Setting the scene… You stumble into the gym 3-4 times a week and get through your typical workout. There’s no direction with the exercises, you don’t track your progress and you find yourself getting bored of the same old routine. It’s time to set some goals!
Setting fitness goals is a great way to break through any fitness plateau you may be going through and a great way to keep you motivated if you’re just starting out.
What is a goal?
Goals are simply anything we want to achieve at some point in the future; it could be that day, it could be that year. Without setting goals, focus can be hard. There’s no target, nothing to aim for and no real direction to go in.
There are so many benefits of having goals. Here are a few of my favourites:
• They give you direction! Goals help you focus and channel your energy down the path you choose.
• Motivation. Long-term goals help you visualise the end goal, what you desire in the future, but it’s the smaller goals we can achieve and celebrate more frequently that are essential to keep motivated and on track.
• Prepare for any potential barriers. Having goals set out will allow you to identify any problems that may arise and give you time to think of solutions. If problems do arise you won’t feel overwhelmed but equipped to deal with the situation.
When setting your goals…
1. Be ambitious but realistic. It’s good to be ambitious! If you set a goal that’s too easy, that you reach without much effort you’re more than likely going get bored along the way. That said, having an unrealistic goal like dropping 4 dress sizes in as many weeks is just setting you up for failure and disappointment.
2. Set some small targets along the way. Having smaller, more immediate goals can be a helpful motivator in reaching the bigger, long-term goal. Achieving these smaller goals posts will help motivate you to keep going and help monitor your progress along the way.
3. Track! Keep some kind of log to ensure you see improvement. Checking off your goals and seeing yourself grow is the best form of motivation.
4. Rest and re-evaluate. Goals can change and adapt as we grow and learn. It might be that when you started your journey your weight loss was the biggest goal. As you started training you found you loved the feeling of getting stronger. Your goals changed from dropping a few sizes to achieving a new personal best.
Setting goals is an important step in fitness. Be as specific and ambitious as you can. Break the larger goals down into smaller more manageable pieces. Track and monitor it all and remember to re-evaluate as you go.
Don’t worry about little setbacks. It’s normal. I can promise you no ones journey is perfect and without a few road bumps!
“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today” – H.G Wells
