Fitness Goals!!! Where to start?
Setting fitness goals may appear straight forward however, the more effort and detail you put into your plan the more achievable your goals become.
To get off on the right foot, a few important questions to ask yourself when setting new fitness goals:
- Why haven’t you achieved your fitness goals in the past?
- What can I do differently this time to make certain I will achieve my new fitness goals?
- How can I improve my time management?
- Who can I be accountable to?
- What is an achievable goal and what is a good timeframe for a goal?
Have I achieved my fitness goals in the past?
If the answer is yes, do what you did last time only make sure your post goal plan is manageable. Your post fitness goal plan could be a new program specifically written for you by a fitness professional
If no, what went wrong…?
Maybe you didn’t have the right support network around you, or possibly you weren’t in the best mind set at the time, or perhaps your goals just weren’t achievable goals for you at that particular time. Don’t bite off more than you can chew!!! Ask yourself, do I need some smaller goals along the way to keep me motivated?
If you are setting achievable goals, you are carefully planning your nutrition, exercise, daily and weekly routines and, if required, you have designated emotional support. Often, we go it alone and forget the power of a support network. It could be your life partner, family member, best friend, work colleague, trainer etc. The best person to support you is the person who makes you feel the greatest and motivates you.
Make sure your goals are specific to you and personal. Goals need to be easy to understand. For example, I may have a goal to run 10km by the following month.
Don’t have too many goals. Having too many goals can become overwhelming. If you are experienced at setting and achieving health and fitness goals, multiple goals are often ok, however if you are still mastering the art of goal setting and successfully achieving your goals, my advice is start off with smaller goals.
Be positive in the way you phrase your goals.
Don’t say, I want to jog 10km. State, I will jog 10km.
You need your goals to be measurable. Perhaps keep a diary. Week 1, day 1 = walked 5km, jogged 5km.
Setting a deadline. If your goal is to jog 10km and you can only jog 5km now without stopping, consider adding 10% to your jog every week you run. By the end of a 2-month period, you should be comfortably running 10km!!!
In short, slow and steady wins the race. Fitness isn’t achieved overnight, so patience is a must.
If you need help with your fitness goals, speak with your trainer or fitness professional and organise a session to discuss what works best for you.
The big question. When should I start my new fitness goal?
Best answer is NOW!!!