How To Set Fitness Goals For Better Health And Weight Loss

There are lots of reasons for deciding to become more fit. Getting in shape is good for your overall health as well as for losing weight. You may have tried to do it before and not been successful. Here are some tips on why and how to set fitness goals.

When you set fitness goals, you are determining exactly what you are trying to accomplish. You can think of it like taking a road trip. If you are going to drive some place, you need to know where you want to go and how you can get there. Your fitness goals are your map for getting where you want to go.

Therefore, you first need to figure out what you want to achieve. Do you want to fit in to a specific clothing size? Do you have certain level of fitness you want such as running a set number of miles? Or do you have in mind the number of inches or pounds you want to lose?

Whatever the answer is, that is the destination you are trying to reach. Now consider how you can break that trip up into smaller goals that are achievable. This is critical for your psychological motivation to stay with the program. If your end goal is fifty pounds, it can feel like you will never get there. On the other hand, if you divide that into mini-goals of 5 pounds each, you will get a feeling of accomplishment every time you lose another five. This is what will keep you going to reach your destination.

As you are setting those mini-goals, you need to be sure they are realistic while also challenging you. Start out a little easier and then work yourself up to more as you get into the swing of things. You often find that it is harder at the beginning but, once you get going, it keeps getting a bit easier.

Suppose that losing weight is your goal. You will also need to make further goals as to how this will be achieved, such as with exercising. Many times, really overweight people have a difficult time exercising at first and can only manage walking. This is no problem at all. Start out walking, even if it is no more than 10 minutes each day.

Whatever kind of exercise you are going to start with, make goals for increasing it. If you can only do ten minutes of walking a day, for example, make that your goal every day for a week. On week two, change it to fifteen minutes per day and so on. Once you get going, you will probably be able to add more than 5 minutes each week.

You may want to get some help both with setting your fitness goals as well as working towards them. A fitness trainer, for example, can really help you stay motivated. These are professionals who understand what kind of goals are realistic for the fitness level that you currently have.

Remember that you did not get where you are overnight. Improving your level of fitness and losing weight will take time if you do it the healthy way. By setting goals and sticking with them, you will be making lifestyle changes that can keep you healthy for years to come.

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