Realism is really about being honest with yourself and understanding that if you start off too fast, with too much that you are setting yourself up for failure. Unconsciously people want to experience failure, "you see I can't do this," so they can stop exercising but what happens is that you never give yourself the opportunity to experience the really great benefits of exercise: exercise helps keep you healthy and strong in body, mind and spirit. Exercise also helps diminish and alleviate existing health conditions. Exercise allows people to sleep better. It's effective for depression, anxiety and helps alter moods to positive levels. Physical activity provides biochemical changes in the brain increasing the concentration of positive neurochemicals such as endorphins and serotonin. Exercise is also positively associated with changes in brain wave activity allowing for a more calm mental state.
Much of this also comes down to values. What do you value? If you value being healthy exercise is a part of being healthy and you have a choice about whether or not you want to exercise and be successful at exercising.
Knowing yourself is vital to keeping goals realistic as well. If the holidays are coming up and you are a big social eater or drinker, you should know yourself well enough to determine that maintaining a 1200 calorie per day meal plan is a bit unreasonable. Be honest with yourself and what you are willing to do each day in order to accomplish your goals. Once you know what you need to do and if you are willing to do it, you are well on your way to setting goals that are grounded in reality.
The key is setting realistic goals from the start. Most want to jump in headfirst and lose interest because their program is not doable.
The Move It and Lose It Challenge is the ideal platform to get a better understanding of defining your starting point and progressing your exercise program in an efficient way. In Sharecare, you have the ideal tool to help guide you through your journey towards a healthier life.
To ensure your fitness goals are realistic don’t underestimate your physical capabilities and overestimate what you are willing to do to reach those goals.
Goals should:
- be specific
- be attainable
- be somewhat enjoyable
- fit into your daily lifestyle
- be measureable and recorded
You can’t just say, “I want to be healthy,” show up at the gym, and expect to know what to do. You must have a plan. By being specific (“I want to run the St. Patty’s Day 5K race in March”), you can actually design a program, or have a fitness professional design a program, that will help you reach your goal.
Be realistic, if you are 100 pounds overweight and want to run the 5K in a month, this goal would probably not be attainable. By setting attainable, realistic goals you increase your chances of success. Actually running the 5K race allows you to measure and record reaching your goal. If you would rather eat nails than run, understand that the training required to run a 5K would neither be enjoyable nor fit your daily lifestyle. There are so many great ways to exercise it is unnecessary to choose activities you dislike doing.
First, start by deciding what you want and when you want it. You must have an absolute clarity of vision. Whatever your goal is it needs to be personal, specific and have a timestamp. For example, you could say, "By Memorial Day weekend I will weight XXX lbs."
Next, decide how it will be done. Take some time educating yourself, and look for multiple solutions to meet your goal. Decide if the goal and the time allotted for it are realistic. If so, form a strategy for success and proceed. If not, reevaluate the goal, the time allotment, and your strategy for success.
"Victory, more often than not is achieved by a series of small actions." Joseph Marshall
Always remember, this goal will take patience and time. Start small and make a steady progression towards victory. People who do too much at the onset usually fail from exhaustion; overeating, or frustration with the results versus the time commitment.
Aristotle once said, "Well begun is half done." If you don't start off right, you will fail.
Then once you have come up with a realistic but exciting goal, a reasonable but ambitious timeframe to achieve it you can get to work eating healthy, lifting weights and doing your cardio.
Make sure you take periodic weight and circumference measurements of how successful you are. You have to expect some occasional setbacks, so be prepared. Use the occasional setback as motivation to redouble your efforts and recommit to your goal. Peter Drucker coined the phrase, "What get's measured, get's done." So do not fear the scale or tape measure, they are instruments that will keep you focused on being successful.
If you need help, you are never alone, we are here at Sharecare to help you.
Remember a goal, a clear vision is very motivating. It is that goal that will get you to take action. Just keep in mind, start smart, start small, measure progress, work through setbacks and keep engaging in your small actions that lead to your ultimate victory.
"Each victory is only a prelude to another. No bounds can be set to rational hope." -Dr. Carl Sagan
Continue Learning about Fitness Goals
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.