We are finally coming to the end of 2020. Thank God.
But that means it’s time to start planning and goal setting for 2021. To really think ahead, we have to look back first. So grab your fitness journal, spreadsheet, or however you track your goals and flip all the way back to January 2020.
I remember it well. We were all so optimistic.
What goals did you set yourself back at the start of the year? Look over what you wrote or think about what you set as your goal(s). How did your goals change over the year? It’s not unusual to change plans and goals as life happens. And boy, did life happen in this year! It’s totally ok if you abandoned your goals or changed them.
Now that you remember what your goals were, write down or think about what you accomplished this year. Maybe you didn’t lose those 20 pounds, but you lost 5. Or you didn’t start a new exercise routine, but you stuck with what you know. Pat yourself on the back for what you got done this year. Because no matter what, you did it! We need to recognize the good, the positive.
For 2021, we can reset our goals yet again.
I like to look at my goals every quarter and adjust as needed. I encourage you to do the same. It doesn’t have to be every quarter, determine what time length works for you and review at that interval. I reviewed my goals at the end of September and adjusted for October to December. I also started thinking about what I want to get done in January through March.
For me in 2021 I want to continue weight loss. I am slowly shedding pounds and am ok with slow. Slow and steady wins the race, or something like that. My goal is to continue to lose 1-2 pounds per month. I’ve even adjusted my goals in my app from my end goal weight to quarterly goal weight. I figure it’s easier to see and reach the closer goal weight and not get discouraged to see how far I have from end goal weight.
As far as running, I’m still struggling with a goal.
I want to run an ultra but I also want to stick to shorter distances and try to improve my 5k time. For the last few months of 2020, I have laid out an ultra plan but am still unsure if I even want to attempt the distance. It’s really hard to set goals and make a plan if you don’t know what you want. Someone tell me what to do.
I’ve also restarted weight lifting. I really want to get stronger. I didn’t lose a lot of strength the few weeks I took off. I haven’t quite decided my 2021 strength goal yet. I think it will be to continue rounds of JG40 and improve with each 12 week round. I also think a break between each round is healthy, but three weeks is a little long. Maybe 1-2 weeks off would be better.
I do want to get back into other fitness activities, which is another reason an ultra is a bad idea. I love my bike, love cardio kickboxing, plyo, yoga, etc. But I never feel I have enough time between running and lifting weights. So far, I think what I would do is train for the ultra in March then as it gets hot, do more cross training and less running. I bought the bike for additional cardio in the summer when I don’t want to be outside.
Good thing I’ve got another couple of months to think about it!
For 2021, I decided to use a different method to plan and track my fitness and workout goals. I usually use paper calendars to plan then copy to my regular planner then I write what I actually did in my Believe training journal. I love my Believe journal but went with something different for 2021.
I made a video to show what I am doing for next year. Check it out!