Get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions and set your health and fitness goals early! Goal setting is essential to a successful fitness journey. Follow this simple checklist when setting a fitness goal and it will help you not only achieve it, but take you beyond your expectations!
1. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT
Decide on what you really want, and ensure it holds a lot of meaning for you. If you halfheartedly or “sort of” want it, you it will be much harder – if not impossible – to achieve. The downside of not achieving your goal must far outweigh the effort needed to achieve it.
2. MAKE YOUR GOAL SMART
It is best to make your goals SMART ie specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. A goal of ”feeling better” or “looking good” is not definitive enough. Instead include specific measurables such as, “I want to lose 10kg” or “I want to run a marathon”. Then set a date for achievement. Without a definitive end date, you are very likely to lose focus and become disillusioned about reaching your goal. Your goal statement should be realistic and begin to take shape with something like “I will lose 10 kg by 30 November”, or “I will run a marathon by the end of 2018”.
3. THE PAY OFF – WHY DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?
Being clear about WHY you are seeking your goal and how it will make you feel will remind you how good it will be when you achieve your goal. When you are feeling a little less motivated and you verbalise your goal statement, you will regain your motivation quickly. “I will lose 10 kg by 30 November and I will feel fit more energised than I have ever felt before”, or “I will run a marathon by the end of 2018 and I will feel fitter, healthier and an amazing sense of achievement in following my dream of running in the Sydney Marathon.”
4. IMAGINE YOU HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED IT
Change the tense to one of already completing and successfully achieving your goal” “It is 30 November and I have lost 10 kg and I am feeling more energised and unstoppable than I have ever felt before”.
6. WRITE IT DOWN
Write your goal statement down. Writing down your goal statement means a “no excuses” mentality. Too busy to exercise? Not in the mood? Can’t resist that burger and fries? Your goal statement to yourself will remind you just what you are committing to and why your goal is so important. It will also help you identify your saboteurs and plan appropriate countermeasures. It will give you clarity, and help you check your progress, and provide validation for your actions. Something very powerful happens when we commit to a goal on paper. What was a wish, or a hope, or a dream gets turned into a commitment to which you are accountable. Which means, your chances of success just skyrocketed! Now, make it very visible. Put a copy of it everywhere: on the bathroom mirror, in your diary, on your computer screen saver, on the fridge, the inside of the front door – everywhere. Lose any feelings of embarrassment; your friends and family will see your goal statement and should support you in your quest. Remember to get creative and move your goal statements around your environment regularly. You’ll get used to seeing it in the one spot and will tend not to take notice of it over time, so get creative and move your goal statements around your environment from time to time.
7. CHUNK IT DOWN
If you have set yourself a large goal that feels a real stretch to achieve, simply divide it into smaller portions. What steps to you need to take to achieve this goal? You can set monthly, weekly and even daily stepping stones, that are easy to achieve and give you the feeling of momentum.
8. GET SUPPORT
Tell family and friends about your goal, and ask for their support. This will also help you to remain accountable as you have let people you love and trust know what you wish to achieve. That also allows them to cheer you along and support you in your goals – going for long runs with you, choosing healthy cafes to catch up with you etc.
9. MAKE YOUR GOAL A PRIORITY
Respect and support the goals and conditions you have promised yourself. Achieving your goal is likely to involve some kind of sacrifices and compromises, which might be outside your comfort zone. Accept that this is going to be the case so that you don’t establish barriers before you dare to begin, or decide to give up at the first sign of physical, emotional or
spiritual discomfort. It’s important to consider what obstacles (real or perceived) you are facing. Think about your favourite excuses. Do you blame others for misleading you? Do you blame your work hours for stopping you exercise? Is your negative head chatter about your body image holding you back? Plan ahead for when the going gets tough. Don’t let those excuses get the better of you. Remember, you are in charge of your destiny. Wake up earlier to fit in a workout. Get your clothes out the night before. Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room. Have only “clean” food in the house while you are watching your weight. Become your own cheerleader. Enlist the help and support of friends. For every excuse you’re likely to develop when things get tough – have a countermeasure at the ready.
10. TEST AND MEASURE
The only way you know if you are on track is if you test and measure yourself regularly. You should have your chunked down goal and timeline, so this should be easy to measure.
11. GET EXPERT ADVICE
To help you to achieve your goal, ask your instructor for other tips and techniques. Your instructors are fitness professionals with expert qualifications in anatomy and exercise. Use this
amazing resource to your advantage.
12. GET OUT THERE AND DO IT
You have to move if you want to achieve your goal. Take action now – don’t put off what you can start today. Success comes with effort.
13. CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Celebrate each milestone or stepping stone along the way – find a healthy fun way to celebrate. This will give you the encouragement to keep on achieving and striving towards your goal.
14. ENJOY THE RIDE!
Achieving your goals is a seriously exhilarating feeling – and the whole journey to get there can be lots of fun too, as you realise you are stronger, and more amazing with every day.
For state-of- the-art, scientifically-based way of transforming your entire body in the quickest time possible visit Studio Pilates.
