How to Set Realistic Fitness Goals

Setting a goal can keep you focused and help steer you toward a particular objective. However to be successful at reaching your goal, it has to be specific, achievable and realistic. For example, let's take the goal "I'm going to go to the gym every day".

Specific 

To be specific, the goal would have to be amended by adding two things: How long am I going to go to the gym every day? And what am I going to do once there?

Tip! The best fitness tip for building up your arms is to work opposite muscles in opposite sets of each other. The best example would be to work the triceps and then the biceps.

A goal can't be open-ended. It has to have a defined ending point. Otherwise with this goal, I'm going to the gym every day until I die! I terms of being specific, a better goal would be "I'm going to go to the gym every day for the next two months." As you'll see next, that goal is not realistic.



Realistic

Tip! A high calorie diet will allow for you to fully utilize your workout. You will be using the calories to provide energy and make your workout last longer.

To be realistic, I have to have a reasonable chance of attaining my goal. The goal of going to the gym every day is not. One of the generally agreed upon tenets of fitness is the body has to have at least one day per week off so it can rest, rebuild and repair itself. Our stated goal of going to the gym every day does not allow us that one day per week off. So from a realistic standpoint a better stated goal would be "I'm going to go to the gym six days per week for the next two months."

Tip! To help remain motivated try different fitness classes. This can give you a fresh perspective on exercise and even make it fun.

Achievable

From the achievability aspect, how much time each day do I have free that I can devote to going to the gym. The current goal is to show up at the gym each day. We have to have a specific plan of what we are going to do each day while there.


The Restated Goal

A better stated goal would be "I'm going to go to the gym six days per week for the next two months; four days will be a one-hour cardio routine each day while two days will be a one-hour strength training routine." Now our goal is specific (I planned out and know which type of training and routine I'm doing each day for the next two months) realistic (six days per week at the gym with one day off), achievable (I have one hour each day to devote to exercising). See the difference? Specific, realistic and achievable.

Write It Down

The fourth thing with goals is they have to be written down and posted somewhere where you will see them all the time. Usually on the refrigerator is a good place as you'll see them multiple times per day. If not written down, they are soon forgotten.

When stating a goal, don't set yourself up for failure. Make sure your goal is attainable with a definite end result. Let's take the goal "I'm going to go to the gym every day".
 

Tip! Join the kids at night for a quick game of tag, hide and seek, or some other physically active game. The time will fly away as you forget the troubles of the day and marvel in the energy that kids seem to just radiate.

Otherwise with this goal, I'm going to the gym every day until I die! Our stated goal of going to the gym every day does not allow us that one day per week off. From a realistic standpoint a better stated goal would be "I'm going to go to the gym six days per week for the next two months."

Now our goal is specific (I planned out and know which type of training and routine I'm doing each day for the next two months) realistic (six days per week at the gym with one day off), achievable (I have one hour each day to devote to exercising).