This morning I went out for a run. I was inspired by Suzanne Shaw's Happy Plan - she puts on weekly activities that people can join in with on Instagram, from cooking to training to conversations (make sure you check out Workout Wednesdays as yours truly is there each week leading us through 30 minute home workouts). However, what I wanted to talk about was goal setting and whether it helps or hinders training, or to be more precise, the ENJOYMENT of training.
Do our goals help or hinder our enjoyment of training?
My run this morning was different to any I have done before. When I train, I usually have some sort of goal, I am usually so competitive with myself that I feel slightly deflated if I am not meeting or exceeding the standard I have set for myself. When I run, I usually have a benchmark time or distance that I have to reach to feel like I have done myself justice.
This morning though, I ran because I wanted to.
I had a destination in mind, not so much based on the distance I would cover, but more because of the view I would get when I reached that point. When I got there - on top of the cliff looking over the waves crashing onto the rocks as the sun turned the sky a beautiful pinky colour - I stopped.
This is something I never would normally allow myself to do, because that means my time would be slower than my previous effort; I am not working hard enough; I'm letting myself down; I will have to run extra fast on the way home etc. Yet this morning, I didn't care about any of those things. I was outside, breathing in the fresh air, taking in the beautiful view and it felt GOOD.
My point is that setting goals can be super useful if you are training for a specific event or milestone but it can sometimes hinder us. I wouldn't have gone for a run this morning if I was trying to do it for speed - I just wasn't in the mood to beast myself - and that could have been enough to stop me attempting to put my trainers on and getting out.
Sometimes being so focussed on the goal stops us enjoying the process or the activity itself. We can feel disheartened if we aren't reaching that destination as quickly as we hoped or our progress plateaus but exercise is meant to be fun right?
Exercise should be fun!
I tell this to my clients all the time too, EXERCISE SHOULD BE FUN. If you are not enjoying it and it becomes a burden then it is unlikely that you will get the results you want and more importantly, be able to sustain the promises you've made to yourself.
It is really hard to maintain something if you aren't enjoying it. Yes, doing it "because I feel like I should" may help you get started but it is not going to keep you going and may actually have the opposite effect as you begin to resent it and find reasons for avoiding it altogether.
It is really hard to maintain something if you aren't enjoying it
Goal setting is important so you have an idea of where you're headed and it holds you accountable too. However, make sure you have fun whilst doing it. You will find that this inspires you to keep going and motivates you to push through and reach those goals.
Yes I will run 5k in 20 mins or less (I will also perfect a handstand and do 10 pull ups easily) but I will also continue to exercise for fun. I will take moments to use exercise as a moving meditation and just allow my body to move because it feels good, we don't need to beast ourselves every single time.
Allow your body to move because it feels good
If you would like help to create a training program that you ENJOY to help you reach YOUR GOALS then please get in touch.
Jo x