Setting
your fitness goals
By Oswaldo Koch Having
an intelligent plan is your first step to achieve your fitness goals. With a plan,
you know where you're going. You'll know what progress you're making. And you'll
have a pretty good idea of when you can expect to arrive.
Success
or failure is often determined in the process of setting your goals. As a professional
speaker and fitness trainer, many people tell me that they would love to do what
I do for a living. When they ask me how I got started, I tell them that I'm goal-oriented.
 Successful
people are intensely goal-oriented; they have the ability to identify what they
want, make a plan to attain it and use the best tools, resources and strategies
to achieve it. When most people set goals, they want and expect instant results.
When this doesn't happen, these people become insecure and stop pursuing their
goals; this is also what happens to people who embark on unrealistic fitness programs.
Setting
goals is not just about making a list of the things that you want or wish to happen.
A goal is a very specific aspiration or ambition that emerges from your desires,
beliefs and values, as shown in the diagram. The
process of setting goals begins by determining your desires, beliefs and values.
For example, if you are setting fitness goals, make sure you identify you desires
for achieving your goals. So, you have to ask yourself: - What
is the purpose of achieving my goal?
- Do
you want to be a professional dancer?
- Do
you want to win a sport championship
- Do
you want to win a fitness challenge?
Then,
make sure your beliefs are in alignment with your goals. So, ask yourself: - Do
I believe in my fitness potential?
-
Are you willing to exercise everyday?
-
Are you willing to eat healthy food?
Finally, you have to determine the value that achieving your goals means to you.
For example, you can ask yourself: - How
much do I value fitness?
- How
important is fitness for you?
-
What are your priorities in life?
Finally, make sure that each of your fitness goals is in alignment with your fitness
purpose.
For example, if my purpose is to become a professional dancer, two
ideas for my starting goals might be the following:
-
Increase my flexibility enough to be able to touch my toes effortless.
-
Increase my coordination to be able to dance by beauty and sensuality.
Based
on your desires, beliefs and values, you have to make your goals very specific.
Each goal must state clearly "this is what I want and this is exactly how
I will get it". The best way to think about your goals is by writing down
a positive statement such as the following: - I
will have a 6-pack abs in 3 months.
- I
will loss 10 pounds in 5 weeks
- I
will drink 10 glasses of water every day
- I
will do 20 push up 5 times a day
Your
goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan. One in which you fervently
believe,and upon which you will vigorously act. There is no other route to success.
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