Goal setting for fitness-minded moms is going to look a bit different than goal setting for the average mom. Learn how to set goals that are effective for what you are out to acheive as a mom who puts fitness first.
The New Year is here and you are excited, motivated and pumped up to focus on goal setting specifically centered around your fitness and your life as a mom. Goal setting for fitness-minded moms is going to look a bit different than goal setting for the average mom.
Why is that?
Because all your goals are going to be focused around the health of you, your spouse and your children. When you all are in it together, working towards the same goals, you feel empowered as a family to accomplish your dreams as a one unit.
Going at goals alone can be done, but it’s so much more fun to do it with another person.
Your goals don’t have to be the same as your spouse’s goals. Actually, I don’t want them to be at all.
I want you to go into separate rooms and write your goals down at the same time and then come together to discuss them. And I want you to set goals just for yourself, not for your entire family.
Eventually your family will follow your lead, and you will motivate the kids to set goals for themselves that are also focused around fitness, health and self-improvement.
So what are these goals going to be about specifically? Let’s dive right into it.
Goal Setting For Fitness-Minded Moms
I want you to set 7 goals for yourself. Remember, your husband can follow in your footsteps and do the same goal setting plan as you. But your goals are yours and his are his.
Come together at the end to discuss and see if you have any similar goals you can work on together.
How To Set and Reach Goals You Will Actually Accomplish
There are 4 crucial steps to setting goals that will help you achieve your goals faster and, ultimately, help you to feel more fulfilled as a mom. Learn the best way to write your goals with these 4 goal setting steps
1. Write them down.
There’s a lot of research that proves that writing the goals down on paper with your pen or pencil (or even a pretty colored marker) can increase your probability of achieving the goal. So go ahead and WRITE IT DOWN! Easy.
2. Make them specific.
If they are not specific you won’t remember what the purpose of the goal was 3 months from now when you go back to see if you are moving the needle on the goal.
They could be so vague that you won’t even know if you have met the goal or are nowhere near accomplishing it. Be as detailed as possible.
3. Make them measurable.
Making a goal measurable is the only way to actually know if you met your goal or not. There needs to be some sort of objective measurement to make it valid; otherwise, it’s a guessing game whether or not you actually met your goal.
If you want to really set this goal and meet it completely, you need to have a clear cut answer if you did what you set out to accomplish or not.
There’s no way a weight loss goal that simply says “ lose weight” is going to really hold up. But doesn’t it sound more achievable when you say “lose 15 lbs in 3 months” as your weight loss goal? This is something you can actually track.
4. Give yourself a deadline.
Having a deadline gives you the motivation and the drive to accomplish your goal sooner rather than later.
There is nothing wrong with a long term goal, but before you write long term goals (6 months to a year or longer), set some short term goals that will get you motivated to work hard now.
Take our example above that specifically says “lose 15 lbs. in 3 months”. What if the 3 months wasn’t in the goal? “Lose 15 lbs” isn’t as motivating, is it? Put a timeframe on each and every goal you have.
7 Goals For Fitness-Focused Moms
You’ve got this, I hope you are getting excited to write some stellar goals. Take out a pen (a pretty pen if you have one) and a paper that you don’t mind looking at for the next 3-6 months and let’s start writing out your 7 goals.
1. Exercise Goal
The first goal is exercise. This is usually the most important goal for a fitness-focused mom. Exercise is a priority in your life, and you want to make sure you are making improvements in the way you work out and that your workouts are the most effective they can be in the short amount of time you have as a busy mom.
An example of my exercise goal is: Work out 4 days a week for 20 or more minutes a day for 3 months straight.
2. Nutrition Goal
Nutrition and exercise are like salt and pepper, they just go together and you never separate them. What’s the point of being healthy and having a rigid exercise routine if your nutrition is in the dumps?
Set a nutrition goal that is realistic for your lifestyle, something that is easy to manage but makes you stretch a little outside your comfort zone (in a good way of course).
An example of my nutrition goal is: Don’t eat after 8pm 4-5 nights a week for 3 months.
3. Water Goal
Water is life in my opinion. Let’s make a goal to drink more water on a daily basis so that all other things in our life can benefit from it. You can see the long list of benefits from water here.
An example of my water goal is: Drink at least 4 cups of water a day for 1 month and then drink 1 extra cup of water each week until I reach 8 cups a day.
4. Sleep Goal
This is one area that moms struggle with the most. Sleep is lacking when you are a busy mom of lots of children or a new mom to a newborn.
Sleep is what is lacking the most and can be detrimental to your health. If you added in one extra hour of sleep a night, you’ll instantly see the benefits start to take effect. Learn the health benefits of sleep here.
An example of my sleep goal is: Go to bed every night at 10:30 pm and wake up every morning at 5:30 am consistently Sunday-Thursday for 3 months straight.
5. Self-Care Goal
The moment you become a mom, self-care gets thrown out the window. Unless you have the most amazing husband who loves to scoop up your kiddos and says “hey, hunny, why don’t you go and do some self-care time alone for a while”. Ahhh, music to my ears.
It’s happened to me, and I hope you can have a conversation with your husband and ask him for this self-care time on occasion. It’s a must-have for you in order to recharge. Let’s set a goal to make your time worthwhile.
An example of my self-care time goal is: Spend one night a week alone for 20 minutes without any interruptions where I can do whatever I want, over the next 12 weeks.
6. Family Goal
Family goals are important to set when it comes to being a mom who lives a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard to achieve any goals related to fitness and health when the rest of your family is being lazy, lying on the couch, eating potato chips and ice cream.
Let’s set a family goal to help them maintain that healthy lifestyle alongside you. But make the goal specifically about you, not your family because these are your goals, not theirs.
An example of my family goal is: Work out with my kids alongside me one time a week for 20 minutes at a time for the next 3 months.
7. Work Goal
Sometimes work can derail you from your fitness-driven lifestyle. The people you are surrounded by, the atmosphere, the heavy workload, all of these things can stop you from reaching your goals.
It’s important that you keep your mind focused on what’s most important to you even while at work. If health, fitness, nutrition and self-care are important to you, then make sure you maintain that lifestyle while at work as well.
An example of my work goal is: Get up out of my chair and move every hour while I am at work for long periods of time – perform 3-5 minutes of exercise during those 1 hour intervals.
BONUS Goal: Last but not least – Spiritual
Last, but definitely not least, is a spiritual goal. For me, nothing else works if I cannot be spiritually in the right place. My relationship with God comes above all else and the same goes for my goals.
An example of my spiritual goal is: Spend more time with God every morning and pray for at least 7 minutes a day.
Comment below with some of your goals.
Are you a new mom, recovering from pregnancy and trying to set some new goals postpartum? Want to know why you may not be meeting your postpartum fitness goals? Continue reading this next post.
*It is important to always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program and get medical clearance. Always warm up thoroughly and stretch after all workouts. LiveCoreStrong.com and Jena Bradley will be not be responsible or liable for any injury sustained while exercising at home, gym or elsewhere. Perform exercises at your own risk.
