New Years Resolutions!

It’s that time of year again when people begin thinking about New Years Resolutions & how they will improve their lives in the coming year. Here we will give you some very useful information on setting your health & Fitness Goals so that your New Years Resolution is something that won’t be a distant memory by March!

Make Fitness a lifestyle choice
Don’t go for the quick fix weight loss & diet plans that give you quick weight loss only for the results to last short term. Think of it as a lifestyle that you will maintain.
Sitting down & writing your goals can be a great way to begin as it focuses us on what we are doing and why we are doing it.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that describes the various attributes a goal should have to ensure maximum probability of success.

SMART stands for…
S – specific
M – measurable
A –achievable
R – realistic
T – time-frame

How Can I Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals For Fitness And Weight-Management?
Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle or just be fit, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals will give you an edge by keeping you focussed and motivated throughout your endeavor. See how being S.M.A.R.T. pays off:

1. Be Specific About Your Fitness Goal:
many people begin with a goal like “I want to lose weight”, but that goal is not quite specific enough. How much weight do you want to lose? When do you want to lose this by? Why do you want to lose weight, what will this do for you? The answers to these questions make our goals more Specific.
Typically you try to answer the 6-W questions
Who: Who is involved? That’s easy! “I …”
What: What do I want to achieve? Again, be specific here: “…I want to lose 5lbs … ”
When: Establish a time frame. “… in 6weeks months …”
Which: Identify requirements and constraints. Which way are you going to do this? “… by sorting out my diet and doing some form of exercise …”
Where: Decide on a location. The more details you fill in to build a complete picture, the more likely you will be to stick to your plan. “… in the gym …”
Why: Give specific reasons & benefits of attaining your goal. “… so I can be healthy, fit and energetic.”
This will help me to enjoy life more / perform my job better / find a partner / have the energy to play with my kids / live longer etc.
“I … want to lose 5 lbs … in two months … by eating right and exercising … in the gym … so I can be healthy, fit and energetic.”

2. Make Your Goal Measurable:
OK so you have set a specific goal and have started making positive changes in your life toward achieving it. But how do you know how well you are doing?
Measuring your progress at frequent intervals is as important as setting the goal in the first place. This serves a two-fold purpose: firstly you know pretty quickly whether what you are doing is working or not and you can take corrective action to keep yourself on track. However, the bigger advantage is the motivation that initial success will give you: nothing will boost your confidence and morale than seeing your body change for the better every day. If your goal was, for example, weight loss & get into better shape, then use the weighing scales, tape measure & body fat analyser to track your progress.

3. Set Achievable Goals:
If you have 3 stone to lose, don’t say “I will lose 3 stone in 4 weeks”. This may be unrealistic and virtually unattainable and you are already setting yourself up for failure from the very beginning. Creating reasonable and attainable goals for yourself will propel you to success and keep that motivation factor alive as well. Think in terms of attainable targets and you’ll succeed because it’s the attaining of these goals that boosts your morale and helps you aim higher.

4. Be Realistic:
When it comes to the methods you plan to use to achieve your goals, don’t be tempted to become unrealistic. For example, “I will go to the Gym 7 days per week”. Be realistic and ask yourself what the chances are that you will stick to any drastic change in behaviour.
Can you realistically make it to the Gym every single day?
While this may be possible with extreme dedication, you are the ultimate judge about whether they are realistic – and sustainable.

5. Stick to a time-frame:
Finally, no goal makes much sense unless you attach a timeframe to it. This is the “… in 6 weeks …” part of the goal statement. By limiting the time you have to accomplish a goal you have a fixed timetable to work with and the sense of urgency that will spur you to keep on track. This is probably the most important attribute of a well-set goal because none of the others matter if you don’t set a time-limit by which to accomplish your goal.
By using the S.M.A.R.T. technique of goal setting to your fitness plan, you will see slow steady incremental benefits that are bound to raise your morale, confidence & motivation which will in turn enable you to set the bar even higher.
Start Now – set a SMART fitness goal this minute and begin to work toward it!

Have Fun & Good Luck!

Tony Matthews