Making {and keeping} fitness goals can be challenging.
Personally, I always make goals and then I never keep them. Most of time, these are weight goals. Lose 35 pounds. Weigh 125 pounds. And most of the time, I want these things to happen INSTANTLY. I'm not patient. When they don't happen right away, I get frustrated and I give up.
And while goals involving your weight are fine and dandy, they definitely should NOT be the only fitness goals you have. What if you don't eve reach your weight goal because you've built a crap ton muscle while lifting weights? The numbers on the scale don't matter - the numbers on the weights do! The heavier the weights you can lift, the stronger you are becoming.
Are you able to do more push ups this year than last year? Did you run a mile in six minutes?
These are the numbers that matter!
I've been learning recently how to stick to my goals, and I'm going to share some of my discoveries with you. After that, I'll share some of my own fitness goals with you. I hope they help you stick to goals like they are helping me!
1. Find Your Motivation
If you don't have something that's motivating you - and I'm talking REAL motivation, not how well you will look in that swimsuit - you will never be able to stick to your goals. For me, it's fear. Fear of surgery. Fear of health problems and illnesses. Fear of pain. I don't want to end up having a heart attack and being rushed to the hospital. EVER. My dad recently had an unplanned quadruple bypass surgery, and I never want that to happen me. So I have started working out more often and eating more healthfully.
Another thing that motivates me is being a role model to children. I have been interviewing for a position with
Boosterthon, a company that serves schools by teaching kids about fitness, leadership, and character. The company has really inspired to be a better person and live how I want others to live. If I'm gonna be teaching kids about health and fitness, then I want to be living that lifestyle and being a good influence.
2. Write Them Down
Even though you think you'll remember your goals in your head....you won't. Trust me. Write them down and put them somewhere you can see them every day. That way you will remember them and strive to accomplish them!
3. Make A Gym Schedule
This is important. Don't wait until you wake up to decide when you want to go to the gym, because you will never go. Get out calendar and write down exact times when you will arrive at the gym. This means to can plan your days off, too! And these rest days are IMPORTANT. Without resting from working out, your muscles won't be able to repair and build stronger muscles. So make sure you schedule gym days, but schedule some rest days, too.
4. Download A Fitness App For Your Phone
I find these to be really helpful. If you're a runner, check out RunKeeper. If you want to track your calorie intake, try MyFitnessPal. If you want to track how long you spend on the elliptical and how many sets of tricep dips you did, download FitList. There are a billion great health and fitness apps you can get for your phone, so search and find the one that works for you!
Those are four things that really help me stick to my fitness goals. Now, here are some goals I set for myself...
{Goals for This Year}
1. Be able to do at least one pull up
2. Be able to do ten complete, non-modified push ups
3. Have toned biceps and triceps
4. Reach my weight goal of 125 pounds (or a lean, healthy equivalent)
5. Run 3 miles without stopping
{Goals for The Future}
1. Participate in a marathon, preferable the Disney marathon
2. Participate in a half marathon
3. Run a 10k without stopping
4. Run a mile in 6 minutes or less
5. Join a CrossFit gym
Next week, I'm going to try to have a homemade GYM & FITNESS printable for you guys that you can download, print, and use to keep yourself on track. Maybe I'll make a fitness goals printable, too. <3
Now...what are YOUR fitness goals? And what other free printables would you like me to make?
