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We all have health and fitness goals, whether we know it or not. Everybody wants something—to
lose weight, build bigger muscles, improve race times, or simply shape up—and these desires are
goals in the making. The key to achieving desires is to turn them into goals, which gives you the
focus and motivation needed to realize your full potential.
1) Make sure you are meeting your basic needs. Do you get adequate:
- Sleep
- Rest
- Recovery
- Nutrition/Diet
- Time for self, relationships, family
If your basic needs are not met, you will not be able to successfully take on a new athletic
challenge. Make it your goal to take care of yourself.
2) Determine your commitment to your sport/activity/exercise. How does it fit into your life
(family, relationships, career)?
The first step in setting realistic goals is to determine the amount of time, energy, and
resources you can commit. Be honest with yourself. Plan week by week to determine how you can
commit to exercising or training.
3) Set specific as well as non-outcome-based goals.
You do not have control over external events such as your opponents or the weather, so it
doesn’t help to set outcome goals based solely on winning or beating others.
Set goals focusing on internal, controllable events, such as:
- Commitment to practice, stretching, diet
- Technique: form, skills
- Competitiveness: taking risks, being aggressive
- Resilience: bouncing back from setbacks, failure
- Mental focus: positive thinking, visualization, meditation
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Mental Edge |
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For more on the mind-body-spirit aspect of fitness, check out these articles by Jerry Lynch,
an expert on the topic: Exercise Your Mind and Up the Fun Factor. |
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4) Aim for a long-term goal that’s reasonable but challenging.
Imagine a goal that might be attainable but seems unrealistic. Imagine an easy goal you
can achieve within the next month. Choose a long-term goal that is somewhere in the middle.
Set a date for your long-term goal (anywhere from three months to a year from your start). Keep
track of your progress in Health & Fitness Log, or write your
goal on a calendar. Put your objective somewhere you will see it every day.
5) Create sub-goals: smaller, weekly goals that move you toward your long-term goal.
Start where you are today. Let go of past achievements and the “when I was
younger/stronger/fitter I could” mentality. Be realistic when setting your weekly goals.
They should be “baby steps” that build to your big goal.
6) Stay flexible and enjoy.
Be open to change. It may take longer to reach your long-term goal than you planned. Be prepared
to adjust your weekly goals as setbacks or improvements occur.
Above all, remember sports psychologist Jerry Lynch’s message: The treasure of achieving a goal
lies in experiencing the process—the joy, pleasure, and fulfillment of striving
each day.
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