We know that we need to lose weight and... we know
that joining a gym was a good choice. But, what's next.
Where are you going? What will it look like when you
get there? How will you know if you're there or not if
you're not sure where you are going?
The first thing you need to know about goal setting is
that you must be as specific as possible. "I want to
drop a few pounds" is not going to cut it. You will want
to sound more like "I will lose 20 pound, and weigh 125 lbs.
in the next 8 months".
Notice that the second goal was stated in a positive,
present tense affirmation. This is how you will write
and repeat your goals.
In preparing your goals you should purchase a fresh
spiral bound notebook; college ruled is me personal
favorite. Then create 10 positive, present tense goals
in the form of affirmations and write them down on the
first page.
The goals should reflect EVERY area in your life that
you would like to see a positive improvement in. Now,
many of you may be asking, "why not just write my
fitness goals?"
Your entire life and lifestyle determines your level of
fitness. A small example - you and your teenaged
daughter have been at odds about her new boyfriend.
With a family issue like this adding physiological load
to your emotional system, your body will respond by
releasing stress hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol
is a catabolic hormone, this type of hormone sacrifices
muscle tissue at the expense of storing body fat. This
is a survival mechanism that your amazing body had
developed as a result of a need to "fight or flee".
So, it should be obvious that one of your 10 goals
should be "I communicate openly and lovingly with
my daughter."
Write these 10 goals in your notebook every day.
You will be repeating the same goals on a daily basis.
This will activate your subconscious mind to go to
work for you. When you activate your subconscious
mind on a daily basis with positive present-tense goals
you will bring those things which you desire into your
life much faster than someone who is simply wishing
for things to get better.
An old acronym that you may be familiar with is, to
make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T - Specific -
Measurable - Achievable - Realistic - Timely.
Well, there you have it... setting goals
is the first thing that you must do for fast fitness
results!
Elliott Hulse teaches "Regular Joe's" how to get lean, mean and fit for life. To receive your free Fitness Success Tips newsletter visit St. Petersburg Personal Trainer.
