Setting and Achieving Your Fitness
Goals
ByRoy Palmer
Many fall short of their ideal level of fitness
because they either do not set goals or set
totally inappropriate goals with only one
likely outcome - failure. Yet if you spend
a little more time on setting your goals you
will increase your chances of success and
the rewards will be greater.
If you do not put enough thought into the
goal setting stage of your plans you are more
likely to fail. A carefully chosen goal, whether
to do with your fitness, career or personal
life will motivate you to stay on target and
also add another factor to your training -
it will engage your mind.
Your training and sport should be viewed
as part of your personal development and
not as a separate physical activity. Many
individuals regard their sport and exercise
as a way of taking a break from their
intellectual pursuits and train their
‘mental’ and ‘physical’ self separately,
but do you really perform at best by splitting
yourself in two? Does taking the ‘mind’
out of physical activity result in mindless
action? Skills and abilities learnt from
participating in your sport can translate
back to your personal and professional
life; it also works the other way around.
Choosing the right goal for you
A goal is a wish to achieve something
you regard as worthwhile that represents
a challenge. It will be a target beyond
your current ability requiring a substantial
effort on your behalf to attain. Once
you have reached your goal it will be
an achievement to take pride in and drive
you on to achieve a higher level.
Whether conscious of it or not, most
will have a goal in mind that determines
what we do. It may be for a quiet, comfortable
life, earn more money, look good, get
fit or all of these. I believe it is important
to have goals as a way to motivate and
encourage continuous self-improvement
but the goal itself must be carefully
thought out before you set off on your
journey toward it.
A goal should ...
be something you know is achievable and
provides you with the motivation to train.
have a specific target so you know when
you have achieved it, for example, completing
a 10 k run, making the first team or getting
a black belt in a martial art.
involve doing an activity you can enjoy
and benefit from.
be shared with the people around you
so they will ask you about your progress
adding to your motivation.
be broken down into smaller tangible
steps so each stage represents a tick
in a box allowing you to take satisfaction
from the journey.
provide you with the opportunity to experiment
and learn.
challenge your intellect as well as your
body.
A goal should not be..
impossible or unrealistic
plucked out of the air just because it
sounds good. ‘I want to run a marathon’
is fine if you like running and are prepared
to put in the time, but if you are not
going to enjoy the months of training
that lie ahead it is not a good goal to
set.
given an arbitrary target without any
meaning such as increasing your trips
to the gym to 4 times a week, this doesn’t
meet the criteria of the should be’s above.
However, this might be a subset of a goal
that will enable you to achieve the big
one.
too easy and require little effort.
set in concrete and non-negotiable. Be
prepared to re-assess your goal and your
reasons for achieving it. Don’t suffer
needlessly and struggle to achieve a goal
that will adversely affect you, your family
and your friends.
detrimental to your health.
Once you have decided your goal ask the
following questions to clarify your reasons
for selecting it.
Why do I want to achieve this? This could
be any reason from giving you the motivation
to get out of bed in the morning right
up to achieving fame and fortune.
How will I benefit from pursing this
goal? Will the reward justify the time
and money you will need to commit to succeed?
If your goal provides the opportunity
for self-improvement then the answer has
to be yes.
How will I know when I have succeeded?
Have you set a definite finishing point,
target or time limit? Can it be measured?
When you are satisfied with your answers
write down your goal and then underneath
add ‘How I am going to achieve this?’
This will include steps to take you closer
each day to your ultimate goal. List things
that need to be done in preparation such
as
buying new kit, research, finding useful
sources of information/ advice, getting
professional help, joining a sports club
and getting a check-up from your doctor
Be sure that each step on your action
plan is clear and contains just one action
so you can tick the box when it’s done.
Be methodical about your preparation and
do not be tempted to rush straight into
your training, the well known business
mantra is just as applicable here - proper
planning prevents poor performance! A
good plan also helps you keep your mind
focused on the task in hand increasing
your chances of success. When you do achieve
your goal you can also take satisfaction
in your planning and application of that
plan. You may wish to promise yourself
a reward on successful completion but
do make it relevant to your long-term
goals. A weekend in Chicago to run the
marathon would give your motivation for
running a shot in the arm, whereas an
all-you-can-eat meal on reaching your
target weight would obviously set you
back into bad habits. However, if you
have chosen an appropriate goal and planned
accordingly, the experience of the journey
and achievement in itself will mean more
than anything - although it’s nice to
have some icing on the cake!
How to achieve your goal
At this stage all you have in front of
you is a sheet of paper with your goal
at the top and listed beneath your individual
steps to get you there. Put this in a
place where it can be seen. You may need
to return to this on occasions when things
may not be going too well and your motivation
has taken a knock.
In addition to this important record
keep a diary of your progress and include:-
what you did you set out to do
what you actually achieved
how you felt
what you learnt
The last point is crucial to achieving
your goal. Be flexible and learn from
your experience. If something doesn’t
appear to be working, don’t try any harder
using the same approach. If banging your
head against a brick wall isn’t working,
don’t bang it harder!
Be prepared to change your approach,
method and technique is you feel you are
getting nowhere fast or it’s starting
to hurt. There is little to be gained
from injuring yourself in the pursuit
of a goal that is meant to improve your
quality of life.
If your enthusiasm dips, return to your
goal sheet and training diary to remind
you of your objectives and the passion
you felt when starting out. As you draw
nearer to your goal start planning ahead
for your next self-improvement activity.
I always find this helps with the final
stages as you can start to see yourself
moving onwards and upwards towards a higher
achievement.
Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander
Technique and has studied performance
enhancement in sport for the last 10 years.
In 2001 he published a book called 'The
Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional
methods of sports training and exercise'
and is currently working on a new project
about The Zone. More information about
his unique approach to training can be
found at http://www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
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