- running goals (be it a new PR for a 5k, half marathon, marathon)
- biking goals (mostly gaining speed & skills on mtb)
- becoming a healthier person
- eating more real foods and less fake foods
- hydrate better
- drink less foo-foo coffee drinks
- ETC
I know these or similar things are what a lot of my friends contemplate as well (that's us type As)! But the bottom line is this....the majority of us want to be the best we can be!
After reading several articles, books and blogs, seeking support from a coach, a nutritionist, my husband, a naturopath, friends and teammates, I came to a conclusion- it all comes down to my MOTIVATION, not theirs! So, since I analyze behavior for a living I thought...why not in this area too? Why have I struggled to commit myself in the past- well the answer is simple- I was seeking this through other's motivations and not setting up my own system.
Using the science of ABA and it's principles one can improve performance, get fit, eliminate bad habits, and apply new strategies! It isn't rocket science. It's an objective, measurable, and practical approach to creating motivations, understanding and changing YOUR behavior. This doesn't include fancy training plans, fade diets, etc. Plain and simple- IT"S ALL YOU!
- Create a Road Map- this entails finding a focus and setting a goal! Research supports the effects of goals setting on performance and suggests that challenging goals encourage individuals to exert more effort (Keith & Ericsson, 2007). There are 2 types of goals: long-term goals and short-term goals (more on this in a later post)! Long-term goals are goals that will take longer to accomplish and typically have more than one component- here is where short-term goals come in, further breaking the longer term goal into mini steps to get there.
- Break It Down- (Task Analyze). If I started right off the bat to attack each area of my long-term goal, I would likely feel overwhelmed and quickly give up. Sound familiar? Short-term goals consist of individual behavioral components that MUST occur to get to your long-term goal! You won't put in a PR on your next marathon if you don't run, do speed work, and longer duration runs leading up to the race... You also can't start running 15 miles on day one.. you have to build up mileage and speed! What you will need to set your goals are: baselines, documenting system, measurement system and HONESTY with yourself! These systems don't need to be fancy.... a simple word table or excel graph will do!
- Get a Baseline- your baseline is behaviors BEFORE you intervene. Be honest here (if you are only running 1 time every 2 weeks, don't make your baseline 6 times in one week---it won't get you very far)! You have to honestly assess your skill or behavioral deficits. For example: You want to increase your water intake to 70 oz per day but your current baseline is 8 oz a day. You will break this down into a steady progression of short-term goals such as: 1. get a water bottle I like to drink of out, 2. make sure I leave the house with it full everyday this week, 3. Try to drink 16 oz of water every day on week 2, 4. 25 oz one week 3, and so on.
- Get Visual: Graph- Research indicates that posted data results work!!! Since we are all visual people we like seeing our graph increase or decrease depending on the goal we've set. A simple line graph on graph paper (or excel) works great, there are additional graphs that you can use as well (if interested, email me). Positive results on a graph themselves are slightly motivating and reinforcing. In my work at school, I have kids track their own reading or behavioral progress and they complete feel fulfillment and get excited as they get closer to their goal!
- Be Kind To Yourself: Reinforce- Here this is your motivator.... Yes, intrinsic motivation will come but the fact of life is we are all both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated-- how long would you work in your stressful job if you didn't receive a paycheck??? Would you stop speeding if you knew every time you went over the limit you'd get a fine if you were poor and broke? We work because we get paid (tangible) which enhances are quality life (intrinsic & extrinsic rewards). We speed because we may not get caught and we are late (but slow down in known speed traps) that's an extrinsically motivated behavior! Soooo back on track, consider this step as your paycheck for a job well done, a pat yourself on the back! Set it up at the beginning of your plan (it could be renting a movie you want to see, buying a new & smaller pair of jeans, girls night out, my favorite- massage and pedicures, date night, etc) BUT you have to want it bad enough and you have to meet your goals in order to have access to it... So don't make a reinforcer be a pizza night if your family gets pizza every friday night and you know you can't resist... or know you'll have to avoid that pizza until you've met your goals! What is nice if losing weight or getting more fit are your goals then clothes fitting more comfortable and compliments from others will also help to keep you going :)
Good Luck!! Please email with questions, feel free to post your goals and results! Email for graphing templates, recording templates and other suggestions! I will gladly share what I have!