10 Foolproof Ways to Reach Your Goals

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Goals motivate us and drive us forward. Whether we want to get stronger, lose weight, or follow a healthy diet, the goals we set define our path. But some may be unrealistic or unreachable. These kinds of goals will end up standing in the way of your progress rather than pushing you forward. Read on for our top tips to reach your goals!

Most of the goals in your head fail because they are actually resolutions. Unlike goals, resolutions are just intentions. In other words, they’re a plan or even a wish to achieve something. And even the best of intentions just don’t have the same impact as goals. Making a list of things you’d like to accomplish – vague at best, unrealistic at worst – isn’t going to get you there, while goal setting actually will!

Without a defined plan, all you’ve got is a handful of wishes in your head. Our tips will not only improve your success rate but also teach you why the key to achieving your goals is the way you set them. Need a tip for right now for you next workout? Have a taste of our Sparkling Aminos to get you in the mood and pump up your energy.

Know Your Why

Everyone has their own reason to lead a healthy lifestyle. For us, every single one of them counts.

Be SMART about Your Goals

This rule is old but gold, and really the basis for any well-managed project. Coming up with them is a project all of its own, so take 15 minutes to set your goals a little smarter. Make them:

Specific

Define your goal as clearly as you can. For example: “I want to lose six kilos by March.”

Measurable

It’s helpful to link your progress with numbers. For example: “I want to be able to squat 120kg.”

Attractive

You should be setting goals that are exciting for you, that you’re genuinely passionate about, and that will make positive changes in your life – not because you “should,” or because Instagram, your family, or anyone else has persuaded you to.

Realistic

Looking to drop 10 kilos in two weeks? Bad idea. For every kilo of fat you want to lose, you’ll need to rack up a deficit of about 7,000 calories. Experts recommend not going any farther than 300-500 a day. Plug that into a calculator and you’ll see that good things take their time. Want to know how Rosalby lost 27 kilos with foodspring’s support, and kept it off? Read our interview here.

Choose something that you can achieve. Think about where you are now. What’s really feasible for you in the near future? If you absolutely want to learn to do a free handstand, but you’re still working on holding a plank or doing push-ups, you’ll spend a long time working towards that handstand. You might think about setting the goal of being able to balance your handstand for a minute against the wall.

Time-bound

Set a realistic timeframe for yourself to achieve it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nor will your feel-good body be. Put a final (but realistic, remember!) deadline in place and you’ll have an easier time planning your milestones, tracking your progress, and adjusting your plan if necessary.

a white man in black foodspring workout gear. You can do a plank every day to reach your goals if that's what it takes!
©foodspring

Set Interim Goals

That means we’re always planning and looking ahead to the next one, but it’s worth it: intermediate goals are a great reality check and help you determine how likely you are to reach an end goal, and they help document your progress and keep you on track along the way. When you reach a micro-goal, your progress is undeniable, which is super motivating on days you’d rather hang around on the couch.

For example: Say you want to lose 6 kilos in 3 months. That means that, ideally, you should lose 2kg every month. Don’t be thrown off course: Don’t take a break from healthy eating if you slough off 2.5kg one week, or throw it out the window if your tracking ends up at 1.5kg another week. Remember, there are lots of factors that make your weight fluctuate daily. Plus, you’ve got to weigh yourself correctly. Still, no matter if nothing happens or you lose 4 kilos in a month, if you find yourself off-base as compared to your goals, it’s still progress! You’ve learned something about your needs! You might need to change it up and either step it up a notch or make changes to your diet.

Get individual training tips and product recommendations, perfectly matched to your life and individually set goals. Find out what your BMI says about your fitness level in our free Body Check.

try our free body check

Make Your Process Clear

Make yourself a training plan and, if your goal needs it, a nutrition plan. If your goal is to squat 120kg, you might aim for 3 leg days (including squats) per week. Define your workouts in all aspects: frequency, intensity, and your recovery times. Do this with your intermediate checkpoint goals as well!

Don’t want to forget your goals alongside your daily tasks? Download our free Weekly Planner. Define your weekly goals and the individual steps you need to take to be on your way.

download our free weekly planner

Visualize your goal

Not in the mood to work out or eat well? That happens to all of us sometimes. But on the whole, you have to stick to a plan for a long time to reach any ambitious goal. If you know that you’re prone to distractions, then visualize your goal.

Make a list of the training sessions you need to complete your goal. Cross off each session after the workout so you can see your progress every day. Or build in a reward, punch-card style: When you’ve wrapped up 10 workouts, treat yourself to something special. 

Focus

Don’t make long resolution lists with a hundred goals. Focus on 1-3 things you want to accomplish, rank them, and prioritize the most important one. If you cross something out, do a training session for the next target on your list.

Make sure your goals fit together and don’t compete with each other. Aiming to train for squatting 120kg and run your first marathon at the same time is… not ideal. At some point, your legs need a rest!

Turn Your Goal Into a Routine

Let’s say you’ve chosen a goal that’s fun for you, and you’ve got the first few steps behind you. Now is the time to turn these changes into everyday habits. Modify your workouts so that you can imagine doing them forever. Turn the tedium of cooking into a fun activity with your partner. In short: Learn to love the moment and enjoy the journey. 

Tip: Our favorite recipes make it much more fun.

Stay Flexible

This doesn’t mean that you should ditch your training plan or abandon your goal if you get bored. Rather, it means you should keep pursuing your goals despite the obstacles. Have you been out with the flu for a month? Take it easy, we hope you feel better! Do you have to return to your routine a little gently? Take your time! The main thing is that you start again. Take a step back, see what makes sense, and jump back in.

Supercharge Your Nutrition

And do it in a way that fits your training goal. Did you know that nutrition accounts for 70% of your training success? It’s not just your post-workout meal that’s crucial. If you want to improve, what you eat daily is also important. You can find out which diet will support you hitting your goal in our healthy nutrition overview.

Stay Positive!

Be mindful of the way you think about your progress. Replace “I couldn’t do a handstand as a child, so how could I ever do one now?” with “I can do it if I stick to it.” Whenever you notice negative thoughts emerging, try telling yourself the opposite. Sounds exaggerated, but it helps in all areas of your life – just give it a try.

Our tip: Looking for motivating workouts? Try our workout sectionchock-full of fresh workouts to match any goal and any fitness level.

Summary: How to Reach Your Goals

A goal is SMART when:

  • you make it as specific as possible.
  • you can measure it against concrete numbers (weights, times, reps).
  • it sounds attractive and exciting when you think about it.
  • it’s realistic.
  • it is time-bound, i.e. has a deadline.

If you want to reach your goals, making them SMART is always the best foundation for setting them.

More facts from foodspring:

Sources for this article

We at foodspring use only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.