Goal setting - Key to your success

It is important to break overall, or longterm, goals down into smaller more managable chunks. e.g I want to be able to jog 1 whole lap of the football field without stopping, instead of walking around it. Broken down this becomes...

1. walk around the whole field
2. jog from the sideline to the goal & walk the rest
3. jog a width & walk the rest
4. jog a length & walk the rest
5. jog a length and a width & walk the rest
6. jog 3 sides of the field & walk the rest
7. jog 1 whole lap of the football field without stopping

So instead of 1 intimidating goal looming over you, you have a number of much more approachable goals.

When i started on my journey to getting fit, i knew i couldn't run a full width without being on the brink of collapse, so i jogged sideline to goalpost then walked till i reached the other end of the field and tried again. Persistence pays off :)

When setting goals, it's a good idea to make them S.M.A.R.T. In other words:

• Specific

You may need to sit down and think this through.. eg. I want to lose weight and get fit This is a great idea, but in order to become a goal it needs to be more concrete. And by concrete i mean...

• Measurable

Once you have decieded what you want to do, the next step is to put it in terms that are easily measured, eg. I want to lose 2lbs per week, or i want to knock 1 minute off my walk to work in the morning. Something thats easy to measure is easy to check on, and when you see yourself starting to succeed, it's easier to keep motivated.

• Attainable

It is important to give yourself goals that can be achieved, as this sense of achievement makes you more likely to stick with your plan as the goals become more challenging. Expecting any huge changes in a very short time is not...

• Realistic

If you haven't been getting much physical activity for a while, it's important that your initial goals are relatively straightforward to achieve. By setting a goal thats unattainable, you encourage yourself to fail. Don't make goals in isolation from the rest of your life, make them part of it. If you know you're always exhausted after work on a friday, don't expect to be motivated for a gym session. Instead, try hitting the gym on your way home from work on an evening you'll have a bit more energy.

• Timed

Each of your goals should have a time limit. This will depend on the goal itself. Using the football field example from earlier, each one was a 2 week block, and I aimed to do each one 3 times a week, with 3-5 total laps (walking & jogging combined).

A word to the wise... the weighing scale is nobody's friend, as results you can feel don't always show on the scale. Stick with it, after the first few weeks you'll notice you have more energy, and feel much better. Be happy with your progress, & don't let the scales get you down.