BowCast Blog

Redefine your goals...Redefine you!

 

The Off-Season is among us friends. This is that time of year to make arrangements for the fall, plan your dream trip(s), test out new gear, fine tune your bow, and hopefully fine tune your body! The first topic we're going to dive into is GOAL SETTING which means getting your goals down on paper.

; Whether you're the most hardcore backcountry bowhunter who can pound 15 miles a day with a fridge on your back or you're just a weekend warrior who hunts a ½ mile off the road, your fitness levels will always be a factor in your success!

 

 

If you're not quite convinced that fitness is our backbone then answer this...can your body combat unforgiving vertical, numerous miles, and uneven terrain? Are you able to recover from a 10-mile day hike with just one night's sleep only to do it all over again? Lastly, do you feel your knees, hips and lower back are resistant to injury? These are hard questions to answer honestly...DO IT ANYWAY! I do not expect you to workout 6 days a week like myself and some of the hardcore crowd, but then again you probably don't have the luxury of working at a sports training complex five days a week. In fact, you're probably lucky to squeeze in 45 minutes for a workout and there's no question not without some type of sacrifice (sleep, family time or other weekly events). 2008 is a new year! 2008 has to be different. Read the rest and get pick up a pen! A new year is a chance to renew your hopes, renew your dreams and reestablish your goals. For most of us, this means a much needed lifestyle change. Remember, we don't form habits; habits form us! Successful Goal Setting is required to know where you're going. A lot of us have goals, but do often have no plan on how to achieve them. Here's how your 2008 is going to be maximized:

You Need a Firm Goal And a Flexible Plan! What sort of people write down their goals and plan how to achieve them? The Successful Ones! Writing down your goals is the essence of true goal setting! It doesn't matter if your goals are personal, bowhunting related, fitness based, or perhaps financial related. Goal setting works for individuals, families and companies. Remember - Fail to Plan and You Plan to Fail. It will take you a little time to write your short term and long term goals, but follow these guidelines to insure you set realistic and attainable goals. Make sure to include fitness goals for 2008! IE run a marathon, run a half marathon, 50 push-ups consecutively, 30 weeks of consistent workouts, etc

S.M.A.R.T.

What is SMART? It is a valuable guide to help you with your goal setting. You will find references to Smart in almost all books on goal setting.

¨ Specific - goals must be specific in their detail

¨ Measurable - goals must measurable in quantity, time, cost

¨ Attainable - goals must be achievable within a timescale

¨ Realistic - goals must be relevant

¨ Time - goals must have a timescale or deadline otherwise they will never be finished

Common Reasons for Failing to Meet Goals

Failure to meet goals can often be traced to one or more of the following:

¨ Insufficient time and too many goals

¨ There are conflicts between business goals and personal goals

¨ The achievement of one goal interferes with the achieving of another

¨ Goals have been shared with pessimistic people who have ridiculed your dream. Only share your goals with those you trust - Don't share with anyone negative.

 

In closing, I would like to thank you for making time to set your 2008 up for maximum success. My next entry I'm going to cover Proper Warm-up so in the meantime following this progression based on your current fitness level.

 

ROOKIE: Try walking on a treadmill 2-3x a week with an incline of 5% at 3.0 mph (hands free)

 

VARSITY: Try jogging on a treadmill 3x a week with an incline of 5% at 7.0 mph

 

PRO: Try jogging 4 miles under 30 minutes on a treadmill with an incline of 5% 2x week

 

Here are a few of my fitness related goals for 2008.

 

• Cater the BOWCAST.COM Fitness Blog to folks that are serious about their bowhunting heritage, their sport, and their passion. Convince those that don't train to start training, and for those that already train, inspire them to another level.
• Participate in 2 duathlons (Brundage, ID and The Dirty Duo, OR)
• 1 adventure race (North Idaho College, ID)
• 2 trail runs (Mt. Hood Scramble, OR and Spokane River Run, WA)
• 1 powerlifting competition (TBA)
• Compete in the 2008 Crossfit Games (Santa Cruz, CA)

 

Here are some PICS: