As you may or may not know, setting myself a SMART and scary fitness goal has became my defining moment within my fitness life so far. Choosing a goal that scared me (as in, if I tried to complete this goal without training I would most definitely fail) gave me drive to show up and work hard to succeed. It also served as my push to keep going. When I got frustrated with my lack of physical change I would be reminded of how far I had come in my performance. Working to complete this goal set in motion many other benefits I never imagined would happen. It led to a calm in my life. It offered a time everyday I could dedicate to myself and included time to meditate and focus on centering myself. I began to be very thankful for everything I had, and to be proud of what my body was capable of. It led to a genuine change in myself, where I began to recognize how truly happy I was and was capable of becoming.

So if you haven’t yet, let’s set yourself a scary, but SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound) goal for yourself. Once we have a goal, we can break it down into smaller segments or progression goals that will lead to the eventual fulfillment of the large goal. I would also recommend getting a cheap dollar store calendar (mine is of puppies) and mark off the days you exercise. When I swim I put a blue line through that day, if I gym a pink line, yoga a purple line, or other (such as bootcamp, hike, walk, or anything I thought was fitness related) got a green line. Days can always have multiple lines and the goal is for your calendar to look like a scribbly rainbow by the end of the month! By visually tracking your efforts you can see at a glance how often and what type of exercise you have been doing, or need to be doing more of. I find this practice very beneficial for my clients and make them do this. If we work together on a longer term commitment basis I make assignment cards that imitate the calendar strategy. These cards allow me to see what you have been doing and to also reward you when you’re kicking ass and hold you accountable when you slack off.