It is that time again. What time? You know, the time when 99% of the population sets goals and resolutions and 99% of the people never stick with it. Oh yeah, that time. The ideas contained in this article can be used for any goals that you may have, but considering the forum, I will gear them towards fitness and nutrition.
So, what are your goals? For many of you reading this I can imagine that you have set a goal of losing body fat (most people just say weight). The first thing to consider is how much fat you want to lose and how long it will take you. The very first rule when setting a fitness goal is to make it clear, so that you will know how you are doing. If you just say you want to lose 10 pounds, that isn’t going to get you anywhere. In some of the reading I have been doing, I have come across some very bright people with some very good ideas. The first idea, which I have always implemented in my goal setting, is by author and coach Dan John. It’s the idea of free will otherwise known as self-discipline. According to John, we all only have a little bit of free will each day.
How do you get around this? Simple: use other people’s free will. Well, how do you do that? Here is a simple example: every time I have gotten my mindset on competing in a bodybuilding show, I told everyone I could about my goal. That was it, there was no turning back. People would constantly ask me about how it was going and that would help push me to be my best. This is important because before you know it, you are using their free will every time they remind you of your goal. It is such a simple technique but not many people take advantage of it! I’m sure you’ve heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Well, when he was just 15 years old he told all of his friends that he was going to go to America, be the best bodybuilder of all time, get into the movies and then get into politics. They thought he was nuts considering he had no money and couldn’t speak English, but look at what he accomplished.
The second thing that I like to do is write my goals down every day. You should have short and long-term goals and yes, they will change over time, but the important thing is that you stay committed to them every single day. Write down your goals and put them where you will always see them like on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. According to Tony Robbins, pain makes us change much more than pleasure. Find a reason why you are fed up with your mediocre body and change! Master life coach, Brian Tracey, had this to say about setting goals: “You can learn anything you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself.” Read that again please. You can do anything you set your mind to!
I hope that this article has helped to get you on the right track to setting your fitness goals. Find someone to share your goals with and get a coach if need be. Heck, feel free to even email me your goals, I’ll be a friend and hold YOU accountable. Remember, you wouldn’t just get into a car and start driving if you didn’t know where you were going, so don’t take this approach with your health either!
