great post, but you should write more=) Love reading, when it’s written clear.
How to Make Fitness Goals and Achieve them
Below is 4 simple, yet powerful steps to help you make your fitness goals and achieve them too.
1. Pick Your Behavioural Goals
Instead of picking fitness goals such as lose 20 lbs in so many weeks, or gain 10 lb, pick behavioral /lifestyle changes as your fitness or weight loss/gain goals. Diets never work because they don't focus on behavioral changes. Make behavioral changes and the numbers can't help but follow
The below examples are the major behavioral goals for weight loss.
1. Eat more fruits &Vegetables
2. Add cardio and weight training
3. Eat protein with most of your meals
4. Eat less junk food
5. Eat non-processed carbs than processed carbs
6. Find your problem or barrier that you need to work on.
1. Eat more fruits &Vegetables
2. Add cardio and weight training
3. Eat protein with most of your meals
4. Eat less junk food
5. Eat non-processed carbs than processed carbs
6. Find your problem or barrier that you need to work on.
Pick 2-3 from the above. If you are good with the first five, think where is your problem and make that your goal. Example: I drink a lot of soda and I think that's my problem. So one of you goals is to cut back on soda.
If you are unsure about which goals to pick, register in the Exercise Biology Forum and ask.
2. Define your goals
Example: I want to eat more fruits & vegetables. Now let's define the goal better.
Specific: Eat apple or banana for break fast and lunch and cucumber/ brocolli for snacks & Dinner. The more detailed the better.Measurable: Eat 4 cups per day.
Realistic: Eat 2-4 times per day.
Graded : Eat 1 for 3 weeks , 2 for next 3 weeks , and 2-4 for next 3 weeks
From what I have seen, it the realistic and the graded part that people screw up. They pick too high of a goal, such as workout 5 times a week, and it is just a matter of time that something will come up and they cannot workout 5 times in that week. When they can't, they get discouraged and stop working out. But if they had made it more forgiving (3-5 days), they could have easily made 3 times and still feel good about it.
Another big mistake is not starting small. Instead of jumping right into eating 3-5 times a day, take baby steps and start with just eating fruits & vegetables once a day. Then gradually ramp it up. It is easy to stick with lifestyle changes when you don't make drastic changes. You should ease into your new lifestyle
3. Track your goals
This is one of the critical components of behavioral interventions. You should keep track of your goals by writing it down just like a food or exercise journal.
People usually say I don't have the time. But if you can't spend 5 minutes to do it, that speaks a lot about your motivation levels and maybe you are not ready for a change. The greater the commitment, the stronger you desire to stick with it.
Register in the Exercise Biology Forum and make a journal. When you know others are reading, you will be more committed and accountable.
4. Use the why approach
If you cannot stick with a goal, ask "why". Think of every goal setting as an experiment. You don't fail in an experiment, you only learn something new. So instead of thinking you failed, try thinking what you learned from it.
For example, I couldn't workout 3 times a week. I couldn't make it 3 times a week because I was tired. Why were you tired? I was tried because I missed my lunch. Why did you miss your lunch? I missed my lunch because I didn’t go grocery shopping. So there you go: You should set a time and day for grocery shopping and you will never miss your workout because you were tired.
Click My Goals word file to download the template for figuring out your goals and tracking them.
Anoop | Tue March 01, 2011
check
Anoop | Mon March 07, 2011
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the comment.
I think that 4 steps really show where people screw up when trying to get in shape. Unlike other goals, the problem with fitness goals is that they are always lifelong goals. So behavioral interventions become critical.The people who focus on numbers and who still keep it off are changing their behavior without really knowing that they are doing it.
Personal Training Chicago | Thu March 10, 2011
Your post is really helpful for people like me who are doing Personal Training Chicago routines. It helps me to set up my goals and priorities. It makes me more focused. Hope to read your other post.
Swapna Mazumder | Sun March 27, 2011
Graet site. Thank you for the advice, very well explained. I am 50 yrs old, 5’4”, 158 lbs, 33% body fat(Tanita scale), BMR 1400 cal. Goal is to reduce body fat and subsequently weight. I have the nutrition under control(shouldn’t go lower than 1200 cal) but am trying to increase calorie expended by cardio and strength training. I can do 45 min on a elliptical trainer at 8 resistance(scale 1-14) but everytime I try treadmill I can’t go above 3.5 mph(knee and hip pain) for more than 15-20 min. My HRM indicates that on elliptical HR is ~150 bpm but the highest i can get on the treadmill is 135 bpm. Could you please speak to the relationship between HR, calories burned and effectiveness in losing body fat between treadmill and elliptical. I did a literature search and wasn’t able to come up with any significant studies. I know that strength training will also help in fat loss. Thank you.
Anoop | Sun March 27, 2011
Hi Swapna,
Thanks for the comment and the feedback!
You shouldn’t worry about all that nonsense. The body doesn’t know if it is treadmill or elliptical. If you move, it has to burn calories. I would say use everything elliptical, treadmill, bike, or walking up the stairs, and so on. And as long as you can get 3-4 sessions of cardio 20-40 min, I don’t think you should worry too much.
And if you have knee pain stick with elliptical and bike. Just do 15 min on treadmill and go up by 1-2 min. every week.
And if you like, start a thread on the forum stating you goals and use it as a food and exercise journal for accountability as I wrote in the article.
And keep up with the good work.
Cutting out carbs and junk food is vital, I cut out unhealthy carbs and lossed 30 pounds.
Great post, you’re right, it’s much easier/more benficial to pick lifestyle changes instead of “lose x in x” goals. More sustained and healthy weight loss that way. That’s how I dropped my weight and I’ve been able to keep it off!
Susheel | Wed November 30, 2011
Very nice post…got the print out..
Goal1: eat more vegiees and fruits and cut down on rice for dinner.
You are absolutely correct. By eating fresh fruits and vegetables, we can easily provide the adequate amount of nutrients to our body. So, i guess there is no need of whey protein supplements or any other supplements.
