The first step you should take when starting an exercise program is to set some goals for yourself. Simply said, you should be clear about what you want to achieve. For example, you want to lose weight, improve your athletic performance, improve your general health, reduce your risk of disease, feel better, or some combination of these. Can Whatever you want to achieve, I recommend that you use the SMART goal setting process to improve your chances for success. stands for smart Specific, average class, Received, Suitable And time bound,
1. Specific, Make sure your goals are precise and stated in terms of performance. For example, if you want to lose weight, your goal might be “Lose 10 pounds in the next 8 weeks.” If you want to improve your athletic performance, your goal might be to “run a sub-20-minute 5K by the end of the season.” If you want to improve your body composition, your goal might be “Reduce my body fat percentage by 20% over the next 6 months”.
2. average class, A goal is measurable when it is easy to determine whether it has been met. The weight loss goals listed above are easily measured. 8 weeks from now you either weigh 10 pounds or you don’t. Similarly, with performance and body composition goals, it will be easier to determine whether you are successful. In contrast, the goal of “reducing my risk of disease” is not very measurable. A better goal is “to lower my LDL cholesterol by 20 points over the next 6 months”.
3. Received, One of the biggest mistakes people make in the goal-setting process is setting unattainable goals. Your goals should be lofty, but they should also be realistic. The goal of losing 20 pounds in 4 weeks is both unrealistic and unhealthy. Similarly, if you are new to running and set a goal of finishing a marathon 3 months from now, you are setting yourself up for both failure and pain. Make your goals challenging but attainable.
4. Suitable, Your goals should be important to you as an individual. Don’t set a goal just because your friends, family members or exercise partners have. Remember, your goals will be your primary motivation for keeping up with your exercise program, so make sure they are important to you.
5. time bound, Make sure that each goal has a specific deadline for completion. This allows you to easily determine whether this has been achieved or not. It also increases the likelihood that you will meet each goal because you know the clock is ticking! For example, if you want to lose weight, an effective time-based goal might be “By January 1, I will lose 15 pounds and reduce my body fat percentage to 18%.” Of course, that’s assuming you don’t set this goal on Christmas Day! Labor Day would provide a more realistic time frame.
Source by Tyrone Holmes
