Setting Realistic Fitness Goals For The New Year
The New Year is almost upon us and that means many people making resolutions to finally get fit in 2018. While setting this lofty goal is made with good intentions, it is also a good way to lose your resolution motivation quickly.
Here are some tips on setting realistic fitness goals and keeping yourself motivated during the New Year:
Be Specific
It’s good to say that you want to lose weight or get healthy, but that’s not very specific and can easily make you lose sight of your goal. Instead, be specific. For example, “I want to lose 20 pounds by May” or “I want to be able to walk up the 3 flights of stairs at work without feeling winded.”
With these goals, you are setting a clear, specific goal with a time frame. If you don’t hit your goal by a specific date, don’t feel discouraged! The important thing is to stay positive and keep going. That’s the only way you see progress.
Start Small
Don’t believe those reality fitness TV shows: Setting a huge goal for yourself in a small amount of time is dangerous—especially if you’ve never exercised before. Instead, of going whole-hog, start small like taking daily walks that get progressively longer, try a beginner running program that fits your lifestyle, and gradually cut out unhealthy foods.
By starting small you are more likely to stick with your exercise and health regimen and see results.
Keep It Measurable
If you don’t see results from your fitness regimen or have any way of tracking your progress, you won’t know if you are reaching your goal. Set goals you can easily measure throughout the year like “I want to lose 10 pounds” or “I want to be able to lift 20 pounds.”
You can easily track these goals by logging your daily exercise, weight, and other measurements into your fitness journal and taking before and after photos to see your progress. As such, you can see what is working and what is not and plan accordingly.
Have A Support System
Not even the best of us can do it alone. Having a support system will help keep you motivated, honest with yourself, and find inspiration in others. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or need someone to confide in, a trusted friend or family member will be able to give you the inspiration you need to keep going.
Be Honest
Being honest with yourself is an important part of setting realistic fitness goals for yourself in the New Year. Ask yourself if the goal you are setting for yourself is something you can stick with for the long haul.
For example, if your goal is to go vegetarian to help you lose weight but don’t know the first thing about where to start without getting sick or know you wouldn’t be able to give up meat, this isn’t a goal you’ll be able to stick with
Instead, ask yourself if you’ll be able to slowly cut out red meat from your diet and replace it with fish or other lean meats.