Goal Setting to Achieve Your Fittest Self
What’s your current fitness goal? Are you trying to lose weight? Gain strength? Become more flexible? Improve your overall health? No matter what you’re striving towards, goal-setting can help you get there.
First, think about what you want to achieve.
Spend some time considering the specifics that are unique to you. If you want to lose weight, how much? Is there a clothing size you’d like to fit into? Perhaps you’ve got a few new habits that you’d like to stick to…and a few more that you’d like to break! Be specific and consider every facet of your wellness.
Next, write them down.
Writing down your goals can make them seem more concrete. Once they’re out of your head and on paper, you’re one step closer to making them your reality. Use positive, active language like “I will” versus “I wish.”
Then, split your overall goals into smaller, achievable parts.
Now that you’ve got your overall goals in mind, select a few and break them into achievable, specific benchmarks. If you’d like to lose 30 pounds overall, set your first goal to be “Lose 5 pounds.” If you’d like to improve your diet, your goal could be “Drink no soda for one month.” By breaking goals into smaller, more attainable parts, you’ll maintain a sense of constant progress as you strive towards your overall goals.
Now, identify the tools, knowledge, and support you’ll need to achieve your goals.
You wouldn’t embark on a home repair project without a toolkit, so make sure you seek out everything you’ll need to achieve your fitness goals. Resources are plentiful and widely available. Analyze each goal to ensure you have everything you need.
Finally, make an action plan.
It’s important to work on your goals in a consistent manner. Set a pace that you can maintain; it’s better to move at a slow and steady pace than to burn out quickly. For example, if you’d like to build strength, don’t plan to work out every day. Your muscles need time to recover and you’ll end up “skipping” a day because of soreness. Instead, plan recovery days from the beginning and maintain your steady pace.
