Fine Tuning your Goals for Better Results

Many of us have health and fitness goals we are trying to attain and doing so effectively requires us to understand that these goals should be broken down into two types. When we specify what a primary result intends to be, this is a product goal. It is something that is achieved, such as losing a certain amount of weight, being able to lift a higher weight on a specific exercise or running a longer distance. A process goal on the other hand, is a something that you actually do. These are very specific daily actionable steps that we can easily track, such as doing a certain number of workouts in a week or tracking the number of times a week you stick to that healthy breakfast.

Unfortunately, many people fall short in their quest to attain their objective because they have defined their product goal, the overall goal they want to accomplish, but not the process goals, specifically the detailed plan on how they are going to get there. Successfully attaining your objective requires a balance of both.

The product goal gives you the target of where you want to get to. For example, if you want to lose a certain amount of weight, the product goal can be to lose 20 pounds in three months, which can be broken down even further into smaller product goals, such as losing a pound or two in a week. The product goals are accomplished when you attain the end result. In this case, when you see the desired weight loss. Working in conjunction with this, the process goals are what you are doing along the way to help you attain the overall goal. These are very specific daily or weekly steps that you take that ultimately help you get the result that you want.

Using the example of the weight loss, let’s say that your product goal is to lose one to two pounds in the first week. What are you going to do on a daily basis to attain this goal by the end of the week? What changes are you going to make this week in your meals or eating habits? How many times this week are you going to exercise and on what days? Be as specific as possible. Additionally, at the end of the week you can easily look back on your progress to see where you were successful, what you need to improve upon and what adjustments you need to make going forward.

It is important to know the goal you are trying to attain, but it is equally important to plan the path to get there. Focus on accomplishing the specific items you set out in your plan and the end result will take care of itself.