Keep Your Fitness State of Mind by Setting Fitness Goals!
Human nature being what it is, we often set great goals for finances or other worthwhile life events. But, sometimes we set our goals a little too high and then, when we don't meet them, we become discouraged and feel like a failure. Or, we don't keep focused on the goals we've set and fall off track. Read on for an exchange between Bob and Ron on this lofty topic!
Bob's Experience:
Setting goals for my fitness has always been a part of my regimen, well that is since I began a fitness regimen. And, I dare say, it has been a part of all of our lives as well, most probably when we try to lose weight. The problem for me has generally been that my ability to stay with the program has not been consistent - it's been a series of hits and misses. My ability to stick to my goals has varied from time to time. At times I've been terrific at keeping on point, a real training system, on auto pilot, making progress all along. But at other times, well let's just say I've been a slacker. So as I look back at the times I've stayed on point and not slacked off, it's clear that I met my ultimate goal for that period of time. I really practiced a good, consistent 50+/+Fit LifeStyle. But what made the difference for me? Why did I sometimes fall off point? Gee, could it be a combination of things? I think that part of it is the simple fact that life gets in the way - work, family and the general stresses of life. For me, sometimes it just seems easier to lay off, which of course is just the wrong thing to do, especially if you're stressed. Yes, it was amazing that when I got back on the routine my life's stress levels dropped. The other thing that has sometimes tripped me up in the past has been setting unrealistic goals. Everyone wants to lose that weight quickly, right? Well, we've all heard time and again that is it really impossible to effectively lose weight quickly, but nonetheless we set ourselves up for disappointment and failure. And this can apply to all of our goals, not just losing weight. For example, I wanted to be able to lift my body-weight on the bench press, just to reach a commonly heard measure of strength for guys who weight train. But, with this type of goal we can also set ourselves up for failure by wanting it too fast and asking too much of ourselves. For me, I've found that baby steps of progress are still getting me closer to my goal. So I set smaller increments and then I show advances I can feel good about. And, it motivates me too. I have something to celebrate! So now I go for increases of just 1 or 2 reps or 2.5 pounds when I weight train. So how do we set these goals? I like to think I'm getting better at this for myself, but for our community, let's let the expert be the expert. Ron? Ron's Expertise: So true - fitness goals need to be attainable and reachable. So often I see clients who may ultimately need to lose 60-100 pounds but, I refuse to set that total goal in their workout plan. Instead, I set a goal that should be attainable in 2-3 months. That way, it doesn't look or feel like they have a mountain to move, and the goal feels closer and more doable. When it comes to losing weight, we first discuss calories in vs. calories burned. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Consider that the average male should consume about 2,500 calories and the average female's meal plan should consist of about 1,800 calories - that seems like in order to lose weight, we have to skip eating a day or two per week but, that's not correct. Instead, divide the 3,500 calories by 7 days in a week; the result is 500 calories. If we honestly burn 500 calories per day more than we consume, we'll lose a pound of pure fat each week - and that will be weight that will stay off. Experts tell us that if you change your eating habits to something more healthy and calorie-conscious, after about three weeks of this new eating, you will develop new habits. Quick weight loss? Suffice to say, those gadgets and supplements you see on T.V. infomercials are probably going to set you up for failure. My "favorite" rip-off is the vinyl suit that was originally sold in the 1980's to promote weight loss by causing the wearer to sweat. It's recently resurfaced - and we're seeing up to twenty "solar suits" a day in our gym. O.K., let's think about this for a moment - fat is fat, not water. Therefore, excessive sweating will NOT promote weight loss. In fact, in some climates, it can put you in danger of collapse and that's not healthy! Also, my clients occasionally report that they have tried some new supplement found at the corner drug store - some costing nearly $100/month! The result? They usually report diarrhea and other counter-productive conditions, but no fat loss. Other goals should be set in a similar fashion - so that there are a series of short-term goals that are more easily attainable, measurable and keeps us more motivated to stick to a plan. We should also re-examine our goals periodically to see if we need to alter them - maybe the "big picture" has changed or we're bored and need something new. Or, maybe you're one of the fortunate few who don't necessarily need weight loss - maybe your goal is better cardiovascular endurance, core strength, better golf game, etc. Good for you! But, be sure to set measureable goals with a reasonable time-line. Don't expect to go from a golf score of 99 to a 70 in 3 weeks! Goals in life, fitness or otherwise, are very important - otherwise we're just doing "stuff" and not working toward an end. It would be like starting the car, and driving aimlessly. Maybe fun for a little while but, it would get boring - just like working out without a "destination." So, let's carefully set our goals, and get busy working toward Our Quality of LifeStyle... toward being 50+/+Fit! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5807672
