New Year, New You: Actually Achieving The Lofty Goals You Have For Yourself With The Help Of NordicTrack, Dr. Lori, and Friends
There are many things which prevent people from being successful at maintaining their New Year’s Resolutions. Some key hurdles are:
- Motivation loss
- Vague goals
- All-or-nothing mindset
- Being overly critical
No matter what your particular hurdle, they don’t have to remain a detriment to your goals anymore.
We have exactly what you need to create solid New Year’s Resolutions, especially in regards to your health and fitness goals. NordicTrack has partnered up with 6 fantastic health and fitness experts to find just what makes their goals work when so many others seem to fall short.
Dr. Lori Shemek
Weight loss expert Dr. Lori Shemek knows how to create goals which will keep your internal motivation strong.
Lori’s first two steps in setting goals with the right motivation are accepting yourself and understand why you want to reach your goal. After that, Lori said, “The next element is that of believing in yourself – that you have the power within you to create the desired goal.”
Lori also recommends you don’t hang onto the lack of success you had with your past attempts at the goal you set and said: “You want to remember that your past actions, seeming ‘failures’, your disappointments, do not define who you are now.”
For more of Lori’s goal setting recommendations, read Lori’s interview with us!
Aeshia DeVore Branch – PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT
Entrepreneur behind the fitness brand PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT, Aeshia DeVore Branch had actionable advice when it comes to creating solid goals.
When facing down a particularly tough goal of her own, Aeshia said, “ I surrounded myself with a supportive team of positive people that encouraged and helped me along the way.”
But before you assemble a supportive team, make sure your goals are in order. Aeshia shared her action-packed goal setting steps:
- Decide what you want
- Share your dream with a close friend or family member (don’t tell everyone)
- Set a deadline and stick with it
- Break down the goal into smaller steps
- Identify someone who’s accomplished a similar goal and model their attitude and belief system. Use them as inspiration.
- Believe it’s possible
- Take action!
For more of Aeshia’s goal setting recommendations, read Aeshia’s interview with us!
Jennipher Walters – Fit Bottomed Girls
Editor-In-Chief of Fit Bottomed Girls, Jennipher Walter has cracked the formula for creating manageable goals.
If you’ve become frustrated when you’ve slipped back into old habits, you aren’t alone. When it comes to setting a goal where you will be changing a behavior, Jennipher said, “ In my opinion, it has to either be something small that you can make into a habit (after doing it regularly for 21+ days) or it has to be a longer-term goal that is broken down into smaller very achievable goals.”
As you make these goals, whether large or small, Jennipher also suggested they be made with self-love. Many people are overly critical of themselves and that attitude can sabotage them once they make a mistake. Instead of falling into this trap, Jennipher said people should approach their slip-ups with this attitude: “Because no one is perfect – and you can learn so much from your “mistakes.” What will be your plan to get back on track?”
For more of Jennipher’s goal setting recommendations, read Jennipher’s interview with us!
Brian St. Pierre – Precision Nutrition
Registered dietitian and Director of Performance Nutrition for Precision Nutrition, Brian St. Pierre gave insightful advice on how to make your goals work on a day-to-day basis.
While the mantra “go big or go home” may be appropriate in some settings, it may not be the right mindset when it comes to your goals. Brian said, “Too often folks aim for pie-in-the-sky options, rather than starting smaller and progressively building up.”
Instead of charging ahead with an all-or-nothing mindset which commonly leads to failure, Brian recommended a course of action which allows some flexibility with the goals you’ve set. “It’s ok to turn the “dial down” so to speak, during weeks when other life circumstances take precedence. Just try to turn the dial back up when the opportunity arises,” Brian said.
For more of Brian’s goal setting recommendations, read Brian’s interview with us!
Lauren Abbott – Treadmill Reviews
Content strategist for Treadmill Reviews, Lauren Abbott knows what it’s like to have difficult fitness goals.
As someone who has dreamed of running an ultramarathon but hasn’t achieved that goal yet, Lauren doesn’t discourage big goals. She said, “By all means, set a large goal! But instead of sprinting from the starting line, pace yourself.”
On top of her day job, Lauren is a busy mom who understands that life can unexpected roadblocks. To solve this issues as you set your goals, Lauren recommended, “Make a plan for how you’re going to overcome as many obstacles as you can possibly foresee.”
For more of Lauren’s goal setting recommendations, read Lauren’s interview with us!
Adam St. Pierre – CTS
Endurance athlete and coach for CTS, Adam St. Pierre offered great advice on how to give your New Year’s Resolutions a solid direction.
First, when you set a goal, Adam said, “A realistic goal is one that you can achieve. A worthwhile goal is one that will make you better. A goal should motivate you, not be such a reach as to discourage you.”
Adam gave a great example of this kind of goal setting. In 2014, he had decided to run up his favorite mountain 100 times. With a solid direction to take his running, Adam said, “Having this decision predetermined helped me to not waste time thinking about location, instead just deciding how many laps to run!”
For more of Adam’s goal setting recommendations, read Adam’s interview with us!
Turn Your Dream Goals Into Reality
Many people allow their goals to remain vague dreams which they have told themselves the goals are unachievable. But NordicTrack and the above health and fitness experts want you to challenge that passive acceptance. Put their advice to the test and see if you can’t turn your dreams into reality.
Also, NordicTrack would like to thank the 6 health and fitness industry experts for their willing collaboration on this goal setting extravaganza. We hope you check out their websites for more excellent advice.