Whether or not you are a goal oriented person, when it comes to fitness, having a goal is a must. Setting fitness goals gives you a starting point, it helps you stay focused and on track, and it also boosts motivation and drives you for both short and long term success. When it comes to your fitness goals, it helps to break them down into smaller goals with actionable steps and milestones. If you prepare and organize your plans, including time to exercise and meal planning and preparation, you will get the best out of your efforts and set yourself up for success.
Setting clearly defined fitness goals will also help you and your personal trainer measure your progress as well as provide accountability. Holding yourself accountable will help you through the challenging days, like when you are low on motivation, or your coworkers are ordering pizza at work. In addition to helping you stay on track with your fitness and nutrition, goal setting can also help boost self-confidence as you reach each milestone and see and feel results.
The first thing you need to do when setting your fitness goals is to have a vision of where you want to be a month from now, 6 months from now, and/or a year from now. Your vision of yourself must be clearly defined. For example, a good long term weight loss goal could be something like: “I want to lose 30 lbs in 6 months.” Then break down your goal into smaller targets, like: “I want to lose 5 lbs this month.” Breaking your goal down like this makes it seem more manageable, plus gives you a positive milestone to reach on your way to your greater goal. This process will also help you keep yourself more accountable, especially as you list out the steps you will take to reach your goal, such as:
“I will work out 4 days a week with my personal trainer.”
“I will plan out and shop for healthy meals for the week every Sunday.”
Create a fitness-to-do list for the week. Write down at least three things you want to do that will help you continue your new fitness lifestyle. This will help you set the tone for the week. Writing down your fitness objectives also provides a mental agreement with yourself to complete those objectives. Use these objectives as your plan to success as you work your way towards your short-term goals – and ultimately your longterm ones as well!
Another tip: Having a good attitude has a big impact on setting and achieving your goals. At the same time, you must be realistic with yourself and think about anything that would hold you back from losing weight, then work with your personal trainer, group fitness coach, or workout partner to figure out solutions and ways to overcome any limitations.
By realizing any challenges you may have ahead of time, it will give you a mindset to attack any issues you may encounter during your path to success. For example, if you love go out to eat with coworkers, look up the nutritional information of the restaurant ahead of time and plan your order ahead of time so you eat clean and healthy. Another option is to consider asking for a to-go box and putting half of your meal in it for later, especially if it’s a high calorie item or oversized portion, which is often the case at restaurants.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is, for the most part, largely dependent on your time management skills, accountability, and mindset. Most people fail because they have bad time management skills and a lack of persistence, knowledge, or belief in themselves. Enlisting a personal trainer will help with this process, as they offer accountability, support, and knowledge as well as safe, efficient workouts and nutritional advice. Plus when you do falter, they can help you get back on track where you might otherwise throw in the towel.
Your fitness success story starts now: Contact us to learn more about how we can help you reach your goals — safely and effectively!