8 Questions To Help You Achieve Your Goals

My friend and I have taken on a walking challenge in September. We are walking 26 miles for charity. We both love walking and talking, so this challenge suits us both. We have both previously (10 years ago) completed a similar walk. So whilst we are 10 years older and perhaps not wiser, we know we can do this if we put the training in.

This weekend, we planned a training route of 18 miles and we completed it. It was a beautiful walk. It was a warm, breezy, cloudy day, it was good walking conditions. We had a laugh along the way, and at the end, we took the photo of achievement and off home we went.

When I got home, I made sure I got up and moved every so often to prevent me from seizing up. Today, I’m achy and it feels like I have been exercising, but not painfully. I won’t be doing much exercise today, but I will keep moving.

What challenges me to move and get or stay healthy will be different from you. I’ve been in a bit of a fitness funk over the last 4 months or so. No idea what has caused it or why I’ve lost the love of it. But the challenge of our big walk and the training walks, is helping to get my love of fitness and health back.

I love walking, I love moving and equally I love watching tv or a movie. The key is to find a balance that works for you. I know if I sit in front of the tv for a week, then it becomes harder to find the motivation to move. However, if I try to walk most days, then I can keep the momentum going.

Sometimes, getting out of a funk can be easier if there is someone there to help or if you have a goal you want to achieve. If however, you don’t know what you want, but know something needs to change, then it is more challenging.

If you aren’t sure then ask yourself these questions to help:

1. What do I not like about my current situation? Think about what is making you unhappy. Are your clothes not fitting you? Or perhaps you are feeling out of breath walking short distances.
2. What do I want to do more or less of? Do you want to eat more vegetables, get outside more or eat less takeaways and sit on the sofa less.
3. What exercise do I enjoy? You might not know, particularly if you haven’t done any in years. Think about the activities you loved to do when you were younger with your friends or when you were at school?
4. What exercise do I not enjoy and won’t do? If you know you definitely don’t want to run or go to a fitness class then note this. There is little point doing some you don’t enjoy.
5. What is the picture in my head of the outcome I want to achieve? Can you draw this or describe it? Perhaps having it in your head is enough and you can refer to it anytime. Make sure it is realistic, or you are at least being realistic with the time it will take to achieve. It is better to overestimate the time and succeed sooner, than to be disappointed because you didn’t give yourself enough time and you feel you failed. All progress is good progress.
6. What will achieving my goal give me? Will you be healthier, able to run further, sleep better, have more energy? Think about what the outcome will be once you have succeeded.
7. Is there something holding me back from starting? Could this be change? Or a fear of failure? What about effort? Are you afraid to start, incase you won’t continue to put the effort in so it is easier to just not start?
8. What would I reward myself with if I do get to my goal? Avoid any reward tied to food. Particularity if you are trying to eat less processed food. Why not buy yourself an item of clothing or book that holiday you always put off. Make sure it something you really want and on the days when the funk slips in, focus on that.

Hopefully these questions will give you something to think about to help you get out of a fitness/healthy lifestyle funk or help you to achieve your goals.

Remember, there is no such thing as a bad day if things don’t go to plan. This can be a break day, a realistic day. Don’t restrict yourself, particularly with diet, if you suddenly cut out all heavily processed food, you will likely crave it more. Slowly reduce how much you eat over time. But always allow yourself the flexibility, no one is perfect. Perfection is unrealistic for anyone.

Have a lovely week, take care and look after you.

Love Emma xx