Each January, gyms all over the globe experience a surge in memberships as people commit to New Year’s resolutions centered around fitness. According to PLoS, approximately a third of all resolutions are fitness and health-focused (the most of any category). Unfortunately, a third of resolutions are likely to fail by the end of a given year. (1)

On Jan. 22, 2024, two-time Fittest Women on Earth® Katrin Davíðsdóttir and Annie Thorisdottir recorded an episode of the Dottir Podcast published on their YouTube channel to share six strategies to help athletes achieve their fitness goals. Check it out below:

[Related: How CrossFit Athlete Josh Bridges’ Training Has Changed at 40 Years Old]

6 Strategies for Achieving Your Goals

Set realistic and achievable goals.

Break goals into manageable steps.

Prioritize consistency over intensity.

Adjust goals as needed.

Celebrate the journey.

Consistent learning and self-improvement.

[Related: How to Get Into CrossFit as an Older Adult]

Understanding Resolutions and Intentions

The Icelandic CrossFit athletes stressed the value of setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Davíðsdóttir suggested breaking yearly goals into smaller, more manageable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Consistently achieving smaller goals can help maintain motivation. She recommended setting realistic timeframes for those smaller goals.

Don’t do too much at once. Start with something you can do consistently, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day.

Thorisdottir highlighted the importance of setting meaningful goals. The journey toward those targets is as important as the results. Obsessing over the end goal can depreciate the present and Thorisdottir believes joy of incremental progress is critical. 

A Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when an individual’s goals align with their interests and values, it leads to better goal attainment and, consequently, increased well-being and motivation. Furthermore, approach-oriented goals are likelier to result in success those those that avoidance-oriented. (2)

Life Balance

Balancing personal and professional life is important for goal management to avoid burnout, especially with regard to family and relationships. Reaching fitness goals should not come at the expense of personal relationships.

Discipline and Consistency

Thorisdottir and Davíðsdóttir advocated for structured routines and consistent efforts towards your goals. Discipline could lead to freedom in other life areas, allowing for better time management and reduced anxiety.

Thorisdottir and Davíðsdóttir recommend scaling back goals if they feel unattainable. Conversely, they encouraged increasing the difficulty if you exceed initial expectations. 

The Power of Learning and Self-Improvement

Learning and self-improvement are vital to achieving new goals. Davíðsdóttir discussed her desire to learn new skills, from understanding finances to exploring graphic design. Intentional growth and self-betterment is an overarching theme for achieving goals.

[Related: What Colten Mertens Thinks Is Wrong With CrossFit Programming]

2024 CrossFit Open

Registrations for the 2024 CrossFit Open are in progress. The first of the three Open workouts, 24.1, is scheduled to be revealed on Feb. 29, 2024. After those workouts, the top 10 percent of athletes worldwide will qualify to compete in the virtual Quarterfinals to compete for spots in one of the seven Semifinals.

References

Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A. A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLoS One. 2020 Dec 9;15(12):e0234097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234097. PMID: 33296385; PMCID: PMC7725288.

Sheldon, K. M., & Houser-Marko, L. (2001). Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: can there be an upward spiral?. Journal of personality and social psychology, 80(1), 152–165.

Featured image: @anniethorisdottir on Instagram

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