Around this time of year the "get summer ready" messaging starts. Twelve-week body challenges and beach countdowns turn up on social media and in shopfront windows. It can leave you feeling behind before the weather has properly warmed up.
At MPower we'd rather you finished summer fitter and happier than started it in a panic. That means setting goals for the warmer months that are built around what you do, instead of a date on the calendar or a number on the scales.
Why deadline goals tend to backfire
Goals with a hard deadline and an appearance target behind them have a few common problems.
They encourage extremes. If you believe you have eight weeks to change how you look, it's tempting to train every day while cutting food back hard. That approach is difficult to sustain and raises your risk of injury and burnout.
They also leave you with nowhere to go once the date passes. Plenty of people work hard through November and then stop completely at Christmas. By February the habit has gone, and the cycle starts again the following spring.
Finally, appearance goals are only partly in your control. Genetics and hormones play a big part in how your body looks and changes. Sleep and stress matter as well. You can do everything right and still not see the change you hoped for by a set date, which feels like failure even when you've made real progress.
Process goals cover the part you control
A more reliable approach is to set goals about the things you do. These are often called process goals. Examples include:
- Get to three classes a week for the next eight weeks.
- Do at least one Build class each week for strength.
- Arrive five minutes early to every class to warm up properly.
- Pack my training bag the night before each session.
Process goals are fully within your control, and that's their strength. You can tick them off and see your progress straight away. They also build the habits that produce physical change over time, without you needing to chase it directly.
Research on habits suggests it often takes around two months for a new behaviour to start feeling automatic. A team at University College London found an average of 66 days, with a wide range between people. An eight-week process goal set now would carry you right through to the end of the year.
Performance goals are things you can feel
Performance goals sit alongside process goals. They focus on what your body can do, which tends to be far more motivating than how it looks. In a boxing and fitness studio, there are plenty to choose from:
- Hold your guard up for the full length of a Box round.
- Learn a new combination well enough to throw it without thinking.
- Get through a full Burn class without needing extra breaks.
- Move up a weight at a Build station while keeping good form.
- Recover between rounds faster than you could a month ago.
Talk to your coach about which of these makes sense for you. Every MPower class is coach-led, and our trainers can suggest a realistic next step and show you how to measure it.
Myzone can also help here. It gives you live feedback on your effort based on your own heart rate zones, so you can look back over your sessions and see how your training has built up over the weeks.
How to set a goal you'll keep
A good goal is specific enough that you'll know when you've done it. "Get fitter" is hard to measure. "Get to three classes a week until Christmas" is clear.
When you write your goal down, think about four things:
- What exactly will you do? Name the class and how many sessions, or the skill you're working on.
- When will you do it? Look at the timetable and choose real times. MPower runs classes from 6:00 AM through to the evening on weekdays, plus Saturday mornings.
- What might get in the way? Work events and school holidays are common in summer. Plan a backup for each.
- When will you check in? Pick a date roughly four weeks away to see how it's going and adjust.
Planning for the silly season
Late November through to January is the most disrupted stretch of the year for many people. End-of-year parties and holiday travel pull your routine apart.
Rather than expecting a perfect run, set a minimum goal for that period. One or two classes a week keeps the habit going. If you know you'll be away for a fortnight, decide your first class back before you leave so the return is already in your calendar.
Longer daylight helps too. With daylight saving in NSW, early classes feel a lot easier to get to when it's already light at your alarm, and evening classes leave time for a walk on the beach afterwards.
Keeping food and weight in perspective
You'll notice we haven't set any weight goals in this article. Plenty of people do want to change their body composition, and that's a valid aim. It tends to work best as a slow by-product of consistent training and sensible eating, rather than a crash target with a date attached.
For specific questions about weight or nutrition, your GP or an accredited practising dietitian is the right person to ask. If thinking about food or your body is causing you distress, your GP is a good first step for support.
A summer you'll still be training through in March
The best summer goal is one you're still following when the weather cools down. Choose two or three process goals and add a performance goal that excites you. Then check in with yourself every month.
If you're starting from scratch, now is a great time. MPower is offering a limited number of new members their first 2 weeks of unlimited Box Build & Burn classes free, with free boxing gloves to keep, a free Myzone heart rate monitor and a $0 joining fee. That gives you two weeks to try every format and choose the goals that suit you. Claim your 2 weeks free and we'll be in touch to book your first class.
