Are You Struggling to Meet Your Fitness Goals? Here are Top Things you should do

There is no overstating the importance of setting fitness goals. When you have clearly defined goals, you will be more enthusiastic about meeting your set targets and objectives. This is the premise upon which many fitness apps are based. They understand the importance of giving you a clear objective to work towards.  However, many people find it difficult to meet their fitness goals because the goals were either unrealistic or haphazardly set. What’s more, maintaining a fitness goal is harder when your job requires you to travel to other places.  This piece takes a look at some important things you need to know, about setting fitness goals you can follow, for a more effective routine.

Adopt the “SMART” approach

If you have spoken to a few life coaches or read a few motivational contents, you must have come across the word SMART being used in different ways.  The word is actually an acronym which encourages you to ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, accountable, and realistic and time-based. Putting this to practice means you cannot say “I want to gain some muscle”. Instead, you will have to say something better such as “I want to add 20cm to my arm width over the next 6 months”. The latter assertion gives you a focus and a timeline and a way to measure if you were actually right or wrong. You can always get the help of a trusted fitness consultant to guide you in your workout journey.

 Find Your Approach to Accountability

You cannot ignore the importance of staying accountable with your goal setting.  This is why you need to find out how you can stay accountable. There are some suggestions that you will be more accountable if you make your fitness goals common knowledge. However, many people have said that opening up their goals for public scrutiny made them less likely to follow through due to the fact that this approach opens them up for judgment.  So at the end of the day, you have to decide if you should go public and get a workout friend or just stick to using your reminder, fitness app and calendar on your own.  Regardless of what approach you choose, you need to ensure you constantly remind yourself of your obligations. Place your fitness objectives where you can see them such as behind your bedroom door, above your mirror and other similar locations that are within your eye range on a day to day basis.

 Maintain Consistency

Once you have an actionable fitness goal in place, you need to set up a plan that places emphasis on consistency with your efforts. The whole basis of having a goal is to ensure you feel challenged every time you set out to work towards your larger goal. You need smaller medium-term goals built into the overall goal that can help you stay on track and remain motivated and committed to your workout routine. Only when you are constantly breezing through your smaller goals will you be able to achieve the big results. Marathon runners do not immediately set out to complete the entire race in one go. Instead, they start off at a sweet spot mileage and increase over the course of the race. Use this same approach when you are setting the plan towards achieving your fitness goal.

Understand Scalability

As you work towards your ultimate goal, don’t make the mistake of ignoring how your body feels at any given time. It is vital to know when to increase or reduce your efforts. Is your resting heart rate higher than normal? This might be your cue to tone down the exertions by reducing your workout load. If you don’t notice any changes and do not feel at least, some soreness. That could be all you need to know that you have to increase the difficulty level of your workout routine.

Keep Tabs On Your Progress

Keeping track of your progress is one of the best ways to stay accountable to your goals. Consider adding your fitness achievement for the day to your planner or use fitness apps to track your fitness especially if your routine includes cycling, running or jogging. Such wearable technology also delivers a holistic view of your personal health.

By monitoring your fitness, you can stay on track to achieve your goals.

Keep Focus on What You Can do Today

There is no telling what will happen in future but you have today in your hands. Don’t put off your goals for today as it will negatively impact your chances of success with your larger objective. Whether you want to employ exercise equipment for your workout session or have a daily walk around your neighborhood,  you must start right away if you intend to meet your fitness goals.

By setting a specific fitness goal, you can create the perfect routine and increase your chances of living and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.