Cats, cheese, and your fitness goals

Behavioral psychology states that approach goals (a focus on what you need to to achieve an outcome) and avoidance goals (a focus on not doing things that detract from an outcome) are both powerful, important, and necessary.

Approach goals + Avoidance goals x Action = Achievement of results

Approach goals can be thought of as the addition of something needed to achieve an outcome. For example, if you want to get stronger, fitter, and leaner, then the addition of a specific and progressive training program is what you need.

Avoidance goals can be thought of as the subtraction of things that hold you back from the actions needed to achieve an outcome. For example, if you want to get stronger, fitter, and leaner then the avoidance of the overconsumption of calories from food and drink will allow you to fuel and recover from your training best.

It’s not either or. It’s both.

A simple rodent study was conducted that illustrates this point succinctly. A rodent was attached to a spring that measured force.

In scenario 1, the rodent was presented with an approach goal (tasty cheese), and it pulled hard toward it.

In scenario 2, the rodent was presented with an avoidance goal (the smell of a cat) and it pulled equally as hard away from it.

In scenario 3, you guessed it, the rodent was presented with both (cheese and cat) the approach and the avoidance and it pulled 10X harder.

Approach goals are positively motivated and are 1 half of the equation. We have all been excitedly motivated to get fitter, healthier, leaner, at some point. What we often forget to add is the negative cost of not following through on this motivation. By not considering the cost, we miss out the equally as important part of the equation, the avoidance.

How NOT to be successful

You can use avoidance as a single powerful motivator too. A powerful way to phrase this is to ask yourself the following question:

"What should I do to guarantee that I DO NOT achieve my goal?”

This powerful reframe allows you to consider all the sabotaging behaviors that you engage in so you know what to do less of or avoid in the pursuit of your goals.

An over reliance on either avoidance or approach goals leaves progress on the table and blunts the joy and fulfillment you can get from the process of your efforts. Align your behaviors, plans, and actions to abide by both approach and avoidance goals for double the effect. The easiest way to do this is to potentially replace a negative action (not goal aligned) with a positive one (goal aligned) such as replacing eating chips with eating fruit or watching Netflix with going for a walk.