Tips to Achieve your Fitness Goals

Top Ten Ways to Achieve
Your Fitness Goals

1. Establish S.M.A.R.T. measurable goals, write it down and post it where you will see it each day. (The bathroom mirror, the fridge door, the dashboard of your car)

2. Schedule your workout time on your calendar, make an appointment with yourself. Have a workout plan before you arrive at the gym.

3. Create support. You don’t have to do it alone. Ask family, friends or a coach to assist you with moral support.

4. Plan your meals one day in advance and keep a food journal of everything you put into your mouth. Get organized to eat healthy even when life is busy. Awareness is the first step to change. See what exactly you are putting in your mouth.

5. Plan your next workout upon completion of your current workout. Be sure to balance them between cardio and weight training to achieve lasting results. This allows you to have a plan of action when you get to the gym.

6. Find several sources of information that you can easily reference to answer any fitness and nutrition questions. Magazines, books, trainers.

7. Find a workout buddy or hire a trainer. This will give you the support you need to stay consistent. Having someone to meet each time makes it much tougher to skip a day. Or hire a trainer to jump start your new routine.

8. Use your workout as a release point for the day. Try focusing on your body and forget about all the other distractions in your day. It’s your hour of power!

9. Track and see your progress. Each time you go to the gym, put a dollar in a jar and watch the $$ add up. Use that money to reward yourself when you reach your goal. Keep a journal of your workouts, if you notice you are hitting a plateau look back at what you have been doing. Many times just a small change here or there will get you back on track.

10. Stay consistent. Once your plan is set do not deviate from it. Stay the course. Action is progress. Don’t give up!

Setting Goals

I was at the Coaching Super Summit this past weekend in Baltimore, MD. It was a fantastic learning experience. We were introduced to a number of concepts that enabled us to think more outside of the box. I took home many new ideas.

As a Life and Sports Performance Coach I help my clients set realistic goals for themselves. Often times, goal setting is new to them. While at the Summit, Ramon Williamson, one of the guest speakers and author of the book, "Six Simple Things That Can Change Your Life," said to us, "People set goals based on what they don't have, not what they want." Uhm...that thought has stayed with me.

Take some time yourself to reflect on that question. How do you base your goals? What do you want?