Fitness trainer Rob Haddocks turned 60 last year and recently celebrated another milestone, walking 10,000 steps daily for a year.
“It wasn’t anything I initially set out to do,” Rob said after reaching Day 365. “At this stage of the game, I’m more ‘process goals’ driven. Habits. Consistency. Just put in the work and the rest will take care of itself.”
And that’s the point here – not that everyone should walk 10,000 steps every day. Rob is in amazing shape, but you don’t have to be to learn the clear lesson:
Process goals focus on ongoing actions. Take a walk, lift weights, stretch for 15 minutes, etc.
They can be just as effective as ‘outcome goals’ – like, for instance, losing 20 pounds, lowering your blood pressure, or cutting your 5K time.
Look, no matter how dedicated we try to be, we can’t always control the outcome. Life gets in the way sometimes. Progress doesn’t always come in a straight line.
And that’s OK – as long as we stay consistent over time.
This is where lasting results occur. It doesn’t mean 100 percent dedication and “perfection.”
Healthy habits sneak up on us and new behaviors become routine.
Before you know it, the stairs are easier. The doctor smiles at your lab results. Playing with the grandkids is more laughter, less heavy breathing.
Rob didn’t start walking with a goal. But at some point, it started to present itself.
“Sometimes you just have to start the process and the goal will manifest,” he says. “So, just walk. Just write. Just sing. Whatever your thing is, just do it… Stack those bricks.”
Holly Kouvo is a personal trainer, functional aging specialist, senior fitness specialist, brain health trainer, writer, and speaker.