As we close out 2023 I’m starting to see posts, blogs and emails encouraging everyone to set their goals and targets for 2024. I don’t think that’s a bad thing necessarily, but there does need to be an element of practicality and realism to those goals… something that goes slightly beyond SMART targets.
If you’ve not heard the term SMART before, it stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time based. So saying “my goal is to lose weight” isn’t SMART; it doesn’t say how much weight (an ounce less is a win), measureable (if I have a big meal, then wait then I’ll lose weight), Achievable (there’s no guidance on how the weight loss will be achieved) or Time-based (is the weight loss over the month, year, or longer).
The challenge with goals, even SMART ones, is that it often doesn’t take into account external factors, which could disrupt or scupper any goals when unexpected life events occur. by their nature they are unexpected, so it’s not something that can be easily factored into the equation. However, depending on how you set your goal could still mean achievement.
My first example here is my rower. I bought the rower in January 2023, and during a very enthusiastic session in August the machine broke; the reed switch (a gizmo that measures my speed) stopped working and now the machine records some data, but it’s nowhere near what it should be – I have too many other activities that are showing that my effort hasn’t dropped to the levels my rower is showing. I have discovered that reed switches for my rower are rarer than rocking horse poop as the equipment manufacturer still hasn’t had a delivery after four months. Fortunately the machine’s resistance magnets are still working enough that I can use the machine – I just can’t tell how my improvements are going. However, rather than focus on speed, distance (especially as the machine is partly broken), I’m focusing on frequency of exercise and RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort) when I use the machine (additionally, I run and do body weight exercises, so I can use the metrics from those to gauge improvements).
The second example is that of general life. Elsewhere I talked about my health issues in 2020,2021 and 2022; additionally bereavements in the family meant my diary wasn’t a neat and tidy ordered affair with weekends been changed at last moment and plans to exercise being cancelled. This example is much harder to deal with as it can impact on goals that have a singular target (for example, lose weight to reach 75Kg by December 31st).
Obviously, as the targets are personal, something that interrupts the neat order can be a “let” on goal getting. If the target has milestones to it though, it is possible to still have made achievements. If the goal was to reach 75KG by December 31st, and you weighed 115kg in January, you could set milestones to lose 10Kg every 3 months. Then there are small wins. Of course, there is a need to be REALISTIC in goal setting – 30Kg is a lot to lose in a year and would probably require massive lifestyle changes (I lost 20Kg in 6 months and it required a complete change of diet and exercise to do it)
Another way to goal set is to use a short timeframe and a reward system to encourge you. I love a drink in the evening, but quite often I may indulge a little more than I should. This year my goal is to drink less; not to cut it out, but cut it down. But I know that’s not a SMART target. But what I’m going to do is each month I set a counter at zero. Each day I abstain, I add one to the counter. At the end of the month, I can reward myself with a purchase (most likely an art toy) up to the value of points I’ve got in the month. I don’t want to go all out abstention, but I figured that my counter will be a visual reminder of a monthly target. If something happens and I have a drink then that day’s point is lost. I’m going to see how I get on. I know I need to beat a routine that I have in my mind and I’m hoping that this will work.
The other thing I will be doing is wiping all the best times from my board and starting again. Yes, I’ll make a note of what they were (so I can validate year on progress) but the achievements I make in 2024 will be noted. I do this because as we get older it often becomes harder to maintain the peak level of fitness we may have had (especially if “Life” happens) and it’s not always fair to compare the 2024 version of yourself against the younger version. For my part, I now run year round in long running leggings, long sleeve tops, hats and some form of glove. In summer I get much hotter than I used to and it’s more challenging to cool down. But with my routine to train and exercise being quite varied I don’t feel I’m getting into a rut.
So, have you set any goals for this coming year?
The Black Crane 