Take Control Of Your Fitness Goals – Here’s How!

The kids are back in school, summer vacations are over and I know that many of you are starting to think about refocusing on your fitness goals.  That is great news and I am here to help.

Here at Northwest Personal Training we strongly encourage our clients to set fitness goals, but the way we do this may be different than what you are used to. When a client consults with us and weight loss is their primary goal, we immediately encourage them to set goals that are more action-oriented instead of outcome-oriented. Weight loss is the end result, and unfortunately, it is often an outcome that is out of our direct control. For example, perhaps your goal is to lose 10 pounds, but if you gained four pounds of muscle and lost six pounds of fat, you would feel like a failure even though you would have experienced very positive changes. Or what if your body is responding a little more slowly to your exercise sessions, so you get discouraged by the slow weight loss and give up on your program?

It is far better to focus your goals on something you have immediate control over. For example, instead of suggesting that you’ll lose one pound this week, instead, decide that you’ll work out five times or drink eight glasses of water. Or you may want to consider setting an external goal such as completing a 5K fun run, half marathon or challenging hike. This approach is much more positive and takes the focus away from a negative body image.

I also suggest a similar approach when your goals are focused on exercise and nutrition.  To learn how to create realistic goals that you can control for exercise and nutrition make sure to read the latest article I wrote for the Columbian “Striving To Succeed In September.”

With any goal, remember that if you believe you can achieve something, you will. The power to aspire to great things happens first in the mind. Be prepared to regularly assess goals and modify actions if needed.

Expect struggles and obstacles and decide beforehand how you’ll overcome them. If you do get off track, the key to success is learning from the experience and getting right back en route as quickly as possible. Good luck and stay tuned next week, when I give you some more tips.

Yours in Health & Fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Here are some past blog posts that you might like:
Nutrition Principle #1 to Losing Weight and Looking & Feeling your Best
Yes, You Can Cheat! 

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