What’s the quote about good intentions? We all have them, especially with our health + fitness. And then life hits us, a pandemic happens, kids aren’t in school anymore and the intentions fly out the window. How can we move from intention into implementation to hit our goals?
Get specific on when, where and how.
It sounds simple – get as specific as possible. When will you implement this intention, on a certain day of the week? What about the time? Every Tuesday after work, before dinner? Where are you going to do it? Probs not at a crowded gym right now. House? Trail? Kitchen? And how will you implement it? If your intention is eating more veggies, going to the grocery store to buy vegetables is a good step in how to achieve that. If your intention is running once a week, placing your running shoes at the door the night before could be how you cue yourself in the morning that it’s time to run.
So let’s put it together. I have an intention to track my macros more this month. I’m pretty good at knowing and tracking for meals, but can get lost in my snacks. So here is my implementation practice:: I’m going to practice reading the ingredient label (how) every time (when) I eat snacks this week (when specified) at my house (where).
Another one: I have the intention to drink more water. I’ve had this for two weeks and it’s starting to wain a little bit and I’m not hitting my goals. Implementation practice: I’m going to measure to see how many oz are in my largest water cup (how) tomorrow morning (when) as I go downstairs to my kitchen (where), before I make my coffee (when specified).
This is extremely helpful because it helps you clarify your intention and think through potential road blocks. Why haven’t I hit my water goal? Because I don’t have a specified cup I drink from and it’s hard to keep track in the craziness of the day – so I will try taking away one of the decisions by using the same cup and create mini goals by trying to drink that cup x amount of times during the day.
Having good intentions with our health + fitness is great! Even better is being able to implement them into practice and hitting our goals. Have questions? I’d love to help – reach out and email me at blanche@strongmomma.fitness
