Bad Goal: No Cookie

Yes, I know I just wrote the other day about how I don’t like resolutions.  It would be slightly more accurate to say that I don’t like BAD resolutions.  I believe in goals.

Different kinds of goals work for different people.  It is always useful to experiment to figure out what kind works best in the current situation.  That said, good goals share some similar characteristics.  Because it is more fun, I will illustrate with examples of bad goals.

Bad Goal #1:  I am going to get fit.  There is nothing wrong with this as a sentiment; as a goal, it leaves a lot to be desired.  What do we mean by fit?  How will we know when we have achieved it?  This goal is way too vague.

Bad Goal #2:  I am going to lose 100 pounds by June.  This one is, at least, more specific.  The problem is that it’s also unrealistic.  Weight loss goals, in general, should allow for about a pound a week to be healthy and sustainable.  A goal of losing a reasonable amount of weight in a reasonable timeframe would be a good goal, say 20 to 25 pounds by June.  Interim goals could help keep this goal on track:  I am going to lose 4 pounds this month.

Bad Goal #3:  I am going to go to the gym for three hours every day.  For someone just now getting off the couch, this kind of goal is crazy talk, unless a lot of those gym hours are spent hanging out in the hot tub.  We want to start with goals we can actually achieve, like going to that class we really like at the gym every week and building from there.  Most of us, even fresh off the couch, can manage 30 minutes of walking over the course of most days.

Bad Goal #4:  I am never eating cake again.  This goal just makes cake all that more appealing.  We don’t want to live life as if we are constantly being punished.  A better version of this goal would be to decide that cake is only for special occasions, maybe once a month, and only if it is really good cake.

By now, it should be noticeable that the best goals have both some specificity and some wiggle room.  We need to know what we want, what is possible, and some of what we need to get where we are going (the rest will emerge on the way).  For someone just getting started on a fitness journey, a good goal might be something like this:

Pretty Good Goal:  I want to lose 20 pounds by June.  To do this, I am going to exercise most days a week for 30 minutes and I am going to track my calorie intake.  I will check in with my progress at the end of each month and make adjustments as needed to keep myself on track.

That pretty good goal could still use some refinements, of course.  We might want to pay attention to what kind of exercise we are getting, what foods we are choosing, and how things change as we get used to moving more and eating less.  It’s a lot more complicated than just declaring that we’re going to lose 100 pounds by June, but we’re a lot more likely to have success.

What That First Date with Me (As a Trainer) Is Like

When I see a client for the first time, I have a routine.  We talk through why the person is there.  Sometimes it is about general fitness or weight loss.  Other times, the doctor or a spouse or loved one has expressed concern.  Some new clients want to work at improving after an injury or want to take performance to a new level.

Then I gather a bunch of information.  I ask nosy questions about blood pressure and cholesterol and breakfast.  I get out some tools:  a scale, a tape measure, a gizmo that measures body fat percentage, a timer, and a few other things.  We take a snapshot of this place, this starting point, including a little bit about how this person moves.

After we have collected all that, we get down to the business of actually sweating.  The workout I use for new clients (with appropriate adaptations based on what I hear about injury history when we meet) not only gives them plenty of exercise, but it also gives me a lot more information about how they move, what is challenging for them, and how they approach new or hard things.  Meanwhile, new clients get a chance to figure out if I am someone they want to see ever again.  Not all trainers are the right ones for all clients.  Any trainer who claims otherwise is nuts.  Trying out a new trainer is kind of like a first date; the chemistry has to be right (but not that kind of chemistry; that is unethical.).

At the end of that first session, my potential new client will have a bunch of information about me, what I know, what I can offer, and how I work.  That person can then make an informed decision about whether or not to work with me.  If a person chooses not to work with me again, she or he has invested no money and about ninety minutes for some data and some sweat.  If a person does choose to work with me, we have just started a new relationship of growth.

Resolution vs. Resolutions

We made it.  It’s 2019 and here we are!  Now what?

I am not, in general, a big fan of resolutions.  Somewhere the personal trainer police force is cringing, but there it is.  Resolutions tend to be big, sweeping statements about how we are never going to eat another cookie and we’re going to lose 200 pounds by that big reunion/wedding/birthday and we’re going to move in to the gym where we will lift weights constantly.  Which is to say, they tend to be unrealistic, fuzzy, or both.

Resolution, on the other hand, is something I can get behind.  Resolution, the quality, is what keeps us working when we are tired.  It gets us to come back for the next workout and helps us choose the quinoa or the salad.

Much like muscles, resolution can be built.  We practice it.  We find ways to make it easier.  One of those ways is working with a trainer.  I am here to help.

We can do it.