Solutions for Springtime Burnout

Feeling the burnout? It may be coming from somewhere unexpected.

Powerless Goal #1:

A Loose Goal

Let’s start by thinking about what’s getting in the way of your goals. Think for a minute about what your goal was at the beginning of the year. Did you say, “Lose some weight?” If you did, your goal is too loose. If you lose one pound, are you happy? You lost some weight. You’re done. Pass the Cheetos. See the problem, here?

“Some” weight isn’t strong enough to keep you motivated. A particularly successful trip to the bathroom helps you lose “some” weight. So how much is “some”? It’s important to attach a number to your goal.

Losing weight as a fitness goal is challenging enough on its own. It gets horribly worse without a finish line in sight. This is where the curse of middle-of-the-journey weight loss wheedles its way in to your mindset and tries endlessly to crack the foundation set back in January.

Only having so much time to accomplish a goal makes it much easier to turn down the office birthday cake. Now, that’s not to call in to question the idea of the “lifestyle change” associated with fitness goals, but there will come a point in time where you feel confident enough in your habits that one half-off happy hour deal won’t derail you for the whole of the week. Knowing when you want to meet your fitness goals is far more important to identify than the number you want to see on the scale.

See the issue?

Help! My goals are too loose! What do I do?

If you’re discovering that your goals are too loose, add it to your surely exhaustive “to-do” list to tighten them up. A strong fitness goal requires specifics – whatever they may be – and more importantly, it requires a deadline. Here are some steps to “tightening up” that loose goal.

1. Decide on an end date. Not sure how far to set your end date? That’s fine! Just pick one! If it’s not working, you can always adjust it. Still feeling apprehensive? I’ll help you. Pick the date on your calendar twelve weeks from today. It’s always been a workable jumping off point for me.

2. Decide on a number. This can be any number to meet your needs. It might be a scale number, a body fat percentage number, a grams of sugar per day limit, a number of workouts per week number, or a number of minutes to meditate each day. Whatever you are dedicating the time until your end date, find a number and go with it. If it doesn’t work, you can change it. No one is making you sign any contracts, here. Just start with something.

3. Begin tracking your progress. There are plenty of apps on smartphones, DayTimer planners, a spreadsheet, or even sticky notes on your computer. Don’t make a lot of of extra work for yourself, but start writing down your numbers to see if you are actually making headway on your goals. I write with a Dry Erase marker on my bathroom mirror to track my weight. Simple as that. Every morning after I weigh myself, I put the first letter of the day on the mirror, my weight, and my body fat. When the mirror fills up, I take photos of everything and erase and start over. It’s not fancy, but it sure does the job well. Tracking your progress in a visible (to you) location helps you see right away if you are making the strides you hope to be making.

If you feel like your goals fit into these parameters but you’re still feeling the Springtime slide, check back next week for the second installment of the Springtime Burnout – goals that are too restrictive.

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This blog post was brought to you by Staci DeSchryver

Fitness Competitor and Self-professed Lover of All Foods Containing Cheese or Gravy... Sometimes Cheese and Gravy.