New Fitness Goals for a New Year
December 21, 2022
Fitness goals require more than merely picking a plan and going for it. To achieve the most success, focus on wellness habits you can start through a series of gradual increments. Trying to start a new habit or achieve a fitness goal with sweeping changes can lead to failure, frustration, injury or dropout.
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Step 1: Creating Your Fitness Goal
In order to establish a general goal, determine the one thing — your limiting factor — that keeps you from achieving that goal. Do you want to get in better shape, lose weight or eat healthier? Remember, only action leads to change! “Don’t do X” is not an action plan. “Do more Y” is.
Now, take those general action statements and shape them into a fitness goal you can reach this year. Effective goals are SMART, or:
- Specific: The goal should identify a specific action or event that will take place.
- Measurable: The goal and its benefits should be quantifiable.
- Achievable: The goal should be attainable given available resources.
- Realistic: The goal should require you to stretch some but still make success likely.
- Time-based: The goal should state the time period in which it will be accomplished.
Write down your fitness goal where you will see it regularly. Research shows that people who take a few minutes to put their goals on paper are five to 10 times more likely to achieve them. So pull out a pen, paper and your sneakers and get started!
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Step 2: Put Your Fitness Plan Into Action
With your long-term goal in mind, start looking at what you can do now to make it happen.
“Focus on the behaviors you can engage in right now that will help set you up for the long-term,” says Stephen Noble, a wellness coach at LifeFit Wellness Center. “Once you identify what you need to work on and the skills you need to successfully achieve your long-term goal, break them down into realistic, smaller behavior-based goals. These will help hold you accountable and responsible for the changes you’ll make in your life.”
Your short-term goals are like a domino effect. Each new habit should set off a positive chain reaction toward your long-term goal. Once you have been consistent for 14 to 21 days, pick another short-term goal. The goal is to practice simple, strategic actions that build over time.
The Beaufort Memorial LifeFit Wellness Center can help you reach your New Year’s fitness goals. Schedule a tour of the facility by calling 843-522-5635 or request an appointment.