A main goal of our website is to help individuals make health and fitness a lifestyle. Often, people want to make changes in their life, but just don’t know where to start– this is especially true when it comes to fitness. Usually there is a specific thing holding an individual back. It may be motivation issues, time management, or any inhibiting factor from a list that can go on for pages. The fact of the matter is: if you want to make a change, you can! It all comes down to approaching your lifestyle change with realistic goals and an organized plan. Hopefully, through a series of articles, I can help you get on the path you want to be on.
Firstly, remember that your commitment to health and fitness is YOUR choice. Physicians, friends, and family may all nag you to improve your health, but it’s important that you make changes for you, not them. From personal experience and observing others, working towards something that you truly want is more satisfying and easier to find the motivation for. That being said, let’s start this “Fitness as a Lifestyle” series with goal-setting.
Goal-setting is a very important aspect in many facets of life. A life without goals is a limited one. I like to have multiple goals–short term and long term. When I achieve one, I set a more challenging one. This way I can live with “no ceilings.” When setting a goal, it is essential that you are realistic. For example, setting a goal to increase your bench press by 100 pounds in 2 weeks is just unrealistic. If your goals aren’t attainable, then why set them? Creating unattainable goals is setting yourself up for inevitable failure. A question I often hear is: How do I make a realistic goal if I lack knowledge in that area? This is a completely logical question. Maybe an individual will set a goal to increase their bench press by 100 pounds in 2 weeks simply because they lack knowledge about weight lifting. My answer to this question is to do some research, read health and fitness articles, look into some forums, or ask friends and family members who may possess knowledge on what you are trying to achieve.
Once you have some knowledge about your goal, start writing down some things you want to achieve. When you have composed a list, start putting dates next to when you want to achieve them. After this list is finalized with specific goals and dates to achieve them, start organizing a plan of action. I will focus on how to put together a goal achieving plan in a future article of the Fitness as a Lifestyle series. For now, start putting together that list and get ready to improve your lifestyle!
