Goal Setting for Fitness

Many fitness goers out there set goals. Whether its to lose 20lbs, gain 20 lbs, lift a certain weight, or whatever the goal might be everyone has a goal they want to reach. The problem with setting one goal is that if you dont reach that goal as quickly as you want many people will quit or start to give up. Having one large goal to shoot for is great but without instant gratification or instantly achieving your goal many gym goers get frustrated and simply think that they cant do it or that its too much. There are many ways to achieve to your goal but first you need to set up a plan to help you attain what your shooting for.

Tips to help you reach your fitness goals

1. Make sure its reachable. Dont pick an arbitrary goal such as to lose 20 lbs in 4 weeks. That is outrageous and will put too much stress on your body in those 4 weeks that you could injure yourself. When setting goals give yourself enough time to reach them. When trying to lose weight you should try to not lose more than 2-3 lbs a week which is still high. So that 20 lbs should take you 10 weeks or more. Dont rush your goals because you want instant gratification, your body needs time to adapt to training and nutrition and just because you want it faster doesnt mean your body will adapt faster.
2. Set small goals to achieve every week or even every workout. Having one goal for the end of your training is great but if its a large goal it might seem impossible to overcome. If your overall training goal is to lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks, set up a weekly weight goal plan. Set up a target weight you want to be at at the end of each week and work each to drop to that weight. When you hit your smaller goals each week you will get the gratification you want and you will feel better about your working out and want to keep going. Smaller goals will help keep you motivated and help you keep plugging away at your large goal of 20lbs.
3. Don't get discouraged. If you miss a workout or skip a meal or eat something that you probably shouldnt have, dont get discouraged. Just keep going with the rest of your plan as usual. Many people these days will miss a workout and then think that they are never going to reach their goal because of one workout. So what if you miss one workout or one meal isnt that good for you. Its only one. Keep steady and just pick up and keep going with your goal as usual. One workout or meal isnt going to hurt you or ruin everything. Just keep going like normal with your next meal or your next workout.
4. Write it down and talk about it. When you write down your goals they seem more real. You can see it everyday and it can remind you of what your working towards. Writing down any goal you have can really help you keep focused and wanting to work towards it more. Also, talking about it to others. Keeping a friend or even a stranger informed about what your working towards can be a big wakeup call if your slacking behind. Plus the motivation you get from knowing someone else is interested in you achieving your goals will really help you keep going. Find a friend, a loved one, or even start writing about it online can give you the motivation you want and need to not give up and the reinforcement from others might give you just enough extra to push you past your goal and help you do better than you even imagined.

Summing It Up
Having a large goal that you are trying to reach is a great end point but it may be too far into the distance to give you the faith that you can accomplish it. Keep your goals, large or small, realistic to give you a real shot at achieving them. Set up smaller goals that will help you get to your larger goal. Everytime you achieve the smaller goals it will reinforce your want and drive to get to your larger goal and help to motivate you to get to where you wish to be. Dont give up just because you missed one meal or one workout. Keeping going with your small and large goals and understand that one meal or workout isnt the end of your fitness goals. Just keep going strong and know that its ok and you can still reach the goals you want. Talk about your goals. Whether writing them down or talking about them with a friend, being able to see it, hear it and get feedback from others about it can help you stay on task and keep working. Having someone else helping you get to where you want to be is a great motivator and will give you a better chance of getting the fitness you want.