What do lasagna, onions, parfaits, and ogres have in common? Layers. They all have layers. What's so important about layers? They make your goal setting manageable and appropriate to where you are all the time. People are more alike than different in my experience, and when faced with a list of goals they would like to accomplish, most will try to accomplish them all at once, in one day. That's very nearly impossible for all but the most unusual people. To put that another way, if you put those kinds of expectations on friends and family, no one would want to be around you. It's unfair, unreasonable, unrealistic, and about 11 other uns that you don't want applied to your plans and expectations.
So how do we start thinking in layers? It's simple, but requires a little bit of patience. If you haven't read my post on setting SMART goals, you might want to bounce over there and read it before you continue. Layering goals doesn't make as much sense when you don't have clear goals to work with. I'll use a real world example to try to make this as clear as possible. I've been talking with a friend about her goals and plans for the year. She did a pretty good job of making them concrete and clear. Now she has to figure out how to put them in motion in a complementary fashion so that it will work.
Here are the goals:
1. Lose 10lbs of body fat in 6 months achieving 18% body fat and maintain that indefinitely.
2. Do a Crossfit workout of the day or cardio session lasting at least 20 minutes 3 times per week.
3. Strength train at least 2 times per week with a progressive plan which is TBD at the moment.
4. Cut out mindless snacking.
5. Increase water intake to half of body weight in ounces per day.
6. Increase hip mobility to the point where I can sit cross legged on the floor with knees 20 degrees off the floor or less in 1 year.
7. Mobility work 2x per day (AM/PM) every day.
8. Mobility workout at least 1x per week.
9. Complete a yoga class at least 2x per week.
There are a few ways to approach this, but I like the idea of starting with the easiest steps first. What is easiest will be different for everyone, but here is one way to layer in these goals in order to be more successful in the long term.
First, I would suggest hitting the daily hydration goal. Drinking half of your body weight in ounces per day is a good starting place for people in temperate climates. If you live somewhere very dry and hot, you probably need to up that a little bit to keep up with the environment. After hitting that goal for 2-3 weeks, add another layer. Second, choosing one of the training goals to start tackling. I'm of the opinion that if you only have time to train either strength or endurance, you should choose strength. In short, a task is only an endurance task if you're strong enough to complete it more than once. In this example that means layering in goal 3, to strength train in a progressive manner 2 times per week. For less experienced trainees, strength training twice per week can make a big difference. Once that becomes consistent I can add another layer. Third, I would add in some cardiovascular training. In this example that is CrossFit workouts that will help her to burn fat and stay "in shape". You can see how adding a layer at a time and allowing it to stick is a more helpful way to approach this than just doing everything at once and almost immediately running out of gas.
The real magic of this system is what happens when life gets hectic, as it will from time to time. Time off is unavoidable. Maybe it's travel for work or a vacation that derails your expectation to strength train twice per week. Maybe it's an illness or injury that keeps you from doing your cardio. It could simply be flagging motivation, you could be tired of working so hard all the time. Whatever the cause, we all have the challenges and pressures of real life to deal with. The trick is knowing how to deal with them while still accomplishing your main goals. When your fitness goals all require a time investment, you have to know which ones are most important, and when to pursue them.
When I think of my training and goals as layers, I remove a layer or two and strip my training down to the bare minimum during the chaotic periods of life without doing away with the core habits that will help me to stay healthy and fit. When things have settled down I can reintroduce the layers that I had to strip away and get back to pursuing a broader range of goals. So next time you're thinking about what you want to accomplish and the list looks to big to get through, be an ogre. Implement your goals in layers and find out that you really can accomplish what you set out to do without being completely overwhelmed in the process.
There are a few ways to approach this, but I like the idea of starting with the easiest steps first. What is easiest will be different for everyone, but here is one way to layer in these goals in order to be more successful in the long term.
First, I would suggest hitting the daily hydration goal. Drinking half of your body weight in ounces per day is a good starting place for people in temperate climates. If you live somewhere very dry and hot, you probably need to up that a little bit to keep up with the environment. After hitting that goal for 2-3 weeks, add another layer. Second, choosing one of the training goals to start tackling. I'm of the opinion that if you only have time to train either strength or endurance, you should choose strength. In short, a task is only an endurance task if you're strong enough to complete it more than once. In this example that means layering in goal 3, to strength train in a progressive manner 2 times per week. For less experienced trainees, strength training twice per week can make a big difference. Once that becomes consistent I can add another layer. Third, I would add in some cardiovascular training. In this example that is CrossFit workouts that will help her to burn fat and stay "in shape". You can see how adding a layer at a time and allowing it to stick is a more helpful way to approach this than just doing everything at once and almost immediately running out of gas.
The real magic of this system is what happens when life gets hectic, as it will from time to time. Time off is unavoidable. Maybe it's travel for work or a vacation that derails your expectation to strength train twice per week. Maybe it's an illness or injury that keeps you from doing your cardio. It could simply be flagging motivation, you could be tired of working so hard all the time. Whatever the cause, we all have the challenges and pressures of real life to deal with. The trick is knowing how to deal with them while still accomplishing your main goals. When your fitness goals all require a time investment, you have to know which ones are most important, and when to pursue them.
When I think of my training and goals as layers, I remove a layer or two and strip my training down to the bare minimum during the chaotic periods of life without doing away with the core habits that will help me to stay healthy and fit. When things have settled down I can reintroduce the layers that I had to strip away and get back to pursuing a broader range of goals. So next time you're thinking about what you want to accomplish and the list looks to big to get through, be an ogre. Implement your goals in layers and find out that you really can accomplish what you set out to do without being completely overwhelmed in the process.
