3 steps for goal setting success

This post is sponsored by my friends at HydroJug. These bottles are SO cute and convenient, and hold half a gallon of water! Get yours here for 10% off with the code fitnessista10.

I mentioned this on the blog earlier this month that for 2021 I’m taking it easier on myself on the goal setting front. I think we all felt disappointed when things were shifted around last year, and I really wanted to decrease internal pressure and set myself up for success.

It’s funny because while I’m pretty good at telling others how to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) goals, I sometimes drop the ball on completing all of these categories. It’s SO important to set goals that you can measure, because telling yourself you’re going to do “more” or “less” of something isn’t super motivating.

For example, I told myself I would read “more” this year, and drink “more” water… without giving myself a specific amount. When I realized this, I narrowed it down and became more specific: at least 96 oz of water per day and three books (a fiction, a personal development, and one related to health in some capacity) per month.

I’ve been working through Atomic Habits – I’ll share more about what I’ve learned along with the other books I’ve read this month!- and the author shares clearcut methods to encourage good habits and discourage the habits that cause us harm.

Here are three of these steps, along with how HydroJug has made it so easy for me to check the boxes and hit my water intake goal.

#1: Make it obvious

An example of this would be to set out your workout clothes so that they’re staring you in the face when you wake up. You want to make cues for your good habits to be obvious and visible.

The HydroJug is a giant water bottle so when I see it out of the corner of my eye, it reminds me to take a drink. When I have it nearby, it’s a constant visual reminder to hydrate myself.

#2: Make it attractive

A huge component of making a desired habit attractive is to bundle it with something you like to do. For example, if you want to do more push-ups, you tell yourself you can watch your favorite TV show after you do the push-ups. It makes you look forward to the push-ups because of the reward to come. For myself, I bundle chugging a bunch of water with my morning (decaf) coffee habit, which brings me joy. I know that I can have a hot cup of coffee as soon as I have some water.

Aesthetically, the bottle is SO dang pretty. They sent me two colors (the light pink and new Beryl color, which is a soft turquoise blue). When I opened the package, I was surprised to see a leopard sleeve -leopard is my favorite color right now haha – which made me even more excited to give it a try.

#3: Make it easy

I’ve always known that I tend to slack on water intake, but the thought of constantly refilling my bottle would stop me from drinking enough. The fact that I only have to fill this bottle twice to hit my goal makes 96oz so much more attainable. Anything that you can do to reduce steps on the way to achieving your goals instantly increases your odds for success.

Some more things I love about the HydroJug:

– The bottles are BPA-free, have a wide mouth (easy to add supplements, ice, or fruit to the bottle), and can be washed in the dishwasher (!)

– The bottles are shatterproof (thank goodness) and have a leak-proof seal

– There’s a built-in measurement scale so you can easily see how many ounces you’re consuming

– Reusable, which is better for the earth. Every day, roughly 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away. 38 billion water bottles end up in US landfills per year. By switching to a reusable bottle, you’re making a difference.

– The sleeves and accessories! The sleeve makes it so easy to carry – I just swing it over my shoulder like a purse and can take it on long walks or hikes – and they also have straws.

Are you ready to try it out?? Here’s the link and you can use the code fitnessista10 for 10% off.

How much water do you drink each day?

xoxo

Gina

Thank you so much to Hydrojug for sponsoring this post and to Kristi Harris for the photos.