27/01/2025
https://katedixonphysio.com/goals/
I write blogs for my website. My latest is about goal setting and why so many of us fail to keep those New Year's Resolutions. It's not too late to make change this year!
Goals!
We are four weeks into the New Year and statistically most of us will have forgotten those ‘New Year’s Resolutions’, and some of us may feel like we have failed.
To be honest, January is a funny time of year to start strict exercise regimes, a resentful diet or have a personality transplant. It’s cold, it’s dark and we feel like hibernating and polishing off the Christmas chocolates we hid (and have now hunted out). We are all human, and making a big transformation can seem hard.
It doesn’t matter what time of year you make change. Spring is the start of new beginnings, Autumn can be reflective, but really, who cares? What’s important is figuring out what it is you want to achieve or change in the first place and make a long-term plan.
Do you dream of being thin for summer? Healthy? Strong? Rich? Kinder? To get there you need to write down a clear plan of where you are now, and where you want to be in a year’s time, not in a week or a month.
I often thought that if I was skinny, I would be happy. Every time I lost weight, I would be thinner of course, but untoned. I didn’t feel good in myself. I soon realised that I wanted to feel toned, strong, healthy, and be here for my family. The weight on the scales didn’t matter in reality; seeing the numbers drop didn’t affect how I felt about myself. It’s only now that I understand that a goal is so much more than a simple proclamation and six weeks of effort.
To create long-term success, we need to take small daily steps. “Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations” (James Clear). For me to become stronger (and it’s still an ongoing process), I had to consider the small changes in life and create my own system:
1. Putting gym kit out the night before.
2. Realising that I hate exercising alone, so roping in friends to meet once a week (this is now Mates’ Weights Class on a Friday morning!).
3. Sharing my goals with my husband so that he could encourage and support (not sabotage).
4. Changing my algorithms on social media to show more exercise based videos (and less about eating, wedding dresses and cats), so that I’m getting positive imagery about being strong, not just thin.
5. Eating more protein- I think about the foods I eat more now- to get more recovery fuel on board.
“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”
I also set a realistic goal – something that was achievable. There is no point saying, ‘I’m joining a gym and I’m going three times a week all year’. I am absolutely not doing that- I work full time, and three evenings a week, have kids to look after and a husband who needs time to run. I can’t do a two hour round trip to the gym. So, I promised myself I would do one weights work out and one run a week to start. It’s flexible and achievable.
Once I built this habit into my life, it just became part of my weekly regime. It wasn’t a punishment, it was enjoyable, and I started to notice the difference- slowly but surely.
The five people we spend most of our time with can be the most influential on our life choices. If I had a husband who ate takeaways every night, and best mates who thought it was normal to go to the pub three nights a week, I would find it hard to keep on track. Luckily, I have friends who are active, and they encourage me all the time to exercise- even if it’s a walk and chat.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity” (James Clear).
So in four weeks’ time, you won’t notice a huge change, but that’s ok. But imagine how you will feel in one year of consistency!
Nothing will change without change! (Kate Dixon
James Clear’s book, ‘Atomic Habits’, is a great place to start. I listened to it when I was out walking, and it makes so much sense. It explains why we give up on our positive goals so quickly and explains how to change this.
A blog by Physiotherapist Kate Dixon, featuring advise on new year goals.
