Giving up on your goals isn’t always bad. Here’s why.

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It’s a new year, a fresh slate, and we have a shiny new fitness goal. We make good, consistent progress towards that goal - until life gets in the way, and it just seems impossible to carry on. 

What’s the hitch? Do we blame it on life? Poor discipline? Most of the time though, we miss the one cue that matters: failure is feedback. If we’re missing our targets one try after another, this is important feedback that we’re just not ready yet to take them on at this level for now. 

Failure is feedback. Listen to it.

Don't be afraid to change your goals if you find yourself failing them too often. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to programming your training plan, especially if you are doing it with the intention of staying on track for success over the longer term. 

Go for the winning chance 

Re-adjusting your goals isn’t giving up: it’s re-strategising for success. 

Let’s say your goal was to hit the gym three times a week - something you didn’t manage to get in for a few weeks in a row now. Your trainer tells you to turn down your training volume, just slightly, so you change your goal to hit the gym two times a week instead. And because that made all the difference, you turn up consistently, week after week. Most importantly, you continue to make progress and you stay on track. 

Failure calls for a different approach. When you break down that one goal into smaller, bite-sized goals, you get to gear yourself up for that big change. Embrace smaller goals to give yourself a chance at winning.

Bite down and stay the course. Or find ways to make up for it. Shouldn’t I be doing this instead?

The trouble is that the solution is usually not as simple. Blind adherence to a warpath can sometimes create more harm than good. It piles on the stress when you’re slapped with running failures, which hurts your confidence at achieving success in the longer term and distracts you from taking action. It’s especially counterproductive if you end up dropping off from your training programme completely. 

We’re not saying that all missed targets can be chalked up to bad strategy, or that we can be 100% flexible with our goals (that’s just bad discipline). A disciplined focus never loses its importance. But ultimately, action matters too. Remember what we said about overanalysis leading to paralysis. The best strategy is not one that leaves us stuck; it will always be the one that we can and will execute. A good coach will be one to help you build this winning strategy.

Get real.

When re-adjusting our goals, it’s important to be clear about our intentions and the trade-offs that will arise as a result of the decisions we make. Honesty is important. For instance, am I easing up on my caloric goals because I value my social life (and alcohol) more? What expectations should I moderate because of this decision? What goals are less attainable now?

All of these are OKAY as long as we can live with it. Having a fitness plan means little if we can’t kick back with something we enjoy, like a beer or two.

So, practicality is key. Don’t be afraid to move your goalposts if you have to, because that means keeping your eyes on the prize - sustainable, longer term success in your fitness journey. At some point, when you’re ready, you can always reach for that shiny goal again.