Goal setting and knowing when to pivot

Goal-setting is an important part of both fitness and everyday life. Not only does it foster growth and change, but it feels good when we strive for success and achieve our goals, thanks in large part to the release of the pleasure hormone dopamine.

But what happens if you’re stuck, no longer progressing, or your goals simply no longer serve you? Changing your goals is just as important as setting them, but it can be challenging to recognize when it is time to switch gears and pivot. This is especially true in fitness, where progress is often non-linear.

Beyond the potential physical benefits, pivoting is also a great way to look inward, reflect, and gain a deeper understanding of your body. Plus, it’ll help boost motivation and keep you feeling good in the long run.

Feeling stuck is a sure sign that it's time to pause and reevaluate your fitness goals. If you notice your current plan is no longer effective and you're not progressing, it might be time for a change. This is especially true if you feel like you’re motivation has hit an all-time low and you find yourself doling out excuse after excuse.

Watch for physical indicators such as plateauing in your performance or weight loss goals. Perhaps you’re constantly feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or on the flip side, under-challenged. Or maybe it’s more straightforward in that your progress has stalled and your training isn’t on par with your fitness level.

There are also psychological indicators such as loss of motivation, feeling frustrated, or emotionally drained from the process. If simply the thought of training stresses you out, makes you feel bad, and starts to impact other areas of your life, this is a big red flag it’s time to make a change.

Exercise should enhance your life, not make you feel worse. Adjusting your goals isn’t a sign of failure, but a reflection of your strength. Pivoting is a powerful way to tune into your body, adapt to your current needs, and ensure long-term success and well-being.

In order to adjust your goals, it's important to first evaluate where you’re at. This provides clarity on where you stand and what changes need to be made.

Measuring progress:

From the jump, always track your progress. Whether that’s with fitness tests, training journals (photos, measurements, weight, performance, well-being), or an app, choose something that you can refer back to. Reflect on your current status, effective strategies, and necessary changes to maintain progress.

Importance of setting goals

Clear, measurable goals are essential for motivation and progress. And it’s good to have a mix of both short-term and long-term goals for a structured roadmap. Without goals, it’s impossible to measure progress. Clear goals help to align efforts towards a common objective, ensuring effective progress to help you get there.

Why isn’t my current training achieving the desired results?

Several factors can affect why your training efforts might not be yielding the desired results. Our bodies, fitness levels, and mental and physical health are influenced by several factors. And if just one of these is not optimal, it can throw the whole system off balance and hinder progress. Here are some possible reasons why you might not be achieving your goals:

• Stagnation: continuing with the same routine and ultimately hitting a plateau.
• Overtraining: going hard for every workout without adequate recovery.
• Poor nutrition: consuming low-quality food sources and not adhering to a well-balanced diet which can affect energy levels and recovery.
• Unclear goals: it’s difficult to measure and track progress without clear goals. Plus, clear goals encourage action.
• Body changes: if you’ve lost a lot of weight or have a completely new body composition/ability, this may require continuous training adjustments.
• Hormonal fluctuations: menstruation and other hormone shifts can impact your training.
• Psychological factors: stress, self-doubt, confidence, or other mental barriers can influence your progress.
• Physiological issues: illness, injuries, or other health problems can impact your results or even your possibility of achieving them.
• External factors: lifestyle or environmental changes may impede on your chances of success.

Take inventory, reflect on these factors, and identify where adjustments are needed. It could be a small tweak here or there to make your training effective and successful again.

Embracing change is all about adopting a “flexible mindset.” This means being open to new approaches, critically reflecting on yourself and your behaviors, and being ready to take action.

Embracing flexibility:

A flexible mindset enables you to respond to change and adapt. It helps you accept setbacks as part of the process and find new ways to achieve your goals. Plus, it fosters a powerful mind-body connection and offers clarity for necessary changes.

Self-reflection:

Regular self-reflection is crucial to evaluating your progress and goals. Check-in with yourself and ask yourself questions like, “Am I satisfied with my progress?” or “What could I do differently?”

Identify what is working well and what areas have room for improvement. Notice if you can see a pattern of when things are better/worse and write it down. This will provide a level of self-awareness that you can use in your favor the next time a fitness lull strikes.

You’ve done the work, re-evaluated, reflected, and realized it’s time for a change. Here’s a step-by-step guide to effectively pivot and change your direction:

Set and define new goals:

1. What progress have I achieved so far?
2. What do I want to achieve from now on?
3. What do I need to change in my current training routines?
4. What needs to happen for the change to show desired results?
5. When will I start the change?
6. When will I have achieved my new goals?
7. How can I support and motivate myself in implementing these goals?
8. Do I need external support?
9. How frequently will I measure my new goals to adjust the plan if necessary?

Scared of failing? Is self-doubt starting to creep in? Don’t worry, it’s completely normal when reorienting your goals to let uncertainty and fear take over. But there are strategies you can use to overcome these common concerns so that you can set yourself up for success – and most importantly, crush those new goals.

Strategies to overcome self-doubt

There are several tactics you can use to overcome self-doubt, but the best place to start is within. Give positive self-talk a try to boost your confidence. Another great tool is self-reflection and acceptance of your fears. Try and look at your concerns realistically and recognize that change is part of the process. Set small interim goals and celebrate each achievement along the way. Finally, give visualization a go. Imagine how it feels to achieve your new goal—does the feeling motivate you?

And while doing that inner work is so key, don’t overlook the benefits of having a support system. Reach out to friends, family, or a coach. Sharing your goals, fears, and progress with others is also a great way to keep you accountable and motivated. Plus, maybe you’ll even find someone with the same goals to share the journey with and take your results to the next level.

How to handle external resistance?

Pushback from others can be tough. But there are ways you can overcome those seeds of doubt and keep doing you. While it’s completely okay to accept constructive criticism, it’s just as important to stay true to yourself and your goals.

Try strengthening your self-confidence, communicating your vision more clearly, tapping into your support system, maintaining your inner conviction, and, as always, celebrating your success along the way. These strategies can help overcome others' skepticism and allow you to pursue your own path independently. Test them out and see what works best for you.

Prioritizing your mental health, regularly engaging in self-reflection, and honing in on a mind-body connection will help you to cope with changes and view setbacks with a new perspective.

By cultivating a growth mindset, you’ll start to see challenges as opportunities to learn and develop. It’ll also help you bounce back and adapt to new situations. And this is so important because setbacks are inevitable – they’re a part of everyday life.

Let’s set the record straight, setbacks aren’t failures. They’re chances to analyze what went wrong and learn from it. It’s a way to use this new-found knowledge to adjust your strategy and come back stronger than ever – in other words, building resilience.

Resilience is that mental toughness and, like muscle, you can strengthen it in several ways. Meditation, realistic expectations, a positive environment, self-reflection, and simply just believing in yourself are all great ways to flex that resilience mindset.

Quiet your inner critic and trust yourself, when you have strong resilience, everything will seem possible.

Recognizing when to pivot and change goals is vital for long-term success and well-being. And there are several proven tactics you can use to help make the transition easier.

1. Embrace a “flexible mindset” to help adapt to changing circumstances, avoid stagnation, and give you the tools you need to tackle motivational lulls head-on.
2. Continuously do that inner work to reflect and evaluate your progress and effectiveness, ensuring goals remain relevant.
3. Set clear, measurable goals with structure, while being aware of factors like overtraining and psychological barriers so you can adapt as needed.
4. Cultivate a growth mindset through and through – this fosters resilience, and helps you shift your perspective.

Remember, pivoting isn’t quitting; it’s an effective way to boost motivation and keep us in it for that long-term game.