Intention & Goal Setting // Tips & Sharing My Own

How do you get ahead of your health and fitness this year? How do you finally make that commitment to yourself, that you actually keep this time?

YOU GET STARTED! It starts with one good choice, then another, then another and another. And you keep repeating your good choices until they become second nature. It starts with 1 healthy grocery list, 1 healthy meal, 1 glass of water, 1 workout. New Years Resolutions are so hard. Hard to choose. Hard to stick with. They are usually extreme and unattainable, with no real plan of action. According to the U.S. News and World Report, about 80% of New Years Resolutions have failed completely by mid February. So if you have been apart of this statistic year after year, make this year the year you aren’t! These are some of the reasons I say to ditch the “resolutions” and instead to set some intentions and smaller goals that are more realistic.

Now what the heck is an intention? An intention is not tangible, it is more of a feeling, perspective or purpose that you want to align yourself with. Like for example, working on having a more positive outlook when something happens that would usually ruin your day. So I suggest you take a few minutes to think about how you want to feel this year. Then maybe weekly or monthly intentions as they may change as you approach different seasons this year.

Here are mine for the year!

What kind of goals should you be setting for yourself? The key here is small & attainable! It’s important to have big dreams and goals, but If you aren’t figuring out the small goals you need to achieve daily, weekly and monthly it is going to be really hard for you to keep that big goal in sight. For example, if your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date. It is far more attainable, trackable and encouraging to lose 1-2 pounds weekly, rather than having no plan and just constantly seeing your current weight so far from your big goal weight. So get a gym pass, hire a personal trainer, don’t put the junk in your grocery cart, drink the water (not the cool-aid) and get educated. Every professional started out as a beginner. Make the commitment to yourself. Keep your word. Take the actions required of the things you say you want. Because there isn’t a quick fix. There is no pill, waist trainer, body wrap, or juice cleanse to get your dream body.

On the flip side of physical body goals, if your goal is to start a business or grow your passion project into your full time earner, it will take a lot work! You can’t just say you want these things and then not grind to get them. Not visualizing your success along with getting your body on board, ie. DOING THE WORK, will end with you feeling the same way year after year. Disappointed. Heres a tip, Don’t strive for perfection, don’t let the fear of not being perfect hold you back from putting yourself and ideas out there. There is no such thing. Strive for progress. And you will be pleasantly surprised at how much pressure that takes off of the task at hand. Perfection can be used as a cop out. At the first sign of failure or an F up, you give up the whole project because…well you failed…so obviously you should stay down, never to rise again and lay there like a victim. WRONG. Get back up, get back on track and stay moving forward. Even failing forward, is still forward. If you mess up, which you will, like we all do, it’s ok. JUST KEEP GOING. You think Rome was built over night? You think Opera became freaking OPERA…the first name basis, everyone knows exactly who you’re talking about OPERA overnight? Nope…and neither will your dreams and goals. They will take work and they have a cost. Are you willing to pay the cost. Are you willing to get through the hard stuff, the pain, the long nights, the hard workouts, the sore muscles, the caffeine/alcohol withdrawal, the SUGAR withdrawal, skipping all your “shows” to follow along with a workout video? Are you will to pay the cost to get the big PAYOUT, of looking back on your journey and thinking, “Damn, I did all that. Me. I did all those things I thought I couldn’t”. You might hate some spots or get stuck along the way, but you won’t regret giving your goals and passions your 110%. No way. You will be proud. You will feel good. And you might even decide at the end of it that you want to do something else…and thats ok! Your time has not been wasted, it has been used to learn, grow, become strong, prove to yourself that your WORD means something. I have done this numerous times myself over the past 6 years in the fitness industry and I just now finally feel like I am tipping the iceberg on my true potential, power and purpose here.

Here are some things I like to do, even as a buy mama that help me stay on track as well as work on personal development, and learning about new ideas and people in the field of health and wellness. There is always something to learn from the person next to you.

I like to set myself up for success with a journal and planner that I try to write in daily. The journal is more for mental expression, getting whatever is in my head out. The planner is to help me hit those small goals daily, weekly and monthly. Also to write down affirmations or things I need to get done that are unrelated to my goals/intentions.

PODCASTS AND BOOKS

I feel like podcasts are the new books and the new way to get more information. Mainstream media is all paid for by big business and there really isn’t anything on there that is either A- Positive or B- Doesn’t have a hidden agenda. I get it if you watch the news but honestly I feel like its filled with horrible one sided views on world events, prescription medication and fast food commercials or main stream sports…to distract us from things that are actually happening in the world. If you want to find holistic healthcare, new health superfood, new ways of thinking/ideas, non-judgmental moms talking about actual problems that no one is talking about in person then seriously look into subscribing to some podcasts. I have also been introduced to people that are like minded, that I probably wouldn’t have known about if it wasn’t for the hosts of some podcasts searching for influential people.

Some podcasts I currently love

RISE Together Podcast
The Skinny Confidential Him & Her
The Balanced Blonde
The Ed Mylett Show
Thats So Retrograde
Under the Hood (this one is a mama podcast)

Books! If you can’t find time to read if you are a busy busy mama like me then try audible. I used it while I was pushing a stroller and it was so easy to “read” my book while walking!

Some of my favorite books for feeling stuck or trying to step into your power, potential and purpose, then I recommend a few of the following!

There are so many ways to work on personal growth and development. Try a few and figure out what works for you!

Most importantly, there is no one right way to be “healthy” or to be “fit” and there isn’t one right path to get there. We are all on a journey and each one looks different.

Try to remember, you didn’t get to where you are now overnight either. It probably wasn’t easy. There was probably ups and downs, like life always has. So your COME BACK, from where ever you are, will be the same. It will be uncomfortable and hard. BUT. IT. WILL. BE. WORTH. IT.

In regards to fitness and health goals, I believe the best workout or nutrition plan on the market is the ONE YOU STICK WITH. So find one you love, because it is a long but oh so beautiful road ahead. Even if you take a detour, hit a pothole or run out of gas, don’t set the car on fire! Find some fuel, find your way back and keep going! The power and strength we gain, comes from the journey we take to achieve the goals and become the best version of ourselves. You can do this!