Do you want to lose weight and be fit? Do you want to work out? Are you overweight?
One of the greatest challenges to working out is finding exercises you like and sticking with it. Common sense tells you to choose an activity you enjoy. An exercise of your choice will be easy to do on a daily basis and more fun to you.
Once you select the activity, whether it’s running, biking, weightlifting, a good way to stick with it is to set fitness goals. They could be done at the beginning of a New Year, the summer or maybe you feel like it’s time to set a goal for motivation.
If you stick with your workout and get fit, life views change. Believe me, I know from experience. I went from 235 lbs to 185 lbs. I have more energy, more determination to go for goals (I proved to myself I could do it), my mind is clearer at work, more confidence, clothes fit better; the list goes on and on. Here are some guide lines to setting, and sticking to fitness goals!
1. Get Fired Up
Before setting your goals, make sure you have the DESIRE to pursue the goal you set for yourself to get physically fit. Developing burning motivation inside you is half the battle. How do you get this drive?
- Create a Motto or Slogan which epitomizes your desires and post it all over the place to remind you. It helps me focus and maximize each day towards something and add long-term value. For me my fun slogan is “life ain’t easy when you’re fat and greasy.” This reminds me I do not want to be “fat and greasy” again. In a similar way, think about what drives you and your goals, and summarize that in one phrase. Then put it all over the place to remind and encourage you.
- Negative Reinforcement. Another effective method is negative reinforcement. For example, if you are overweight and don’t like the way you look, post an picture of yourself in places private enough however in your plain sight, such as your bedroom, your home office, kitchen, etc… Arnold Schwarzenegger did this to develop his calves into watermelons. His calves were tiny compared to the rest of his body, he would always expose his calves in the gym for all to see, and the embarrassment motivated him to make the change.
- Positive Reinforcement. Look to others who are successful in the area that you want to excel in, and imitate what they do. The closer you are to them, the more contact you have with them, the better off you will be. Make sure you talk to them and get advice.
2. Visualize your Success.
The mind is a powerful tool. When I have a goal, I visualize accomplishing the goal every day. I think about crushing the goal in the morning, while I’m driving, while working out, and at night before bed. If you believe something in your mind and envision it over and over again, you will make the goal a reality
3. Create a Positive Environment around you Hospitable to Success.
We are part of an inter-related ecosystem, and depending on who and what you surround yourself with, determines what helps or hurts you accomplish your goals. This is a struggle with me. I am always trying to mold the environment around me. Examples: If you’re trying to quit smoking, stop hanging out with people who smoke and stay away from settings that make you want to smoke. Instead, surround yourself with others who are trying to quit smoking and keep each other accountable. I’ve found that the following three things help create the right environment for success:
- Identify the People and Settings who contribute to your failure. This is pretty straightforward. Recovering alcoholics should stay away from bars. If you find yourself feasting on a half gallon of ice cream each night after putting your kids to sleep, purge your refrigerator of such. If playing video games after work contributes to you not going to the gym sell your Xbox.
- Get an Accountability Partner. Surrounding yourself with people who WANT to help you is one of the best ways to stay focused. For example, get a workout partner who is also dedicated to working out with you 4 times per week, and keep each other accountable. Like-minded, motivated people easily make the difference between success and failure.
- Develop routines. Human beings are creatures of habit, implement good habits. I started setting my alarm for 45 minutes earlier. Would stumble out of bed, drink coffee, run for 25 minutes and proceed with my morning as usual. I now look forward to this routine and am get upset if it is messed up.
4. Use S.M.A.R.T. Goal-setting.
Smart is an acronym which stands for the following:
- SPECIFIC: Your goal should not be a general goal like, “I want to be physically fit”; instead, it should be broken down into specific actions, like “I will work out 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes per day”
- MEASURABLE: By making your goal specific, you can MEASURE it. For example, you can test whether or not you went to the gym or jogged for 30 minutes, 3 times per week.
- ATTAINABLE: Do not make your goal something you cannot attain. If you cannot attain you will get discouraged and quit.
- RELEVANT: This is used more in a work context, but your goal should actually be relevant to your role or responsibilities. Obviously, pick the most relevant goals for yourself based on your needs or desires.
- TIME-BOUND: Make sure your goals are bound by time. Don’t make them open-ended like, “I want to bench press 300 pounds.” Instead, say, “I want to bench press 300 pounds by 12/31 of next year, and I will work out 4 times per week to attain it”
Remember to constantly measure your progress to assess and reassess your goals
Remember we all have setbacks or we need to reset our goals to be more practical. That’s ok, and is part of growing and becoming successful. Just remember to be DISAPPOINTED, not DEJECTED. If you feel dejected and hopeless, you are likely lose motivation and give up. If you get disappointed, use it as positive motivation for renewing your desire to succeed!
