Struggling to Stay Consistent? Set a BAM Target.

Rigid targets don’t mesh well with fluid lifestyles. 

If you’re familiar with my writing, you’re probably aware of my issues with “optimization snobbery”.

Which is the obsession with everything having to be perfect or optimal all of the time.

All the while, practicality is essentially thrown out the window.

This is why I started using BAM targets years ago.

BAM stands for “bare ass minimum”.

Pretty blunt, but quite effective.

The idea of a BAM target is to establish what your minimum targets are for when life gets in the way.

Since, as you know, life always gets in the way.

For example, you may be aiming to get your steps up in order to increase your daily activity.

Awesome.

Perhaps your ideal target is 8000 steps a day.

Now, how realistic is it for you to achieve that every day?

That depends on you and your current circumstances.

For some it is. For some it’s not.

If you’re in the latter category, having a BAM target can be very helpful.

We’re all human.

Which means we have emotions that we need to account for.

I don’t know about you, but consistently not achieving a rigid target is a GREAT way for me to just get upset, feel shitty about myself and stop doing it all together.

This is why I think flexibility is so crucial when it comes to goal setting and behaviour change.

If your goal was to get 8K steps a day with a BAM target for 5K, you’d be in a much better place.

There will be days or weeks you just can’t hit 8K steps for whatever reason.

Those weeks, that BAM target can be a life saver.

It will help you continue to feel like you’re making an effort, while also acknowledging the fluidity of your life.

You can’t always be crushing it.

But you can probably always do something.

Rigid rules don’t mesh well with fluid lifestyles.

Which is what a BAM target corrects for.

It’s something, for the days when you have less to give.

This means that your BAM target should be something that you know you can do.

Even on the most stressful days of your life.

While acknowledging that there still may even be days you can’t hit your BAM target.

But reaching 95% of a BAM target is a lot easier to swallow than reaching about 50% of your overall target.

This strategy can be used for any of your fitness goals.

If you’re trying to eat more protein, you may have an optimal target along with a BAM target.

You’re aiming for the ideal target but making sure you can hit that BAM.

If you’re trying to sleep more, you may have an ideal target (usually around 7–8 hours per night), but also a BAM target for the nights that just simply won’t work.

Once you have these targets, you’ll need to make sure you’re planning ahead to achieve them.

This means having specific strategies in place to achieve them.

This could look like blocking off time to go for a walk.

 On your worst days, maybe you can only do so once (BAM). 

While on the best days, you can do so 2 or 3 times (OPTIMAL).

Regardless, having these targets laid out and your strategies ready, is just one more way to help behaviour change and reaching your goals become smoother and more effective process.

I hope you have a fantastic week.

If it happens to look like a chaotic one, this article is especially you.

You don’t have to do everything.

Sometimes you just have to do something.

Cheers,

Coach Dylan 🍻