ACHIEVING YOUR FITNESS GOALS IN THE NEW YEAR
By Melessa Harmon Fitness Columnist
Are you tired of unsuccessful
attempts in meeting your fitness goals ?
Do you become frustrated and overwhelmed in the , what seems to be , a daunting and unattainable feat ? You are not alone . Millions of people , maybe yourself included , start off in the whirlwind attempt to lose weight , build muscle , gain flexibility — whatever the goal ( s ) may be . But when goals aren ’ t planned out properly or at all , the success rate drops quite drastically . If we have a bad week , a bad day , or if we just aren ’ t feeling like we are reaching our goals , we have a tendency to just give up .
First , I want to tell you , DO NOT GIVE UP !
Who cares if you had a bad day , week , month ; that ’ s in the past . If you didn ’ t quite make it to the gym or get that walk in like you planned , that ’ s okay , don ’ t beat yourself up — don ’ t get in your head . Yes , maybe you could ’ ve done more , but anything is better than nothing .
“ Finish each day and be done with it . You have done what you could . Some blunders and absurdities have crept in , no doubt . Forget them as soon as you can . Tomorrow is a new day . You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense .” Ralph Waldo Emerson
As we become older , the tendency to give up becomes more prevalent , especially with those that have decades of unhealthy lifestyle choices under them . In order to defeat those urges to give up , it is critical that we learn how to create healthy and attainable goals . Goals that will fuel your momentum and create lifelong habits .
Harmon
Typically , fitness goals are carelessly created either being vague or unattainable . We also tend to overwhelm ourselves in conjuring up a slew of goals , setting yourself up for failure right from the start . Especially as we become older , if we haven ’ t been maintaining a healthy and fit body , you ’ ll most likely want to confront multiple aspects of your current lifestyle head on . Don ’ t get me wrong , that is great , but typically creating a number of goals from the start doesn ’ t produce the long-term successes in most people — only a sense of being overwhelmed . As a fitness professional , I see it time and time again . Proper goal setting is a must to improve our fitness level . Don ’ t wait till the new year or another milestone in your life to start . We are great at making excuses ! No time is better than now .
Below are some helpful guidelines and tips for you to get started .
Goal setting guidelines
• Write down your goals and ensure you see them everyday .
• Avoid overwhelming yourself with too many goals . Work at one goal at-atime .
• Create short , medium and long-term goals .
• Revisit your goals frequently to see if you need to make any adjustments .
• Follow S . M . A . R . T . goal setting guidelines ( following ).
S . M . A . R . T . Goal Setting
Specific
Be specific in setting your goals — specific in what YOU want . One common goal I hear people say is , “ I want to lose weight ,” but let ’ s take it a bit deeper . How much weight do you want to lose ? What method ( s ) are you going to lose to achieve that goal ? For example , you could say , “ I want to lose 20 pounds with strength training , aerobic exercises , and by eating healthier .”
In having specific goals , you know what you want and you know how you ’ re going to reach that destination , therefore your success rate will be much greater .
Measurable
The common metric in addressing weight loss is by the use of pounds , but how do you measure eating and cardiovascular fitness ? In regards to eating , you don ’ t necessarily need to measure caloric intake , but rather measure the amount of servings of particular foods . In regards to cardiovascular fitness , measure your mileage , the amount of time and / or days you ’ re performing those particular activities .
Achievable Set goals that you can reach ! In the beginning of this new venture , set ridiculously small goals . A goal may be to go to the gym Monday , Wednesday and Friday . Another example would be to not snack after dinner . In creating these short-term , highly attainable goals , we ’ re more likely to sustain the activity and build momentum .
Relevant
Is your goal relevant ? For instance , you may want to lose weight and gain muscle . These two goals intertwine but they ’ re still different . Your other goals will also need to support your long-term goal .
Time-Bound
We all know the importance in setting timelines . Timelines will help keep us focused and motivated to stay on track . An example of a time-bound goal , would be to give yourself 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds .
“ A goal properly set is halfway reached .” Zig Ziglar
• Melessa Harmon is a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor . You can contact her at melessa . harmon @ gmail . com
30 • TIMELESS MERIDIAN