On the lucky 13th episode of the FItlandia Podcast Christa is joined by Carrie Billings of carriebillings.com for a discussion on goal setting. Carrie is one of the expert practitioners on Fitlandia’s site as a behavioral health counselor and a certified health and wellness coach.
Goal Setting
While some resent the idea of New Year’s Resolution quick fixes, there is simultaneously something beautiful about the collective intention to better ourselves. Goal setting is important because it’s having a plan. If a resolution is broad (eat healthy, lose weight) it is possible to get there, but planning it out in little steps is a necessity.
“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan” - Pablo Picasso
When setting goals, it’s important to think about what you will do as opposed to what you won’t do. A goal like “I’m going to stop drinking soda” or “I’m not going to eat sugar” are very hard to measure, but even harder to stick to. Instead, Carrie recommends positive goals replacing “I’ll quit soda” with “I’ll drink a glass of water instead.” Don’t come into your new healthy lifestyle viewing it as deprivation, because that isn’t sustainable.
How Do I Make This Happen For Myself?
It’s easy to set goals when you’re excited, but if they’re vague and without planning, it can “fail” and lead someone directly back into their old lifestyle. There’s good in resolutions because they help you get in touch with what you want deep down, but they if they lack a plan then you’ll end up fumbling around. Asking ‘how do I make this happen for myself?’ is important.
Components of Effective Goals
Carrie follows the SMART Goal framework which stands for:
Once you’ve set a goal it’s important to take a look at it and evaluate it based on your confidence that you can achieve it. The next step is figuring out how to improve your confidence in those goals you’re not sure about, and making sure you’re gentle with yourself, not beating yourself up if you don’t do something perfectly. The great thing is that once you start eating healthier and moving more, you’ll be amazed at how more efficient you are at all of your other tasks, and then you’ll be able to handle everything with more confidence.
Another strategy Carrie recommends is to have multiple timelines. Have a goal for where you’d like to be three months from now, and then set smaller weekly goals that will all help you get there. Reevaluating every week, enjoying something different, and feeling progress every time until you reach that bigger goal is the key to keeping your forward momentum.
Trial and Correction
One final piece of advice is to stay away from viewing our efforts as failures if we don’t reach our goals. Often people view goals and resolutions as trial and error when it should be viewed as trial and correction. Looking back at your challenges, seeing what worked, and what didn’t allows you the chance to rewrite it into something different and make it work for you.
“It’s a learning experience every week.” - Carrie Billings
Carrie ends on a note of bite-sized goals. She says starting small (but stretch a little bit) is the single best way to approach your goals. You don’t have to jump straight to running a marathon, a walk around the block is a great goal. Additionally, writing your successes down, and keeping yourself accountable to at least one other person are great motivators for keeping yourself going.