Setting goals for my fitness has always been a part of my regimen, well that is since I began a fitness regimen. And, I dare say, it has been a part of all of our lives as well, most probably when we try to lose weight. The problem for me has generally been that my ability to stay with the program has not been consistent - it's been a series of hits and misses. My ability to stick to my goals has varied from time to time. At times I've been terrific at keeping on point, a real training system, on auto pilot, making progress all along. But at other times, well let's just say I've been a slacker. So as I look back at the times I've stayed on point and not slacked off, it's clear that I met my ultimate goal for that period of time. I really practiced a good, consistent 50+/+Fit LifeStyle. But what made the difference for me? Why did I sometimes fall off point? Gee, could it be a combination of things? I think that part of it is the simple fact that life gets in the way - work, family and the general stresses of life. For me, sometimes it just seems easier to lay off, which of course is just the wrong thing to do, especially if you're stressed. Yes, it was amazing that when I got back on the routine my life's stress levels dropped. The other thing that has sometimes tripped me up in the past has been setting unrealistic goals. Everyone wants to lose that weight quickly, right? Well, we've all heard time and again that is it really impossible to effectively lose weight quickly, but nonetheless we set ourselves up for disappointment and failure. And this can apply to all of our goals, not just losing weight. For example, I wanted to be able to lift my body-weight on the bench press, just to reach a commonly heard measure of strength for guys who weight train. But, with this type of goal we can also set ourselves up for failure by wanting it too fast and asking too much of ourselves. For me, I've found that baby steps of progress are still getting me closer to my goal. So I set smaller increments and then I show advances I can feel good about. And, it motivates me too. I have something to celebrate! So now I go for increases of just 1 or 2 reps or 2.5 pounds when I weight train. So how do we set these goals? I like to think I'm getting better at this for myself, but for our community, let's let the expert be the expert. Ron? Ron's Expertise: So true - fitness goals need to be attainable and reachable. So often I see clients who may ultimately need to lose 60-100 pounds but, I refuse to set that total goal in their workout plan. Instead, I set a goal that should be attainable in 2-3 months. That way, it doesn't look or feel like they have a mountain to move, and the goal feels closer and more doable. When it comes to losing weight, we first discuss calories in vs. calories burned. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Consider that the average male should consume about 2,500 calories and the average female's meal plan should consist of about 1,800 calories - that seems like in order to lose weight, we have to skip eating a day or two per week but, that's not correct. Instead, divide the 3,500 calories by 7 days in a week; the result is 500 calories. If we honestly burn 500 calories per day more than we consume, we'll lose a pound of pure fat each week - and that will be weight that will stay off. Experts tell us that if you change your eating habits to something more healthy and calorie-conscious, after about three weeks of this new eating, you will develop new habits. Quick weight loss? Suffice to say, those gadgets and supplements you see on T.V. infomercials are probably going to set you up for failure. My "favorite" rip-off is the vinyl suit that was originally sold in the 1980's to promote weight loss by causing the wearer to sweat. It's recently resurfaced - and we're seeing up to twenty "solar suits" a day in our gym. O.K., let's think about this for a moment - fat is fat, not water. Therefore, excessive sweating will NOT promote weight loss. In fact, in some climates, it can put you in danger of collapse and that's not healthy! Also, my clients occasionally report that they have tried some new supplement found at the corner drug store - some costing nearly $100/month! The result? They usually report diarrhea and other counter-productive conditions, but no fat loss. Other goals should be set in a similar fashion - so that there are a series of short-term goals that are more easily attainable, measurable and keeps us more motivated to stick to a plan. We should also re-examine our goals periodically to see if we need to alter them - maybe the "big picture" has changed or we're bored and need something new. Or, maybe you're one of the fortunate few who don't necessarily need weight loss - maybe your goal is better cardiovascular endurance, core strength, better golf game, etc. Good for you! But, be sure to set measureable goals with a reasonable time-line. Don't expect to go from a golf score of 99 to a 70 in 3 weeks! Goals in life, fitness or otherwise, are very important - otherwise we're just doing "stuff" and not working toward an end. It would be like starting the car, and driving aimlessly. Maybe fun for a little while but, it would get boring - just like working out without a "destination." So, let's carefully set our goals, and get busy working toward Our Quality of LifeStyle... toward being 50+/+Fit! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5807672
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