Goal-Setting!
Why does setting a clear goal seem to magically make things appear in your life to help you get there? It’s not magic, it’s neuroscience. Goal-setting has been linked to higher motivation, self-esteem, confidence, and autonomy!
During my initial consultations with every client I discuss goal setting. As a Fitness RN, my approach to wellness encompasses my clients as a whole. I dig into habits and patterns within their daily lives that make an impact on their overall health and wellness. This means looking at quality of sleep, nutritional intake, stress management, mental health and of course movement! Goal setting for me helps with accountability and motivation, and as a Fitness RN this helps me establish an individualized program for each clients unique goals. As in the filed of nursing, fitness nursing follows evidenced based practices so let's dig into some of the science behind goal-setting.
Studies in neuroscience tell us that goal-setting rewires our brains. When we set a goal, we are biologically programming our brains to change or create new behaviors and reach them, because the way our neurons organize is impacted. Creating focus on specific goals allows the brain to create new, stronger bonds between neurons that help increase the likelihood that we achieve our goals.
Understanding the science behind this will allow you to leverage this knowledge to achieve the results you are aiming for. Your brain has neuroplasticity, meaning it can modify, change, and adapt its structure in response to external stimuli, or what most people call “experiences.” Basically, goal-setting reshapes your brain. This impacts the ways in which the different sections of your brain communicate with one another, allowing you to more easily modify your behaviors so you can reach your goal. A University of Texas study on how goal-setting impacts patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) further proved this correlation. MS is a rare, potentially disabling disease that disrupts communication between the brain and body. This leads to symptoms such as speech difficulties, loss of sensation, muscle weakness, and more. For the study, researchers used goal-setting as an intervention. They found that MS patients who had ambitious wellness goals reported fewer, less severe symptoms than patients who did not. Goal-setting had restructured their brains, changing their behaviors to stay more focused on goals. In turn, the patients reached their wellness goals more easily, improving their health.
The field of Neuroscience is expanding and the wealth of information is at our fingertips, we just need to take the time to learn and implement these exciting strategies into our daily lives! How you ask? Here's a simple exercise I have my clients participate in, I encourage each and everyone of you to give it a try!
Let's Re-train your brain!
You will need: note cards, or paper
writing utensil or your electronic note
1) Find a nice quiet spot, pour yourself a cup of tea and get into your comfort zone.
2) Write your goals/ visions for health, fitness, relationships, career, and fun experiences. *these can be short and long term goals , we are not going to get held up on making SMART goals- I just want you at this point to be open and honest with yourself about what you want out of this beautiful life of yours
here are some real examples from some of my clients ( permission granted prior to me posting :)
"I want to get my A1C score to below 6"
"I want to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day in November"
"I want to be able to get go from sitting to standing without needing help"
"I want to be less reactive with my loved ones"
"I want to have enough energy to be able to go to my son's soccer game without worrying about how to get from the car to the bleachers"
" I want to not have to take blood pressure pills for the rest of my life"
"I want to be able to take my grandkids to Disneyland"
"I want to be well enough to play a game of golf with my buddies again"
Ok so everyone's goals are going to be different, and goals are constantly going to be evolving. Think about how a river ebbs and flows as it travels- your goals will do the same!
When I review the goals with my clients I ask " Are you interested in achieving these goals or are you committed? And nearly every time I get "Katie what's the difference?" If you're interested, you'll do what's convenient. You'll come up with stories and excuses and reasons why you can't. But if your committed, you will do whatever it takes. You'll let go of your stories that hold you back, you'll let go of your excuses, you'll let go of all the reasons you currently have that are formulating your identify of yourself and you learn how to let that go and become who you're destined to become!
Here's the last of the exercise:
1) You've already written down your goals!
2) I want you to each morning read over each goals (see it)
3) As you read each goal I want you to run your fingers across them as you are reading them (touch it)
4) Close your eyes after each goal and feel what it would be like if that was true? (Visualize it)
This causes you to create new pathways in the brain that did not exist before!
5) One final thing I have my clients do...write down what would you have to believe about yourself in order to achieve those goals?
Examples: I am strong enough
I am worthy
I am capable of doing this
I believe in myself
I then have them make a video recording of them reading these affirmations/ beliefs and then listen often, over and over. This taps into the power of repetition and the Law of Attraction!
I challenge you to complete this exercise for the Month of May - give me a solid month of reading your goals, visualizing them, touching them, hearing them. Let's form a habit of changing our self-talk into positive affirmations, and let's start rewiring our brains!
Much love,
Katie
RN, CPT, Wellness Coach
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