Working Towards Your Fitness Goals

When it comes to improving your fitness and health, one of the most important things you can do is set some goals to work towards.  Having goals in place offers several benefits and advantages:

  • They offer you a concrete finish line to work towards so that you know when you have reached to where you want to go.
  • They help you measure success along the way to make sure you are staying on track and on the path to your success.
  • They offer motivation, knowing how good it will feel to accomplish what you set out to do.
  • Goals are a great way to learn – if it doesn’t work out, you have markers to help you know why and make changes for next time.

The difference between you achieving your goals and reaching success or not, lies not in the goals you set, but in how you set them.  Working with a personal trainer at a fitness studio and learning how to set goals that lead to success and guide you to achievement is the first step on your health journey. Here are some steps to the road to success:

Write it Down

Simply saying the goal out loud isn’t enough.Write down the goal in a present tense, saying, for example, “I am a marathon runner on July 1,” instead of saying, “I am going to run a marathon.” When you set it as something that you are, instead of something that you are going to be or going to do, you allow yourself a better opportunity to actually visualize yourself as that person who has accomplished the goal, and this visualization goes a long way towards your success. Once you have written it down, rewrite it in several places so that you see it often – in your calendar, day planner, post-it notes, gym bag, etc. – and start to tell others about it.  They will ask you how training is going and this keeps you accountable.

Make it Measureable and Reasonable

A measureable goal is one that you have a way of measuring your success along the way, while a reasonable goal is one that is indeed practical for you to achieve.  For example, saying “I am a marathon runner next week,” is probably not reasonable. Not having a training plan for the marathon, failing to track your progress, or increase your run distance makes it hard to measure your success along the way.  Be mindful of the goals you are setting and make sure there is a way to track your progress.

Keep it Timely

Finally, put some thought into the amount of time you are going to need to achieve your goal and set an appropriate deadline. Having a deadline that is too far away means you won’t work that hard for it, or it won’ t be a motivator for you. Having a deadline that is too close however, simply means you aren’t setting yourself up for the maximum chance of success.   

Now that you are ready to get healthy and work towards your fitness goals, it’s time to speak to a personal trainer at a fitness studio. Not only can they help you hone in on your goals and make sure they are achievable, but they also have the skills and expertise to guide you through each step..