Most of us often put off big goals because they seem so overwhelming. The experts will tell you to write down your goals, but BIG goals, like “lose 20 pounds” or “find a better job,” often lead to procratination because you don’t know where to start.
As you probably know, the trick is to break down the goal into smaller “mini goals.” Setting mini-goals makes it easier to move toward your larger goal, and for me, the big goal then doesn’t seem so intimidating. In fact, accomplishing one mini goal usually motivates me to move onto my next mini goal.
So, this is where Monday Mini Goals comes into play. As you know, I recently turned 29. I know that 29 is not old, but my body sort of feels that way lately. I have a bum hip that won’t heal completely, my lower back is constantly sore, and my core is incredibly weak. I don’t attribute these “ailments” solely to old age, but I know that I need to work harder to maintain a healthy body. Guys, basically, I’ve been slacking in the workout department! I’ve been putting in the time, but not pushing myself as hard as I can.
My new goal is to challenge myself during workouts and get seriously buff again like I was last summer. Of course, this goal is totally overwhelming, especially without a game plan. I’ve decided to set one mini goal for myself each week to work towards my big goal of getting super tone again.
I’m sure most of you have big goals for yourself, too. So, if you want to take part in my Monday Mini Goals, feel free to leave a mini goal for yourself in the comments of this post. Identifying a goal on Monday (or even Sunday night) is a great way to start off the week.
As you complete your mini goals, be sure to comment about your next mini goal, so you always have something further to work towards. Hopefully, spelling-out your mini goal will make you feel accountable and encourage you to accomplish it. Seeing other people’s goals might also inspire you or remind you of things that you want to achieve.
Be sure to make your mini goal something that you can actually accomplish in a short amount of time– otherwise, you may get discouraged and give up on your goal all together. Ideally, your Monday mini goal would be something you can accomplish before next Monday. And, your mini goal doesn’t have to be related to health or fitness– feel free to think outside the box, like “organize kitchen junk drawer this week.” I find that setting small goals for myself helps me accomplish so much more in my busy life.
My Monday Mini Goal: Strength train 4 times this week (2 upper body workouts, 1 lower body, 1 full body + core strength training on all 4 days.)
Breakfast
My mom works at Idylwilde Farms, which sells an impressive selection of whole foods and fresh produce– I’m actually sort of jealous of her job!
For my birthday this year, my mom put together the most amazing fruit basket full of all sorts of my favorite fruits plus a number of interesting and unique ones I have never tried. I was obviously psyched about it! 
I took this pic of my mom’s gift after I “organized” all of the fruit. The fruit basket was MUCH prettier before I made a mess of it. I also put some of the non-refrigerated fruits (e.g. red bananas, plantain, etc.) back in the basket for this photo opp. But, you get the idea, right? 
I had quite the selection to chose from this morning!
This morning, I added strawberries, figs, and a small plum to my morning bowl of oats. The combination of fruits naturally sweetened my oats and gave them a fun pink hue.
I also added 2 scoops of almond butter to my oats and an iced coffee to breakfast. 
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Last chance to enter: Juice Beauty Giveaway. I’m picking a winner tonight!
Question of the Day
What’s your mini goal for the week?
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Tina, what do you do for lower body strength training? I’d love to incorporate more into my work outs, but I don’t know what to do PLUS I don’t like having super sore legs because it makes it difficult for me to do any cardio.
My mini goal for the week is to eliminate bloating! Sounds silly, but whenever I pms I retain 3lbs of water. There are some tips in Jillian Michael’s new book on how to deal with pms symptoms so I plan on following those. Sorry if that was a little TMI, but we’re all ladies, right?! hah
@Julie: The workout I did the other day KICKED MY BUTT! I’m still sore today! I’ll email it to you tonight.
This a fantastic idea Tina, thanks for outlining it out for us. I actually decided I would do this for myself last week in the realm of overall health. Breaking things down makes them so much more practical and so much less daunting. Take care and good luck with yours!
My mini goal is to get 8-9 hrs of sleep each night this week. I’ve been running on 6-7 every night this past week, and my body definitely needs more–I feel exhausted.
P.S. My bf and I are flying in to Boston tomorrow, heading to Maine for a few days, then back to Boston. I’m hoping we’ll be able check out some of the restaurants you’ve mentioned in Boston! This’ll be my first time to that area!
I love this idea!! I am trying to tone up as well so I would love to join in!!! I seem to never remember to/feel like strength train so I suppose my goal for this week would be to do three-thirty minute strengthening sessions this week!
Great idea! I have 2-
Create new budget spreadsheet; needed since I moved
Stregthen my core-i keep hearing how crucial that is for runners and can actually improve race times!
ps-where do you find good food coupons for the Boston area? I was so impressed with your coupon savings!
@Stephanie-Jo: Companies mostly send them to me to try their products, but I love Whole Foods coupon flyer. It has some good deals!
