Good Intentions
Intentions aren’t enough…
I speak to women often, some of whom are my amazing clients. The many conversations I’ve had with them sometimes revolve around training and food of course as these are the main puzzle pieces that influence their unique goals.
But sometimes, convos run deeper. Mindset, self-talk, deeper “whys” at times come to surface. As a health coach, my role is to see each woman as a whole… not just body parts.
My holistic approach is key and has evolved over the many years I’ve been in fitness. After thirty years in the industry, I now know that exercise and diet are only 2 pieces of a complex puzzle.
In fact, setting intentions is the significant “first step” to get the wheels in motion… that first initial statement or declaration such as “I want X,Y,Z”.
The initial plan, the goal, the target.
Gotta love those, right? Maybe you’ve set some of your own as I have plenty of times along my fitness and health journey.
These intentions stem from an awareness of some kind, when someone knows she must make a change.
The pattern usually looks like this…
Information: the person becomes aware and “knows” things must change. This might be due to health markers that need to improve, or a transition (such a menopause) where a woman now understands that she needs to adjust certain things like her diet or workout regime.
Intention: the person then sets out a plan, a deliberate intention. It can look something like this… “I will start to train consistently” “ I will cut out/reduce my sugar intake” or “I will go to bed earlier and have a consistent sleep routine”. Beautifully laid out plans that are perfect on paper. These are all noble and sound… but they are NOT actions!
Implementation: this is the tricky part cuz knowing what to do doesn’t equate actually doing it. Clearly we see that everywhere. There isn’t a person out there who doesn’t know they should eat more veggies, drink water, avoid highly-processed foods, add protein to their diet. EVERYONE knows this. But most don’t actually implement this on a regular basis. Implementation is the ACTION influenced by the intention and that my friend, is where things get challenging.
WHY?
I’ve often asked myself this question.
Why can’t we take a seemingly simple step and move from awareness to action in a seamless fashion?
I call this the “intention-implementation gap”.
For some it’s a wide chasm, tough to leap over.
For others it’s a bridge to cross yet steps remain frozen.
We see what we want to achieve, but we’re locked in chains of inaction.
Implementation … The Secret Sauce
This is the space where action and change lead to results. So how do we get a taste of this so-called “secret sauce” that can help us bridge that gap?
Here are 3 ways to cross over that chasm and actually DO the thing we say we wanna do:
Be specific about your said goal/intention: Avoid ambiguity such as “ I wanna be healthier” or “get in shape”. What does that specifically look like to YOU? Be clear, specific and as detailed as possible. Otherwise, your best intentions will be covered in a cloud of ambiguity and lead to nowhere land.
Seek support: Most of us can be independent, knowledgeable and capable but in order to act consistently, accountability and a support network is the glue that binds our best intentions to our fulfilled actions.
Celebrate the micro-wins: Momentum breeds motivation which is often the fuel that helps stoke our intentions, so celebrate the smallest win.. because they all add up!
Of course there are many other ways that have helped others leap across from intention to implementation. Of course, there is one final piece… that of integration.
Integration is the ability to be flexible, to adapt and tweak our goals/intentions as we travel along our unique fitness journey. Integration means we’re able to assess, adapt and adjust to the “ebb and flow” of life. The road map might change, as will the speed of our journey but the destination remains.
What next in 2025?
Maybe you have set an intention next year… a “thing” you’d like to do or accomplish. How do you intend on implementing it and acting consistently to achieve it? I hope some of the tips mentioned above can help steer your course into action that will ultimately drive YOUR results!
Cheers,
Coach Lisa 💪❤
