Why Do You Never Reach Your Fitness Goals?

Why Do You Never Reach Your Fitness Goals?

Well, part of the issue could be you’re setting your goals completely wrong.

You may be setting unspecific goals.

When we say things like I want to “tone up” or eat “healthier,” we’re not defining what success means to us.

You could eat a handful of green beans. You just ate “healthier.” But does that mean you’re actually reaching your goals?

It’s similar to setting monetary goals. When you say you want more money, you could get $1 and you’ve achieved your goal. That’s more money than you had.

When we say things like “I want to achieve a 32-inch waist” or “I want to eat five servings of vegetables per day,” we know specifically whether we’re achieving our goals.

Specific goals yield specific results.

Unspecific goals yield unspecific results.

So when you set your goals, figure out exactly what you want, and go for it.

Even if you want to be healthier, you need to define what “healthier” means and what that looks like to you. Otherwise, you’re going to be chasing this never-ending “healthier” lifestyle because you have no idea what you’re chasing.

Plus, when you set specific goals, it makes the task much less daunting because you know exactly what you’re aiming for.

Then, once you set these goals, review them often. Look at them every day. Write them down.

When you determine specifically what you want, you make achieving the goals much easier!

A goal without a plan, and a goal that’s not written down and looked at every single day is pretty much worthless. We’re going to make sure you not only set goals, but actually achieve them.

While we all have lots going on among work, family and our social lives and a lot we want to accomplish, we should pick only a couple of things to focus on at once.

Let’s pick a health/fitness goal we want to achieve over the next three months and actually achieve it using this three-step process.

When setting your goals, you need to make sure they’re specific and realistic. For example, saying you’re going to lose 50 pounds in three months isn’t realistic (if you’re doing it the right way).

An example of a health goal could be to achieve a certain body weight or achieve a certain waist size. It could also be to workout a certain number of days per week or lift a certain amount of weight in a particular exercise.

I will weigh 200 pounds
I will have a 32-inch waist
I will workout 3 days per week
I will lift 200 pounds in the bench press

Goals without meaning are useless. How will achieving these goals make your life better? Take some time to really think about this.

Why is your health goal important? Do you want to reach that goal because you have a family history of a certain disease and you don’t want that to happen to you? Do you want to look good for an upcoming vacation or a class reunion?

You’ve got to find a strong enough reason to achieve your goal. Otherwise, you won’t.

Now that you know your goals, how are you going to make sure you achieve them?

You need to pick action steps you do every day that will bring you closer toward your goals. These should be steps over which you have 100% control of the outcome, and they should be realistic.

So if you have don’t currently exercise and work 60+ hours per week, saying you’re going to workout 7 days per week probably isn’t a good idea.

For example, if you want to have a 32-inch waist, here are three steps you could take to achieve that…

1. Plan your meals each Sunday morning

2. Workout 4 times per week

3. Measure your waist every week

Some of these steps may seem simple and obvious, but it’s important you establish them so they get done.

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Results-Focused

Timely

The goal you set should fit each of these criteria. Here are two examples of SMART goals:

By January 1, I will be 160 pounds using clearly-defined routines so I can set a good example of health for my kids for the new year.

By February 1, I will fit into a size 4 dress following my healthy daily routines so I look amazing for my beach vacation in Mexico.

If you need any help determining your goal, let me know!