First you must establish what you want to achieve with your fitness programme. To make it easy and avoid being overwhelmed, begin with just one key aim that you feel you must make happen. It has to be something you really want, something that you would feel disappointed if you never managed to achieve as long as you lived.Explore why you want success in this area. Hoping to achieve something because it would be ‘nice’ to have it, or because you feel you should do it, or even because someone else thought it would be a good idea if you did it, simply makes your life difficult. Your goals must have clear reasoning behind them and it must be your reasoning to stand any chance of success.
Decide on a realistic time by which you will have reached this goal. Not an abstract idea of when something might happen, but a carefully considered plan that takes into account everything and everyone else that you have in your life, and incorporates your fitness goal as a priority within this structure.
Highlight what you will do to make your goal a reality. What exercises and activities will become part of your life? When will these activities take place? What changes will you make to your diet? Are there any other alterations that you will need to make to your lifestyle? Who might be affected by the changes you are proposing and how will you deal with these situations?
Finally, pick your starting point. Isolate the first practical steps on the road to the new you and choose when you will take them. Choose specific days and times for putting these steps into action and stick to them. And remember, there is no time like the present. What can you do right now to set you on your way to achieving your goals?
Here is a real-life example of this process. Already you can see how, by taking the time to plan, some new ideas and opportunities for acting on your intentions present themselves for consideration. Now run through the questions for yourself. Consider what new options for achieving your goals you have by the end of the process that you did not have when you started .
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Answer a few easy questions and off you go towards everything you ever wanted from your fitness. So why is it that not everyone can achieve their fitness aims when they want to? There are a number of common reasons why people become frustrated with exercise and food:
- They lack the correct motivation to begin.
- They expect complete results immediately.
- They lose motivation along the way.
- They choose an impossible plan .
- They fall foul of injury or illness.
You can ensure that you do not suffer from any of these frustrations by examining each of them in turn and dealing with them right now.