Do you feel an overwhelming pressure to achieve certain health goals in your already busy life? Do you feel like you need to go all-in as quickly as possible to make a change? Slow down and take a breath.
Many of us are already going 100 miles an hour each day to raise a family, build a business, show up for our spouse, and rise above in our careers. That’s a lot! To accomplish the health goals we have for ourselves, we must approach them with clarity and patience. Many people rush to achieve their goals and often give up when it becomes too much to handle. Consider these three tips for avoiding burnout while pursuing your health goals.
1. Simplify Your Goal
Often, people try to accomplish too many goals at once, and they overdo it. They push themselves to do too much in a short amount of time and end up with an injury or feeling overwhelmed. Once they experience these negative outcomes, they throw in the towel and return to viewing their goal as an elusive dream.
Instead of pushing yourself to complete many goals at once, pursue one goal at a time. It’s easy to say “yes” to every opportunity and feeling that comes your way, but that usually leads to burnout and failure. Set your sights on a single goal and do what you can to achieve it.
2. Define Your “Why”
One of my clients initially told me that her reason for working out was to look good in her wedding dress. The more I got to know her, the more I realized that there was a much more meaningful “why” accompanying her goal. After a few workout sessions together, she opened up to me about how she truly wanted to have the energy and mobility to care for and play with her children in the future. Now that’s a sustainable and energizing “why”!
Determine what’s motivating you to complete your goal and be honest with yourself. Your “why” will keep you going when your body is too sore to move. When you don’t have enough energy to hit the gym. Or when you’d rather eat a bowl of ice cream instead of a salad. Whether your goal is an ideal weight, distance, lifespan, or size, utilize the passion behind your “why” to encourage yourself to achieve your goal.
3. Set Micro-Goals
One of my friends began pursuing her goal of improving her overall health. Instead of jumping headfirst into eating perfectly for every meal and working out six days a week, she simply chose to avoid sugar for 30 days. When her sugar-free month came to an end, she celebrated her accomplishment, continued eating less sugar, and began a new micro-goal to help improve her overall health.
Instead of chasing after your large and mighty goal all at once, set micro-goals that will position you closer to your end goal and celebrate those incremental achievements. Rather than stressing about how long it will take to achieve your desired goal, focus on accomplishing something small each week or month. Completing micro-goals throughout your journey will motivate you to continue striving towards the finish line. Above all, remember to go easy on yourself. Life is busy, raising a family is hard, showing up for a career is difficult, but you are capable of amazing things!
For more tips on how to avoid burnout while pursuing your health goals, tune into Episode 45 of the Fit Is Freedom podcast.