How to set realistic exercise goals you’ll actually stick to
We often think that exercise goals need to be huge mountains, feats that are big and hard to achieve. But when your goals are unobtainable you fall into the New Year's Eve cycle, where the excitement you feel at the beginning wavers after just a short time.
The same goes if your goals are too small: you will only feel the sweet taste of success after a bit of hard work. Exercise goals need to be realistic. They need to stretch you enough so that you can become more than who you are at this moment without breaking you.
Here are the top tips from Dr Brett Lillie – author of Rediscover Your Athlete Within – on how to set realistic exercise goals so you can achieve them on your own terms:
1. Follow the Principles
Designing your goals begins with the core principles; be specific, clarify your destination, make it measurable, in bite size action steps that are achievable in a clear time frame. The goal posts.
2. Start where you are
Be truthful about where you are right now. On one hand think about your body and be realistic about your physical capacity. On the other, have fun, be creative, get curious. What do your exercise goals make you feel? At the end of the day, we're only as old as we feel. It’s easy to fall into the “I’m too old, I can’t possibly do that” trap: get out of that thought and jazz it up.
3. Make your goals compelling
Bob Proctor is famous for asking, ‘Is it big enough and scary enough’ to pull you out of your present circumstances and not playing small? A realistic goal doesn’t need to be climbing mount Everest, but it does need to stretch you and take you out of your comfort zone. The more meaning you give your goals, the more why you attach, the more realistic they become, the more they excite you and get you out of bed before the alarm.
4. Find the balance
When you set goals, they are really signposts along your life journey, “in between” destinations that you are moving in the right direction. There are times where it is spring, and everything just seems to be going your way, heading into summer, you’re ticking boxes, only to head into Winter where nothing seems to be happening. No need to feel discouraged. As the change of the seasons, exercising needs balance too. Make rest and recovery part of your goals.
5. Stay on track
Once you start exercising, the beginning bit is relatively easy, it’s the honeymoon period. The closer you get to your goal, the greater the effort, the more distractions begin to appear. This is the time you smile to yourself, you stick to your promise, you know your goal is just over the next ridge about to appear. Remind yourself you’re still progressing even if it doesn’t quite feel like it. You are still moving forward, and you have momentum.
6. Set yourself up to win
Setting yourself up to win is about removing the clutter in your life, both mental and physical. When you’re young you just juggle the growing kids, a career, responsibilities and you multi task like a pro. However, it is putting your attention on the one thing that makes the big things that matter happen. Deliberate attention will give you the greatest success. So think: What is crowding your mind? And your environment? Are there worries or piles of unfinished projects cluttering your world? Clearing the decks is making way for the new. What is your one thing?
Making an exercise goal realistic is about deciding what is truly important, then actually writing it down and turning it into a priority in our life. It is in our PM years where the views and values we hold tend to change, we look for the deeper meaning, more heartfelt fulfilment and think about the legacy we are creating. Recognise that setting exercise goals that are realistic is you taking the time to decide what is most important to you and why, setting a promise in place. Look for the wins, acknowledge the progress and celebrate your life every day.
Dr Brett Lillie, author of Rediscover Your Athlete Within, is a sought-after speaker, coach and rehab professional who helps people rekindle their love for movement and find their mojo so they can live their best life. To find out more about Dr Brett’s programs, go to his website www.brettlillie.com