4 Tips for Achieving your Fitness Goals
To some people, setting goals may seem like a daunting, or even futile task, yet research has found that setting goals can help us to become more successful in the long run.
It’s easy to wake up one morning and promise yourself that you’re going to start eating healthily, going to the gym 4 times a week, and leading a healthy lifestyle, but actually following through with these claims? That’s where the difficulty lies. That is also where it pays dividends to set goals.
Health and fitness are two crucial aspects of everyday life, yet far too many of us are guilty of neglecting them. We choose to eat junk when we should eat veggies, to lay on the sofa when we should be working out, and we wonder why our physical and mental health is in such decline. If you find it hard to set goals, and stick to them, especially when it comes to health and fitness, these 4 tips should help.
1. Set Realistic Goals
The first thing you need to do when it comes to setting, and sticking to, fitness goals is to be realistic.
If you are exercising and eating clean to lose weight for example, don’t set unrealistic weight loss targets. Sure, set goals, but be sensible. It is possible to lose 2 pounds per week for example, but losing 6 pounds a week would be a huge ask and unrealistic.
If you set unrealistic goals, you’ll become discouraged when you fail to achieve them. If you wanted to drop 6 pounds in a week for example, but you lose 2, in your mind this is a failure and you’ll mentally beat yourself up. The truth is that a fat loss of 2 pounds is a great achievement and is something you should celebrate.
Whether it’s to do with weight loss, your physique, or your fitness in general, make sure you set realistic goals.
2. Find a Support System
Never underestimate the power of a support system.
When embarking on a fitness journey, there will be times when you want to throw in the towel and call it quits, which is where having people around you to support you, can be so useful.
A support system means that people will lift you up when you’re feeling low, they’ll hold you accountable when you want to cheat on your diet or skip a workout, and ultimately, they’ll offer help, support, and guidance every step of the way.
3. Only Work Within Your Capabilities
Fitness is all about knowing your limits and capabilities, and working within them as a result.
If your goal is to build muscle for example, don’t just go ahead and start following a typical bodybuilding routine used by pros if you’re new to weight and resistance training. The same goes for the actual weights too, never try lifting more than you are capable of.
Whether you’re looking to improve your physique, train for a marathon, or simply get fitter and healthier, only work within your means and capabilities.
4. Switch Things Up
There is no quicker way to derail your fitness progress and take you offcourse when pursuing your dreams, than growing bored.
If you’re following the same workouts, eating the same foods, and doing the same things day after day, you’ll quickly grow bored and will lose interest.
To help ensure that you not only stick to your goals, but you crush them too, make sure you switch things up and try new things. Whether it’s a different program, new equipment, a new diet, or anything else, just make sure you don’t keep doing the same things for too long.