Weekly column by fitness expert Cashel Hayden for the Waterford News & Star, in association with Kingfisher Fitness Club

A DAILY checklist, a plan of sorts. A list of goals to be completed by day’s end. Some of us do it naturally, others fail to see its purpose. In my experience, the importance here cannot be underestimated. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or an eager apprentice. A plan will often be what separates the wins from the losses. In order to execute a plan – there must be micro goals. These smaller goals completed consistently will accumulate towards our end goal. Without a daily checklist – how can we manage this? The unfortunate truth here is this is likely not enough. How are we to think that we are doing all we can when looking to reach our goals if we have no record of what was done on a daily basis.

What gets measured – gets managed. Having a daily list of priorities and smaller tasks to complete each day will unlock a certain sense of achievement, this will likely occur as we tick off each one. This will help us remain accountable on what we are actually getting done on a daily basis. Are we doing too much? Or more importantly – are we doing enough?

The beauty of having this plan – it works for a wide variety of goals. Whether we are looking to lose weight, build muscle or a multitude of goals, of which my list would be endless! So what might be a good starting point for someone looking to start designing their game plan and incorporate their daily list of actions to take them where they want to go?

To start – let’s decide where we want to be in a year. Choose maybe three to five personal goals you have for this time next year. Now let’s work out where you would expect to be in 6 months if you were to follow through with these goals? Once this has been decided – if we are to reach our six-month goal – what would we need to be doing each month to get us there. We then break this down into a weekly and daily itinerary.

So for example, in six months we are looking to lose 12kg. How many kg would we need to lose per month for this to be achieved? Ok, we’ve done the maths and arrived at the conclusion that we would need to lose around 2kg per month, which equates to roughly 0.5kg of weight loss per week.

Now what can we be doing on a daily basis to keep us moving towards our goal? A daily list might have the following five characteristics. Remain in calorie deficit, daily steps target, daily cardio target, daily bodyweight measurement, and heavily recommended – a weekly resistance training target.

As you can see, it doesn’t have to be too complicated. Find some daily tasks that are conducive towards your end goal. Make sure they’re sustainable – and start implementing them right away. As you complete each task – cross it off your list. This will instil a positive feedback loop of sorts. We will start completing these tasks autonomously and the progress made as a result of this will be recycled and will act as a booster for our discipline and motivation as we begin to understand and appreciate the process.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Lastly, I would also like to clarify that I am not a registered dietician. All advice disclosed here is simply advisory based on my qualifications as a fitness professional and personal experience and knowledge gained working with individuals and helping them reach their goals. The advice given is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem – nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

I hope someone out there found some of this information useful here, just some food for thought.

For any questions in relation to this topic or training, nutrition, etc. or for coaching inquiries simply message me on my business page on Instagram @coachedbycashel_ or by email – [email protected]