When starting back to exercise after a break or trying to increase your fitness levels, setting achievable yet realistic goals is essential for success. Without clear targets in place, it can be easy to become discouraged or give up altogether.
Realistic and Achievable Goals
Setting realistic and achievable goals begins with setting a time frame you are willing to work toward. Additionally, according to Lindsay Ogden – NASM-certified personal trainer at Life Time – making your goals doable is essential. If unsure how to go about this, ask your trainer for assistance.
Aim for Early Success
It can be easy to feel defeated when your fitness progress or short-term goals don’t go as planned. But taking the long view is what will allow you to make progress towards your ultimate objective. Ogden suggests setting small, achievable objectives before moving onto bigger ones; doing so will build your confidence and motivation levels alike.
“The best way to stay motivated during exercise” according to Brinkman is finding an enjoyable exercise routine that you enjoy. This could involve trying different styles of yoga or increasing your strength training to push yourself beyond current limits and reach new heights.
You could also try out different exercise classes, like spinning or boxing club. This will give you the opportunity to meet new people, gain more knowledge about fitness and stay motivated towards reaching your goal.
SMART Goals: The Secret to Reaching Your Fitness Objectives
Setting specific objectives makes tracking progress and seeing results much simpler. Plus, when you know when you’ve reached your objective, you can plan ahead accordingly.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your fitness goal, Ogden suggests that to stay motivated and inspired, write down why it matters to you. For instance, if weight loss is part of the plan, think about how it will improve everyday life or how great you’ll feel afterwards. Additionally, pick an inspiring quote that will motivate you to keep working towards the achievement and tape it somewhere visible like on your phone background or laptop screen for daily motivation.
Reaching your fitness goal is a major accomplishment, so don’t give up! It’s an important milestone on the path towards becoming healthier – celebrate these accomplishments for yourself!
Setting emotional goals is another essential element to setting achievable and realistic objectives, according to Ogden. “Adding an element of emotion” makes your goals more tangible and meaningful,” she advises.
Your health is an investment, so it’s essential to set goals that you can sustain over time. Doing this will give you the motivation and assurance to overcome any setbacks or difficulties that come your way.
One of the most common mistakes people make is setting goals that are too difficult or unrealistic. Not only can this be discouraging, but it may also have detrimental effects on your health and well-being. To combat this, make your fitness objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely).
