What is your “so that”?

At IFAST, we have clients of all shapes and sizes walk in our door on a daily basis.

People who want to see changes in their body composition – either losing fat or building muscle.

We have people who are dealing with joint or muscle related issues who want to move and feel better.

And of course, we have athletes who want to dominate their opponents on the field, court or track.

When someone comes to me and they have a specific goal in mind, I’m always thinking about one simple follow-up question:

What is your “so that”?

Confused? Let me explain.

Let’s say someone comes to the gym with a goal of losing body fat or scale weight. They are X amount of pounds, and they want to lose Y pounds of weight or body fat.

The fact that they have a goal is great! When you give us an exact target to shoot for, or have a specific goal, we’re already way ahead of the curve.

But beyond that number or goal is something deeper and much more personal.

If you tell me you want to lose 10 pounds of body fat, I would respond with an open-ended phrase.

“You want to lose 10 pounds of body fat so that….”

And THAT is the real reason you want to lose that weight!

Maybe it’s to fit into an old dress.

Maybe it’s to feel ready to hit the beach.

Maybe it’s just to feel sexy and more confident.

But I would argue that the “so that” is far more important than actually losing the weight itself!

It’s not losing the weight that’s the goal – it’s achieving the “so that” that’s really important. That’s the emotional satisfaction you’re really looking for when you exercise.

Actionable Item: Write down a specific goal you’d like to achieve and put a date on it. Deadlines with consequences are always best – think April 15th if you don’t believe me!

After you’ve done that, write it in a sentence and make sure to include your “so that.” That is what will keep you motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like following through.

And if you’d like a little assistance along the way, let us here at IFAST help you out. Give us a call at 317.578.0998, or e-mail us at [email protected] to find out how we can help you achieve not only your goal, but your “so that” as well!

All the best

MR