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5 Tips for Setting New Fitness Goals5 Tips for Setting New Fitness Goals

Source: MyFoodDiary.com

Setting New Fitness Goals

Assess how you’ve changed.

You’ve likely changed since your last big fitness accomplishment. Do you have new responsibilities or a new job? Are you more fit or do you have less weight to lose? All of these factors will affect your workout schedule and how you incorporate healthy eating. It’s important to adjust your new goals to who you are now, not who you were then.

Start with what worked.

What has been your secret to success in the past? Does waking early ensure you get in your workout? Does cooking make-ahead meals ensure healthy eating? As you revise your goals to match your current lifestyle, keep those practices that have always worked for you. Give them another try before completely revamping your plan. They will likely help you reach your goals once again. If they don’t, you can always revise as you progress.

Revise what didn’t work.

Have you always disliked weight lifting at the gym? Or maybe you choked down kale despite detesting its flavor? If you are going to stick with healthy changes, you have to be able to live with them. Weight lifting can be incorporated into muscle conditioning classes, circuit training, and even Pilates and yoga. There are plenty of vegetables that offer nutrients besides kale. Find things you enjoy and your new healthy lifestyle will be much easier to maintain.

Choose the right challenge.

There is a sweet spot when it comes to goal setting. Choose something that is too easy and you will get bored. Choose something incredibly hard and you may get discouraged and injured. Set goals based on where you are now. Did you just walk your first 5K? Train to run one, or to walk your first 10K. Focus on losing the next 10 pounds, not the next 40. Once you accomplish a short term goal, assess its difficulty. Set your next goal based on how you feel about the challenge.

Get the timing right.

Most people approach fitness goals with enthusiasm, but they fail to consider factors that make it difficult to reach that goal at the current time. The peak of summer heat or the dead of winter may not be the best time to start training for a half marathon. When the weather restricts your workouts, you might give up altogether. Consider a race later or earlier in the year. It’s also difficult to lose 20 pounds in the midst of the holiday season. A 5 pound weight loss is a big accomplishment with such a busy schedule and endless food temptations. Set yourself up for success and choose a timely goal.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.
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