Once you have identified the sort of things you wish to get out of life, you will then need to create a plan of action that helps you achieve your goals and personal desires. Once you have written down a tentative plan on how to go about accomplishing your goals, you will need focus in order to stay on the path towards your shining glory and rewards. After setting goals, you need to manage these pursuits, as well as maintain motivation through an effective plan of action.Throughout society, the pressure to stay thin, maintain an attractive appearance and exhibit a perfect picture of health, as well as continue fitness goals are common personal goals. In this day and age, sticking to health and fitness goals are pretty hard with all of the enticing restaurants lining the streets of even the smallest of cities. Exercising often takes a backseat to the other goals you have set for yourself, such as getting that raise at work or finally sealing the deal on your first home.Eating on the run as you race to pick up the kids from soccer practice or shop for weekly groceries becomes a common habit for those who feel they cannot take the time to prepare a well-balanced meal. Finding the time to stick to health and fitness goals is becoming an increasingly hard task to accomplish in many households, which not only affects adults, but also trickles down to their children. What kind of example are you setting for the little ones looking up to you?Whether you are forced to focus on health and fitness goals because your doctor has suggested it or you are unhappy with your appearance, finding the time to devote to this life-changing goal will prove highly beneficial in the long run. One of the first things you should decide upon when entering this personal challenge is why you wish to pursue any health and fitness goals you may have set for yourself.Knowing why you want to tackle these goals will better help you achieve these desires. For some, improving their appearance is ranked number one, while others wish to lose weight for a specific reason. Athletes set health and fitness goals to increase their flexibility, physical skills and strength, as well as endurance. When achieving these goals, more than just a better body and physique is obtained, confidence is built and a renewed sense of mental and emotional health is felt.How to Set Realistic Health and Fitness GoalsOne of the most important aspects of achieving health and fitness goals is setting realistic goals, which usually involves focusing on reasonable time frames (in regards to seeing results). If you expect to reach your high school weight in a month, this is highly unlikely. If you believe you can increase your benching weight from 100 pounds to 300 pounds in one week, you are seriously mistaken. Setting realistic health and fitness goals increases your chances of completing the milestones you wish to achieve.Take weight-loss goals, endurance goals and speed goals one step at a time. You won’t become a speed demon overnight and you can’t squeeze into a dress three sizes smaller after one day of working out. Achieving health and fitness goals takes time and you need to be willing to give as much as you wish to get out of the process.Record Keeping HelpsWhen you write down personal health and fitness goals on paper, they become a real mission to accomplish. Jot down smaller goals, such as run on the treadmill for 30 minutes straight without stopping or leave the sweets alone during the weekdays. Once you accomplish these smaller tasks, you might be well on your way to losing 10-15 pounds during the winter season. Crossing out each goal you’ve achieved is also a great way to keep motivated.Don’t Get DiscouragedAccomplishing health and fitness goals can be a frustrating journey, but with a positive attitude, patience and persistence, you will see results even if they don’t come in time for the high school reunion.
Fitness Tips for Better Results
The better your plan the better your results. If you take a rush at the problem you can do more harm than good. Our aim is to get fit and stay fit. The number one reason that people fail is that they go full speed into changing their diet and getting to the gym and quickly burn out. If you rush into a get fit and healthy regime and the results are not instant you can become dispirited and slip back into your old ways.
You are going to have to clean up your diet and, although this is essential, don’t go crazy. There is time enough later to count calories and regulate the balance between carbohydrates and proteins. For now eat healthy non-processed foods.
Next you have to confirm your goals. This will determine the actions that you must make and the decisions that you take. Many of us start with just wanting to feel good by looking good. By looking good we usually mean getting a beach body. You know, gaining some muscular definition, or looking “ripped” as they say.
Stay regular but start small. You will need to do weight training three to four times per week and cardio three times per week. Keep the weights light but the repetitions fairly high and alternate between upper and lower body on different days. Limit the cardio to twenty minutes for the first few weeks. Do the cardio after, but on the same day as the weight training.
Continue your dietary improvements and as your body becomes used to the changes you will notice a remarkable change in your feeling of fitness and well-being. As for the training, resist the temptation to increase the amount of weights too soon. Once you can visibly notice the improvement is the time to increase the repetitions and the amount of weight alternatively.
Although you started with the goal of looking ripped, it is perfectly normal to start considering the other two goals that usually occur. They are gaining strength and gaining size. It is not necessary to wait for months on your first goal before changing your routine.
Introducing some strength training will mean heavier weights at fewer repetitions. This will necessitate an increase in the food intake to fuel the increase in effort and to feed the growth of muscle. This is also the case for building bulk. Many students find that they get the most benefit by alternating every few months.
In all cases a steady increase in work rate produces the maximum reward.