesn't really have to do with the scale at all.
You associate the scale with how your body looks and feels. If we are heavier on the scale, it automatically has a correlation in our minds to how fit we are and our self-image. Then we believe that if we just lose "X" number of pounds or hit a certain number on the scale, all our troubles will disappear and we will automatically be happy with ourselves.
But in all honesty, that isn't really how it goes.
I'll give you an example of something I experienced with a client of mine.
I have a client who came to me a few years ago for weight loss. She was told by her Doctor that she was about 30lbs overweight and she came to me to get some help to change her lifestyle. She wanted to lose weight to feel better, more confident and live a healthier lifestyle. So we started training together and she set out a goal to lose 30lbs.
In about 18 months, she lost that 30lbs and also made some amazing lifestyle changes and got very strong and fit. The surprising thing was, despite hitting that weight loss goal, transforming her lifestyle and being at a totally healthy bodyweight now, she still struggled with her self-image.
She kept telling me she wanted to lose another 5 lbs, then 5 more lbs. This kept going on where she would tell me she wasn't happy with how she looked so she wanted to lose just "5 more lbs".
Until one day we had a chat, and I said to her, "Do you really think that you will be completely happy with your body and your life will be changed by losing that 5 more pounds?"
She finally admitted, "No, I won't because I still see my old self in the mirror." She went on to explain that although she has made all these amazing changes and has completely transformed her life, she still sees herself as her former size.
After that discussion, we switched gears to set different, non-scale goals and work on her overall self-image and how she sees herself. Although it's not a perfect journey, she has noticed improvements in her self-confidence and how she views her own body. These changes did not happen overnight, but overall she is much happier with her body image now, regardless of what the scale says.
You may wonder, well if you shouldn't set a weight loss goal or try to hit a number on the scale, how will you measure your weight loss progress? Should you even bother with the scale?
My advice would be, if it helps to motivate you, set a number if you like, but don't marry the number. Don't have that number set so deep in your mind that you cannot see the other progress being made. You cannot control what the scale does, some days it will go up, some days it may go down. Ultimately, the scale is completely out of your control. Rather than fear that lack of control over the scale, you can use it as one data point out of many other things you are working on. But remember it's a data point, not the ultimate measure of progress. There are many other ways to see your progress that have absolutely nothing to do with the scale.
Instead of solely using the scale, set more performance-based goals for yourself that you can use to measure your progress. Rather than solely relying on the scale for measuring your progress, aim for something you can control and also helps to keep you motivated and progressing as you go along your journey.
Some examples of goals you can use:
1- Consistency goals.
Consistency goals can include how consistent you want to be with nutrition and/or your workouts. For example, you can set yourself a goal for getting a certain number of workouts in over the next 30 days, going for a daily walk, or hitting your nutrition at least 80%. By setting a consistency goal, you not only will have something in the short term to accomplish, but you will also have control over the things you decide to be consistent with that will lead you towards your long-term goals.
2- Adding new healthy habits.
This is a great goal to work towards because putting the emphasis on adding things into your life creates a positive mindset that concentrates on bringing healthy habits into your life rather than concentrating on restricting. Things like adding a serving of vegetables to your meal, adding additional glasses of water, taking the stairs or adding exercise or steps in any way you can.
3- Create movement goals.
Got a FitBit or other device that counts your steps? Set daily step goals, start a new class you've been dying to try, or set a goal to go for a 15 minute walk each day, or jogging a certain amount of time each week. Something that gets you moving more which will show progress over time and give you something to accomplish.
4- Accomplish a new personal best.
Working towards achieving a new personal best can be a great thing that will push you to accomplish in the gym for your workouts. Whether it's a new deadlift personal best, getting that chin up or doing 10 full form pushups on your toes! This will give you something to work on in the short term (or long term depending on the goal) that you will see direct results from. There's no better feeling of accomplishment or confidence when you crush a difficult goal in the gym.
5- Getting rid of a bad habit.
Are you a smoker or do you need to change how much you're on your phone or how much alcohol you drink? These are just a few ideas, but if you find yourself with a bad habit you'd like to get rid of or change, this is a great goal to set. It's something to work towards that will make you very proud of and will help make a happier, healthier you.
When you write out actionable and progress goals such as these, think of the SMART acronym:
Specific,
Measurable,
Achievable,
Relevant &
Time-based.
By using the acronym and some of the ideas from above, you will be able to come up with a plan for those goals and putting a realistic timeline on them will give you more motivation and discipline to achieving those goals.
The ideas listed above are not only very specific, but they are measurable goals that you can have control over to achieve, rather than a scale goal that you don't have much control over. Setting goals like the ones mentioned above can show you very clearly how you're progressing and can generally be done on a timeline. They remove the ultimate power of the scale and by focusing on very actionable goals over time, it will help lead you to your long-term goal of not only weight loss, but a healthier, happier and more confident you!
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