Goal Setting, Your Blueprint for Fitness Success
Success is not a destination but a journey fuelled by purposeful goals. Setting and achieving goals can be difficult if you overcomplicate it. In this blog I’m going to show you how you can set achievable short-term and long-term goals, that will get you motivated to start your journey but give you also to give you the requisite discipline to see them through.
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Make your goal Specific
When setting goals, make your goals specific. Instead of a vague "I want to lose weight" goal, be specific: "I want to lose 5 kilos in the next 2 months", what’s different about this goal….. It’s measurable. It doesn’t matter if 5 kilos doesn’t get you to where you eventually want to be, because once you achieved the first goal you can simply set another one.
Specific goals provide clarity and a clear direction of something to work towards. Weight related goals will require you monitor this aspect and importantly take that start weight so you can see if your progressing but there are other measurable goals…
Body Composition (Tracking changes in body fat percentage, muscle mass, or waist circumference can provide a more accurate picture of your physical progress than weight alone. Use weekly photos and measurements for this), Strength (Setting goals to increase the amount of weight you can lift in specific exercises, such as compound movements like squats, deadlifts, or bench presses. Record your start loads so you can see your progress), Endurance (Monitoring improvements in cardiovascular endurance by tracking metrics such as time or distance covered during activities like running, cycling, or swimming. Again record your start time for a 5k run and then again in a month or two to work towards improving your time). Other Goals might be Flexibility, Speed, Power, Balance and Stability, Skill Mastery, Recovery and not forgetting Health Markers (such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, resting heart rate, or blood sugar levels, which can all be positively influenced by regular exercise and physical activity)
Realistic Short-Term Goals
Short-term goals act as stepping stones to your long-term vision. So in the specific example above of losing 5 kilos in 2 months. Make smaller goals which will help achieve the bigger goal. You know that to achieve that bigger goal you’ll need to make smaller goals i.e. consistently hitting the gym three times a week, hitting a certain amount of calories each day etc If you want help with this contact us.
Ambitious, Yet Attainable Long-Term Goals
Long-term goals will guide your fitness journey. These are larger aspirations that require sustained effort. Whether it's achieving a significant weight loss, mastering advanced fitness skills, or completing a marathon, long-term goals should be challenging yet attainable with dedication and discipline. By then time you reach them you should feel a sense of achievement.
Break It Down
Long-term goals can be overwhelming. Break them into smaller, manageable chunks. For instance, if the goal is to lose 20 kilos in six months, aim for 3-4 kilos per month. This approach makes the journey less daunting and more achievable.
Progress Tracking
The heart of goal setting lies in progress tracking. Whether through a fitness app, journal, or regular assessments, tracking your progress provides real evidence of your journey. Celebrate small victories, as they pave the way for more significant achievements. Progress trackers can be weekly photos to eventually see visual changes, weight and body measurements.
Adjust and Adapt
Flexibility is key. Life happens, and circumstances may change. Be willing to adjust your goals as needed. If progress is slower than expected, reassess and modify your plan while staying committed to your ultimate vision.
Accountability Partners
Share your goals with a friend, family member, workout buddy or a coach who can guide you through the process, tailor your training program, tailor your nutritional goals and assign yourself other habits to get you to your end goal. Having someone to share your journey with provides accountability, support, along with shared celebrations of success. If you want help with your journey Get in Touch.
Reflection and Learning:
Regularly reflect on your journey. What worked well? What challenges did you face? Learning from both successes and setbacks enhances your understanding of your fitness journey and equips you for future goals.
A chapter of my personal journey unfolded when I ventured into the world of competitive fitness last year.
The reason: I wanted to get in the best shape of my life, I decided that stepping into a fitness competition was the only thing that would provide me with the required pressure, motivation and discipline - why? because in x amount of weeks I was going to depart from my comfort zone and grace the stage, clad in what can only be described as the most minimalistic bikini know to woman! It was indeed daunting but ultimately I didn’t want to look like the rotten apple alongside all the pink ladies. It gave me the degree of pressure I needed, some might say a little extreme.
My preparation for the first competition was notably brief, spanning a mere four weeks. Despite not being in optimal condition, I managed to secure a respectable 3rd place. Determined to elevate my performance, I subsequently registered for two additional competitions one being in Barcelona. It is worth noting that with each competition, I witnessed improvement within my physique, securing a 2nd and another 3rd place in the latter shows. A commendable achievement for my first and maybe my last season in the competitive arena.
However, the triumphs and pressure of the the stage came at a cost…
Following an extended period of maintaining a significant calorie deficit, my body began to exhibit signs of distress as it struggled to function optimally. Unbeknownst to me, my hormonal balance had been disrupted, I felt fine in myself, in fact I felt great, but I had lack of awareness regarding my body's condition. Whilst I looked in great shape I just simply wasn’t firing on all cylinders. The aftermath of the competition left me grappling with my hormones and, consequently, my day-to-day life. Two specific hormones responsible for signalling hunger and fullness had seemingly shut down. I found myself in a perpetual state of always feeling hungry and never full up even after a meal. It took four months for my body to recover, this was after I had eaten everyone out of house and home! I just had an overwhelming desire to consume anything in sight, compounded by the fact that my depleted body was in dire need of recovery. Regrettably, I really feel like I lost control over this aspect of my journey, BUT a lesson learned from the experience. It took four months for my body to recover, allowing me to regain some normality with food but it did lead ultimately lead to an unwanted weight gain. I eventually turned this in to a positive experience using this period of my journey to to try to enhance my physique by building some more muscle is the areas where I was lacking.
Reflecting on this journey, I acknowledge the need for adjustments if I were to embark on a similar path in the future. However, the firsthand experience has contributed to my own personal growth, making me a more well-rounded individual with insights into the intricacies of the process and the potential for improvement.
This experience highlights the significance of approaching your fitness journey with meticulous planning to ensure sustainability and long lasting results. I opted for the stage but others might consider a photoshoot or even a holiday as their ultimate goal or added pressure, these are all still great goals to work towards. But ultimately the emphasis lies not on rapid weight loss through extreme measures, such as drastically reducing calories or engaging in excessive exercise. Rather, it advocates for a gradual and steady approach, characterised by healthier habits and lifestyle changes.
Conclusion:
The art of goal setting is personal to you. Sit down, think about what you might like to achieve, what would make you happy and set your goals accordingly, do you have a health marker that needs improvement? it could be as simple as that.
Embrace the short-term steps that pave the way to long-term success. Make sure your Progress is trackable. Remember, each step forward, no matter how small, is a step forward and a success.
Want help Contact Us, we can help devise your personal goals and more importantly help get you there.
