Challenges, Community
27 May, 2023
Words by Caz Gaston
Hello Saltbush babes. This is my first blog post coming at you and I couldn’t be more excited to start with something very close to my heart; GOALS. Yes, Let’s talk GOALS people. We all have them, but sometimes life can get in the way.
All those adult responsibilities, societal or family expectations, crazy schedules that make you wonder where you will fit it all in, and suddenly, your life/health/fitness/career is in a completely different directions to where you wanted or thought it would be. Sound familiar?
Yes well, you’re not alone. So, let’s jump in. This blog is for you if you are wanting to get back to your goals and find a way that you can make it more achievable, break it down into bite sizes to start, and then gradually build from there.
Whatever you want to apply it to, you can use this principle, but for the purpose of this blog and for those doing the Cool, Calm and Connected Challenge with The Saltbush Squad (Go you good things), I am going to keep it health and fitness orientated.
Over the course of the Cool, Calm and Connected Challenge, I will be here to
support and guide you through a goal you are wanting to achieve. So, have a
read below and get the brain ticking of a goal that you can work towards for
the challenge.
This blog post I have used the example of losing weight (as it’s an easy one to
use as an example). BUT, this challenge isn’t about losing weigh (unless that is
your goal, which is great)…but this challenge is about feeling good within
yourself, feeling cool, calm and connected to our bodies, mind and soul as we hit the start of winter.
Examples for the challenge:
• Journaling before bed Monday – Friday
• 5 minute meditation before bed
• Finding the mat every day of the challenge
• Reading 10 pages of your book (that has been starting at your bedside
table for too long
• 20 min walk Monday – Friday
• Try one new recipe each week of the challenge
• Or anything else that will suit you!
So, have a think, before the challenge starts in a few days…I will be here to
support you every step of the way over in our private Squad Facebook group.
Plus, I will also be picking a winner, of who I think has stuck to their goal over
the challenge and the lucky winner will score themselves a brand-new pair of
Merry People gum boots (any colour)! YAY! As Em and I have really LOVED the
Merry People vibes in this challenge (if you didn’t pick up on that) haha.
But let’s kick on with the goal workshop…
To begin, there is already something in your mind that you have wanted to do,
achieve, or work on, to become a better version of you, for you and those around you.
However, if you were to say it out loud right now, it might be
rather vague and unstructured i.e., I want to lose weight (yes, going for a classic here, but also relatable ha).
My first comment would be, Ok great, but how much weight? In what period of time? Can you lose that much safely in that time frame? Is it even achievable for your current situation? This is where the SMART principle comes into play.
Have you heard of it before? It’s an ACRONYM for;
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Timely
Using this principle, we can take your “idea” of a goal you would like to achieve and apply the SMART acronym to make it come to life. Let’s look more into each component though.
• SPECIFIC – We want to look at just one activity, thought or idea and we
want to define that goal as much as possible. The Who, What, When, Why part of your goal comes into play here.
Example; You want to lose weight, specifically 5 kgs of weight, because you want to be more fit for yourself and play with your children.
• MEASURABLE – Can you track your progress? This is the component of
tracking the “From and To”. How long will it take and how will you measure/know if your goal is accomplished?
Example; You want to lose 5kgs, this is measurable by weighing yourself on scales.
• ACHIEVABLE – Is this goal achievable, is it attainable? Is it reasonable
enough to be accomplished? You want to make it challenging enough
but not so far out of reach.
Example; Yes 5kg is achievable, I have enough weight to safely lose this much, but it is also challenging enough as I know that I need to increase my daily activity and make better nutritional choices in order to achieve this.
• RELEVANT – Is the goal relevant or worthwhile to you and your life? What’s the end game of your goal? Does it fit in with your short- or longer-term plans?
Example; I want to be healthy and fit for my children, so that I can be more involved with them daily and I want to set an example of being fit and healthy for my family overall. In the future, I’d love to do my first half marathon.
• TIMELY – Your goal needs to have a time limit. Whether day, week, month, or a year. The period of time is your choice. It helps establish a sense of urgency to complete, but also prompts better time management.
Example; I want to lose 5kgs in 5 weeks. This is challenging but achievable as generally with weight loss, a safe amount is half to 1 kilo per week.
Now that you’ve looked at each component more thoroughly, let’s take that
original idea and put it all together into a SMART goal.
“See how wonderful the SMART goal Principle is. You now have a structured, clear, and concise goal that you can work towards, whether it be for a short term or long-term goal. Or both, with the shorter goal first being made to coincide with your longer-term overall goal. As mentioned, it can be applied to any part of your life that you wish”.
“I hope you found this super helpful and can now apply this principle to your own goals, the ones that you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t know where to start or maybe just got overwhelmed by making so many or making them too big / daunting to start”.
I can’t wait to hear what goals you come up with. And if you ever have trouble applying the principle, we are always here to help. So please feel free to reach out over in the Facebook group – As someone else might have the same question.
You can also head over to The Squad and check out our first goal workshop video (if you aren’t sick of me yet) Check out video here
And stay tuned for our second goal blog post – YAY!
Big love. Caz xx
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