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Action plan that New Year’s resolution
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: January 14, 2019
January’s the month of resolutions and I can tell you that from my vantage point as a health and fitness professional, this is a month I’ve come to greet with trepidation each and every time it rolls around.
I say that because I’ve long witnessed countless well intentioned individuals plunging headlong into January full of grand expectations. Yet by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, many of those same individuals are left with nothing more than half-hearted efforts and ego-deflating disappointments.
And so it goes with this aspirational month of January, the month of hope, happiness and new beginnings.
Now I know there’s copious columns, opinion pieces, articles and books out there that discuss the how’s of making those New Year’s resolutions more likely to come to fruition. Yet after watching this “January phenomenon” rewind itself over the last 20 years, with the same confounding results, I feel compelled to chime in with my own advice.
First, most fitness resolutions, be they losing a few pounds, eating a healthier diet, getting faster in running races or becoming stronger and fitter, are generally well grounded and reachable. Yet in and of themselves they all tend to lack one critical component - an action plan.
Seriously, it’s super easy to get psyched up by the notion of attaining some kind of awesome, life changing goal. But it’s much, much tougher figuring out just how in the heck to accomplish it. Without an action plan, the likelihood of failure almost always looms larger than the likelihood of success. But that applies to almost anything in life, doesn’t it?
And from what I’ve witnessed over the umpteen Januarys of my professional life, is that many resolutions rest simply on a wing and a prayer, where that all important action plan is nothing more than a rosy red notion based solely upon blind optimism - the “believe and it will happen” plan.
So, with all those resolutions now hanging precariously in the ethos, I’m going to offer an action planning strategy that just might aid in achieving that fitness resolution.
1. Attach a measurable goal to your resolution.
Just wanting to run “faster” is good…but you’re much more likely to truly run faster if you determine just how fast it is that you’d like to run. For example, you’ve done a 5K in 22 minutes, which equates to a 7:04 pace. What would running 21 minutes entail? Well, it means you’ll need to be able to run a 6:44 pace. Now you have a target to shoot for, and more important, you can outline an action plan accordingly.
If you’re resolving to loose weight, first check with your GP or RD so you can choose a safe and appropriate weight loss goal. Then, determine what kind of fitness and/or dietary requirements will contribute to the caloric deficits you’ll need to achieve your weight-loss goal. By doing a little footwork you can create a safe, appropriate, and measurable action plan with which to proceed.
2. Write your goal down.
I believe diaries, be they training, dietary, whatever, are critical components to goal success. In them you have a personal record of events, experiences and observations that assist you in your goal quest on a daily basis. Performance trends and patterns, successes and failures, all the things that cannot be seen by observing one day at a time become crystal clear when viewed in a diary.
3. Outline your goal.
The outline is the framework of your action plan - or vice versa. And the action plan consists of a series of sub-goals, otherwise known as steps. Next, work backwards with respect to achieving each sub-goal. Eventually you’ll end up with an outlined action plan that is a step by step roadmap on how to realize your goal.
4. Celebrate your successes.
When you have a series of sub-goals, well, you have more than just one opportunity to celebrate success. The attainment of those sub-goals will give you even more momentum as you march toward the attainment of your overall goal.
So think about an action plan if you’ve made a New Year’s resolution for 2019… do that and you just might cruise past Valentine’s Day with your aspirations still intact.