Each fitness goal is a personal odyssey—something very meaningful
to the person pursuing it, with complex emotional and physical reasons behind
it.
As a trainer, I realize how unique each person’s situation
is. And yet I find that a few critical steps keep people on track to achieve their
goals.
- Monotony!
You are less likely to keep working toward your goals if you become trapped in
a program or routine that never changes. This year, make sure you have a range
of options and choices in your health and fitness program. When monotony
sets in, you can shake it off by shifting gears and adding a little spice.
- Not knowing the difference between a quick workout and
a quality workout!
If you have weight-loss goals but have never tried interval training, you’re
not getting the most out of your time, money, or effort! Nothing is more effective
at taking off weight (in the same time) as interval training. Interval training
can help you burn up to 700 percent more fat calories per minute.
- Believing one size fits all. With all of the look-a-like express programs, you might think that what works for one person will work for you. Add more variety
to your fitness life. Seek a trainer, coach, or facility that can help you build
your own program and tweak it as you get closer to your goals. You’ll stay
focused on your goals longer and achieve them faster.
- Lack of knowledge.
If you have set challenging fitness goals, spend more time with a certified trainer
or fitness instructor. They have a wealth of information to pass on that will
make your time spent exercising the most effective it can possibly be,
and help you avoid the pitfalls of overtraining, detraining, and plateauing.
- Procrastination.
Procrastinating kills goals and stymies positive outcomes. If you’re not
seeing the results you want in your current routine, or you’ve become bored
and can’t stay committed, do something about it before you fall off the
fitness wagon! When you make yourself a priority, and honor that priority,
you will get more excited about going after goals.
When you analyze your personal fitness, you might discover you face
at least one of these barriers.
Three Tips
These three tips will help you:
Identify and manage your goals. Don’t define yourself by your weight. I advise you to step away from that number, and focus on achieving your objectives
by setting more manageable goals. For instance, instead of deciding to drop 50
pounds by end of year, determine to exercise five times this week. Each day brings
you one step closer to your weekly goal, gives you the satisfaction (and motivation)
of achieving your goals.
Let go of guilt. Although you know you need to exercise and know that you’ll feel better and look better for it, you find it easy to slip straight home instead
of stopping at the gym to exercise. And, thus, you create guilt and inner conflict,
making it more difficult to get back on track. You may fail to recognize guilt
for what it is. When you can identify the signs of this insidious habit-breaker,
you can shed the blame and shame. Give yourself permission to be imperfect sometimes,
and allow yourself a little slack when family or work issues disrupt your program.
Acknowledge your victories. You may flog yourself for your perceived failures, no matter how small the infraction, and let those failures determine your future.
Give more attention to your achievements. When you stick to your healthy habit,
acknowledge it. The more achievements you acknowledge, the more you achieve. PE
