Setting New Year Goals

Hey Just Tri Tribe!

Come January 1st, millions of people around the world set goals for the upcoming New Year. However, studies show that about 80% of New Year Resolutions are abandoned by the end of January (1). With January 1st right around the corner, like may others, your 2023 goals and aspirations may have crossed your mind. Use these 5 tips to set goals that you will stick to all year long!

5 Goal Setting Tips

1. Be specific

General goals like, “I want to workout more” or “eat better” are always great habits to build, but without specific targets to aim for, it’s unlikely you will accomplish what you've set to achieve. Setting specific, measurable, goals will establish a framework where you can do routine check-ins, which helps with accountability and measuring progress.

2. Make them challenging

When goals are too easy, it’s likely that you will lose motivation to work beyond them, but when the goals are unrealistic or too difficult to achieve you would become burnt out. Identifying that "challenging" goal sweet spot might take some trial and error. For example, if you have never run before, setting a goal to run for 1 minute is too easy, and setting a goal to run a 50-mile ultra race by March is way too ambitious. But, setting a goal to run a 5k (3.1 miles) by May can definitely be something you can train for and complete without feeling overwhelmed or defeated. Remember, achieving great things takes sacrifice, hard work, and dedication. Pushing past your excuses and committing to the process is the ultimate self-esteem boost. You're capable of amazing things! 

3. Make them time-bound, and check-in regularly

Setting a deadline for your goals, forces you to be organized and take action towards completing them. Having a timeline will allow you to schedule portions of your day or week dedicated to working on your goals and allows you to develop a solid plan to achieve them. An end-date makes the goal a reality and subconsciously increases your dedication to it. Similarly, setting milestones to accomplish within your larger goal will help you stay on track and keep you motivated while making progress! Regularly evaluating your progress have shown increases in feelings of self-efficacy. Also, when you realize that you may be falling behind that can motivate you to adapt your efforts to continue to move towards your next achievement. Invest in a planner or using an online tracking tool dedicated to your 2023 goals to help set your deadlines and keep track of every milestone, and your long-term goals!

Goal setting example:

Goal: Run a sub 21:00 5k in Feb. 18, 2022

Process: In order to compete for a sub 7:00min pace in a 5k, I need to train my body to get ready to take on the challenge. Starting today (12/28/2022), I will design a running program aligned with my menstrual cycle, where I'll train 6-days/week. Considering my menstrual phase will allow me to train with my physiology, not against it and then maximize my adaptation and recovery throughout the program.

I will designate specific workouts and milestones within my training plan that I can cross off after I finish them, showing me that I'm getting stronger and faster with each training day.

Come February 18th, I’m going to crush my PR goal of running a 5k in sub 21:00, all because I set a deadline, established progress check points, and stayed committed to the plan!

4. Remember your WHY

It’s really easy to say you're setting a goal because you want to. But why are you setting the goal? Thinking about why you're pursuing a goal will increase your chances of achieving it. Research shows that when people are connected to their goals, they are ~1.8 times more likely to achieve them (1). Choosing a set of goals that YOU want to attain will naturally increase your investment and commitment to completing them! Research has found that tying your goals to something that matters to you could suppress negative emotions associated with judgment (1).

Moreover, you can tie your goals to someone else, in an indirect way. Let's say you're a coach or an older sister that wants to run a 5k to improve your cardiovascular health and show your athletes or younger sister the importance of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. I don't know about you, but I'm getting fired up :) Your future self will be so proud!!

5. It's not about trying to fix yourself

Goals can be a great way to build-upon the humans we already are, but when the goals are only focused on “improving” ourselves they can become toxic. Constantly aiming to “fix” ourselves is one of the fastest ways to burnout. In fact, procrastination is highly correlated with anxiety and self-judgment (2). Therefore, instead of focusing on improving yourself, focus on building on how incredible you already are.

Lastly, we're constantly evolving and developing as humans everyday. You are more capable today to achieve a goal than you might have been yesterday. Rejoin in the past goals you've achieved and keep looking forward to the goals you'll achieve in the future.

Whatever your goals are this season, Just Tri Performance is here to help you and cheer you on! From mentoring, coaching plans to nutrition recommendations based on your menstrual cycle (if you still have one), Just Tri Performance is a great resource for your New Year's resolution and beyond! Join here today!

Thank you for reading the blog!

 Have a great week, get some movement in, and as always, Just Tri!!

Happy 2023, y'all!!

Yours in Sport,

Lindsay

P.S. Help support and grow my business by following the Just Tri Performance social media pages on Instagram, TikTok, and subscribe on YouTube!!

Instagram: @just_tri365 | TikTok: @justtri_performance | YouTube

References:

1. Murphy, M. (n.d.). This Is The Month When New Year’s Resolutions Fail—Here’s How To Save Them. Forbes. 

2. Lieberman, C. (2021, January 21). Why You Should Stop Trying to Fix Yourself. Harvard Business Review.