Love the idea of mini-goals – they’re so much more attainable and less overwhelming. My mini-goal this week is to NOT snack after dinner out of pure boredom. It’s become a little bit of a habit that I’d like to get rid of!
love this!
also, happy belated birthday!!!!!!
I personally have no new goals until after I move to Philly. Right now it is all about keeping myself afloat!!!!
Being the HUGE organiser that I am, I LOVED this post! I find myself setting small goals for myself to keep myself motivated otherwise I get overwhelmed and shut out the world.
I like to think of my goals in relation to nutrition, fitness, and life, so for this week they are:
1) Eat up the leftovers in the freezer, 2) Fit in 3 yoga sessions, 3) Finish my first draft of my thesis
Aw, I see my co-blogger commented right before me – weird!
I love the idea of mini goals and have been making lots lately! My goal this week is to attend at least one class at my gym that I haven’t been to before. I always get freaked out about trying one I haven’t tried because I think, what if I can’t keep up!? But it’s never as bad as I think!!
Thanks for the great post! :O)
That looks awesome! I want your mom’s job too!
It’s always great to set goals. Too bad I write them down and forget where I put them! haha
My mini goal is to get in atleast 2 more swimming sessions (in a lake) as part of my triathlon training and get over the fear of the ‘unknown stuff’ at the bottom =)
Other mini goal:
In bed at 9 with a book each night (so Im relaxed and asleep before 10 and rested for my 5am workouts. otherwise Im dragging at work!)
-Eat one protein-rich meal each day (tough for me as a vegetarian who is NOT a fan of beans or tofu)
-Only drink one cup of caffeinated coffee this week (trying to shake the habit!)
My mini goal is to not wear myself out on cross-training this week, so I can run a great 4 mile race on Saturday. I’m still fairly new to running, and this will be my first competitive 4 miler, so my goal is to run it between 42 and 45 minutes.
Also, I really need to cross a few things off of my work To-Do list, so I will tackle a few of the easier items…it is a holiday week, after all!
I love this! If I write it here it means I HAVE to do it! My mini goal is to book my driver’s test this week! I have been putting it off and putting it off and now is the time to do it!
Non-health related but I’m thinking outside the box like you said!
Mini goal is to eat more protein, fat, and calories. I’ve lost a lot of weight and need to put it back the healthy way!
Great idea Tina!
I have two mini goals for this week:
1) Plan a successful July 3rd party for my husband’s wild Greek relatives and not have a panic attack in the process! and,
2) figure out how to add stuff to my blog template – I’ve been trying for weeks and I’m technologically a bit behind the times, it seems
Love the idea of mini goals- I was just getting stressed thinking about my upcoming half marathon and how I need to start incorporating speed work & strength I’ve been slacking on. My mini goals:
1) Strength train at least twice this week
2)Do at least one speed work/tempo run this week
i will call nursing home to volunteer
I love this idea too! My goals for the week:
-work on eating healthier but don’t kill myself with overplanning
-try to fit in some exercise
-do one cleaning/organizing project at home every day.
I already started on them all. Good on #1 and for #3, I organized my shoes. Yay!
great idea!! I’m going to start doing Monday mini-goals on my blog as well
My goal: don’t pick/eat at foods unless it’s dished up as registered snack (no random handfuls of cereal, chips, bites of PB, etc).
Wonderful idea! My mini goal for the week is to be in bed and have the lights out by midnight at the latest. I need a ton of sleep to be fully rested – no more late nights for me!
Good luck getting buff! My goal for this week will be to do at least two strength training sessions because I hate it so!
Mini goals are such a great idea! Mine for this week is to cut back on the sodium–my meals have been far too salty this month!
I will never get over how cute that bowl is–love the handles:)
My mini goal of the week is to stop drinking Starbuck starbucks frappuccinos!! (or at least only 1 ever 2 weeks) haha
This is such a great idea! I actually did set a mini goal for myself this Monday. I live 2.25 miles away from my job, so I’ve decided to start walking to and from work. I remember once I was going to try and run into work but found it to be too intimidating so I never did it. I’m used to walking around Boston all the time, so I figured I wouldn’t even notice the difference!
So my goal is to walk to/from work at least 6 times this week, which would result in an extra 180 minutes of cardio and 13.5 miles of walking on top of my usual gym routine!
My goal is to workout 4 times a week. Eat healthy. Have fun!
Love your blog!
My Monday mini Goal is to stick with doing my workout today, when I get off work. I’m working late b/c I have a board meeting.
I actually just set mine about 2 weeks ago, so this post is very timely for me. I decided that even as a full time working, single parent, I can still make at least 20 minutes every day to work out. By setting that goal, I have found it so much easier to fit exercise into my day. What happens is that I make time for the 20 min, and at least 3 days in the week I can extend it to 45-60 minutes – I’m already sweaty and I feel motivated to keep going. This week I am also leveraging the time change to shift my weekday workouts to the am. I got up at 5:30 today, and managed 35 minutes before my 3 year old got up to join me. I was able to get in another 15 minutes with her watching and playing alongside me.
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