Fitness is involves a considerable part of many people’s lives. It is more than just a body modification; it is an intrinsic part of who we are and how we live our lives. As such, it is essential to have goals, whether to lose weight, get ripped, or maintain your fitness level. To achieve these fitness goals, however, certain things can help make your journey easier, including:
Write Down Your Goals
Write down the benefits and rewards of exercising, the changes to your outlook and confidence, and what you want to look like. Writing down your goals provides clarity and sets them in stone – as well as helps keep all of those good intentions from floating away into nothingness. It also assists in keeping you accountable to yourself by making sure that you are making progress towards reaching your fitness goals.
Make them Relevant
If your fitness goals are not relevant, it is hard to develop motivation, leading to failure. Make sure they are relevant to your lifestyle, interests, and needs. For example, if you want to lose weight, do not tell yourself that you are going to go to the gym three times a day – that is just setting yourself up for failure. Instead, set a realistic schedule that fits your lifestyle, budget, and time availability.
Reevaluate
Give yourself time to revisit your goals – maybe they are too ambitious or unrealistic. However, there is no point in abandoning them altogether because they have lost their relevance. Instead, you should take the time and effort to reevaluate them regularly (perhaps every 6-12 weeks) and make adjustments as needed based on how well you are reaching them.
Do not Compare
Everyone has different fitness goals, so you should not compare yourself to others. Instead, focus on making improvements in yourself and work towards your own goals as best as possible. Comparing your fitness goals to other people’s will only lead you down the path of failure.
Reward Yourself
Recognizing and rewarding yourself for achieving a goal will motivate you to keep moving forward. When setting up a reward system for yourself, create a list of things you might want to do after reaching or getting close to reaching an achievement (for example, going out with friends after losing 10lbs). It is also crucial that you reward yourself healthily and enjoyably (avoiding overly caloric foods).
It has become more of a norm in today’s society to consider the importance of fitness. With more focus on eating right and staying active, it is no surprise that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the most challenging parts of this equation.
