You step out of the shower and on to the scale. Two pounds more than two days ago! How can that be? You’ve done everything right. Made the right choices for your meals, skipped the cupcakes in the break room, and avoided your favorite coffee shop all week because you know the smell of Pumpkin Spice Lattes gets you every single time. Let’s not forget the two workouts that you’ve conquered this week that left you teetering between feeling like a warrior princess and becoming a weeping puddle of tears (but hey, you survived).
Or maybe, you followed your workouts all week—ran your speed drills, Fartlek’s, recovery runs and hit the gym for some strength training, but your 5K time is 1:07 slower than last week. What gives?
Maybe something is not quite right with your training plan or your nutrition. That’s something to discuss with your trainer. Sometimes a great plan needs a little tweaking. But, don’t let the scale be your only source of validation if you’ve done everything right all week. You can’t measure the success of your training plan after a single week by comparing it to the big WOW result you want at the end! I know you may have a #goal of losing 30 pounds by next summer…and that may be a great goal for you…but don’t beat yourself up every day that the scale gives you a discouraging report. Don’t beat yourself up if your 5K time was slower this week than it was last week. I know you’re trying to set a PR on your 5K and get yourself back into your running groove…back to where you used to be when you actually enjoyed running…before it felt like torture...before your life got so hectic! That big goal, the one that will make everyone (including you) say, “WOW” is a PRODUCT goal.
If you’ve set appropriate goals they are going to be challenging, but they are also going to be attainable with the right plan. But keep in mind, specific goals, like losing 30 pounds or trimming minutes off of your 5K time are PRODUCT goals. You are exercising and eating right because you are seeking a certain outcome or product. For the 5K racer, after investing 4 days a week training and consistently making the right nutritional choices their desired outcome or “product” is to PR at their next 5K.
Focusing on the big picture, a.k.a., “the product” is necessary. You never want to lose sight of your end goal. When you’re just starting out, the big pie-in-the-sky goal may feel unattainable. This is why it is so important to also focus on PROCESS goals.
Process goals are your roadmap to the final product. Your coach or trainer will help you design strategies and processes to bring you to the finish line. Process goals chop your desired outcome into manageable steps that can be measured often a single week at a time. You want to lose 30 pounds in 6 months (your product goal)? How will you get there? Perhaps your plan includes scheduling 2 sessions with your trainer every week, hitting the gym for some group fitness classes twice a week and taking a yoga class on the weekend. Your first process goal is to stick to that plan and complete the prescribed workouts. You’ll also follow your nutrition plan—eat a nutrient-dense breakfast, pack a healthy lunch so you can avoid the not-so-diet-friendly temptations lurking at the café next to the office. Have a strategy to get a healthy dinner into your stomach before you are so hungry that you find yourself shoving fries into your mouth as you pull out of the drive-thru lane. That’s your second process goal. The process goals still take effort—but you can do it! One day at a time. At the end of the week, be proud and recognize your accomplishment of sticking to the plan. Trust the process and the product will follow.