Whether it be the New Year's resolution, a desire to change or just wanting to try something new, goal setting and planning will always require a comprehensive amount of work.
As a fitness professional, I always look forward to this point with my clients to help to realise what they want to truly achieve and take action on achieving their goals.
Setting up your goals should be nothing new, but this important part of the overall strategy can be overlooked. Strategizing your goal with your coach can drastically increase your chances of reaching them. But, there are some within the health and fitness community that partake in fitness activities with no real goal in mind, and this can lead to decreases in productivity and a losing streak of motivation.
If you think about any task you want to do, whether it is simple or complex, there is usually an end state. For example, you want to eat healthier so you create a shopping list with every intention of buying them. Without this list, you might forget something which can drastically change your overall outcome.
Fitness goals would have to be the best way to encourage yourself to get into the gym and achieve them. But without someone to coach you in achieving them, it can be almost the same as taking a maths exam without knowing the formulas.
Let me help you make your fitness goals and achieve them in the most effective way possible with the following 15 steps:
WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN. The simple process of setting your goals down in writing begins to program them into the subconscious mind. Then a process begins to work towards their achievement.
REMEMBER TO UTILISE THE FIVE SENSES PLUS LOTS OF EMOTION. Use your imagination and describe your goals as clearly as possible. The aim is to write them as if they were already a reality. Describe each goal using your five senses and add lots of emotion. Emotion adds tremendous power to your goals.
BE SPECIFIC WITH YOUR OUTCOMES. The clearer & more specific you are about what you want in life the more readily it will manifest itself.
WRITE YOUR GOALS IN THE PRESENT TENSE, as if they have already come true. Say “I am” not “I am going to”.
BE 100% COMMITTED, ESPECIALLY TO YOUR GOALS. A major reason for people not achieving their goals is a lack of commitment caused by doubting if the goal is really what they want. If you achieve your goals and decide that you want something else, then go for that! But sticking to your word and going for it is important.
CHOOSE GOALS THAT STRETCH YOUR ABILITIES and yet are within what you believe to be possible for you.
MAKE SURE YOUR GOAL BOOK IS BALANCED. Look to set long and short term goals for all the areas of your life to ensure that you maintain a healthy sense of balance. Here are some examples: Holidays, Business, Professional Development, Health, Personal Growth, Leisure, Relationships, Wealth Creation.
ALLOW FOR GREATER RESULTS - expect & stay open for the unexpected. Often the universe will supply you in unexpected ways. Always allow space in your mind for something better than what you are expecting by concluding your goals with: “This or something better”.
REMEMBER TO HAVE A COMPLETION DATE. It is important that you set a date for the completion of your goals as this makes your goals more definite and adds to your commitment.
REWARD YOURSELF. Upon reaching or achieving your goal it is good to reward yourself. Sometimes the goal itself may be the reward. Like setting a vacation as a goal. Then the reward is the goal. However, you may also like to reward yourself for developing the discipline, effort & consistency it took to achieve the goal. The recognition of your success will strengthen your self-image and help you build a successful program, this then contributes to the realisation of your other goals.
WITH SHORTER-TERM GOALS, BE REALISTIC. It can be counterproductive to set them too high, or you’ll end up feeling discouraged. It’s better to take a short, reachable step and then set a new goal, to create a feeling of confidence.
WITH LONG TERM GOALS BE EXPANSIVE AND IDEALISTIC. Let your imagination open and expand up and reach for the highest. This will inspire you & motivate you.
PUT YOUR MAIN FOCUS ON THE ESSENCE OF THE GOAL. For example, don’t aim to win the lottery if you really want the lifestyle associated with it. Target the essence of your desire, and don’t worry about the details, those may change.
DON’T BE COMPULSIVE ABOUT YOUR GOALS. Don’t try to force or make them happen. Hold them lightly, relax and let them happen at their own pace and in their own way. Turn them over to your highest self to create them, and let go. Of course, this style of goal setting is different from the actual steps, which you also require in business to achieve outcomes. This method is all about your subconscious.
BE FLEXIBLE. You will probably find that many of your goals change frequently, but there is an essence in the most important ones that remains the same and helps to guide you close to your highest purposes.
Need help with your goal setting for fitness? Contact Discipline Fitness today!