Determining Your Fitness Goals

Goals are a crucial part of getting in shape and staying in shape. Studies have shown that having clear goals can be a great way to increase the success of your work out. Goals not only motivate but also help determine a course for your work out program.

The big problem most people face is figuring out what goals to set. Sometimes they don’t really know what their goals are, so they skip that step. They jump into their workout and fitness routine and get burned out or confused.

The first step? One must determine what their ‘end’ result is. What do they wish to gain from this process? Keep in mind that being fit is not a ‘one and done’ concept, but rather a lifestyle choice and change for the better.

Here are some ideas for ‘end results’:

• Is your goal to lose weight? If so, figuring out what your dream weight is can be a good first step.
• Do you want to run a half marathon or full marathon?
• Do you want to be able to lift x amount of weight?
• Do you want to be able to do perfect chin ups?

These are just some ideas to consider. Depending on what you want, it will change your fitness plan.

Another step can be figuring out the difference between Long Term Goals and Short Term Goals. Sure, this sounds simple, but is actually very important. Why? We tend to get discouraged and frustrated, especially when our goals seem out of reach. A long term goal is something that may take months or even years to fully achieve (if ever). In order to keep us motivated to continue to succeed, it is important to have more attainable, shorter term goals.

• Your dream is to run a marathon, perhaps your short term goal would be to run a mile in a certain amount of time. Or even just running a certain number of miles a week, regardless of how fast you can do it.
• If weight loss is your goal, you could set a goal of dropping a certain number of pounds a week. (Important: You don’t want to lose too much weight too quickly, so be sure to be reasonable if you’re setting a weight related goal!)

Don’t be afraid to give yourself small incentives too to help promote motivation in your workouts.

Goal setting is a big part of your fitness and workout plans. Don’t be afraid to think carefully about your goals and be sure to make them a central part of your journey. After all, they determine our course of action.