6 Big Reasons to Set Health and Fitness Goals Right Now

Ok. So setting goals is obviously not a topic that is demanding or innovative. And you’re most likely thinking: “We know all about setting goals. It’s boring!” But very few success practices are as significant as clearly defining your desired goals and then reviewing them each and every day. This applies to all aspects of our lives, including health and fitness. I truly believe that our overall health establishes a foundation that enables us to achieve higher levels of success in our personal and professional lives. In essence, your body impacts everything that you do. If you feel shoddy, you’ll no doubt act shoddy. If you act shoddy, you’ll get shoddy results.

But guess what? The truth is that most people don’t spend any more than an hour a year writing out their goals. And that’s all goals – not just health and fitness goals. People spend more time planning their summer vacations than they do designing how they want to look and feel, or with defining what they want to achieve. Why is this? If goal setting is such a powerful tool then why don’t most people use it? On the surface goal setting is definitely not sexy or exciting. But there’s more to it than that. One of the main motives not to set goals is that most people lack a reason to set them in the first place.

By setting clear goals and reviewing them each and every day you will start to influence your life. You will live proactively instead of reactively.

So the way I see it, there are six big reasons for you to set health and fitness goals right now: Focus, Growth, Conscious Living, Direction, Measurement and Inspiration.

FOCUS. Goals breed focus. And where your focus goes your energy flows. Yes, this is a simple concept but powerful nonetheless. One of the primary traits of ultra-successful people is their focus. They know what key goals they need to achieve in order to get them to the extraordinary. And they focus on them like crazy. Michael Phelps had a goal – 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. When I watched him swim I could “feel” his focus. It was palpable even though I was watching him on TV from half-way around the world. Amazing focus, astonishing results. Setting your own fitness goals will help you focus on what you truly want in life, whether that be looking and feeling amazing or smashing a personal best.

GROWTH. In my mind, the true value in reaching a goal is not the result achieved but the journey itself. This is my idea of true personal growth. Goal setting promotes growth. Running has been a part of my life for quite some time now. I’ve mainly focused on running the 10km (1000m) distance. Last year I decided to train for my first marathon. I had a time goal, I had an aggressive training schedule in place, I had determination and I had focus. My ultimate result – I had to pull-out one week before the race due to health issues. I was devastated. That is until I looked at the polar opposite of the situation, which was not what I had lost but what I had gained from the experience of setting that goal. The journey had done nothing less than to recalibrate my mental “thermostat” – the part of my brain that triggers an automatic response of fear, doubt and anxiety (rationalization) whenever I deviate from my current comfort level. The journey had truly changed what I believed was possible – true personal growth. A remarkable gift realized through the simple act of setting a goal.

CONSCIOUS LIVING. The way I see it, you can live life one of two ways. The first is to live life by accident. This is where you sleepwalk through your days. The second is to create your life. By setting clear goals and reviewing them each and every day you will start to influence your life. You will live proactively instead of reactively. You will create better health and wellness. You will create your best life. I choose to review my personal and professional goals for 5 minutes in the morning, at lunch and before bed each and every day.

DIRECTION. “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” – Earl Nightingale. Setting goals provide a framework or template for making better choices. If you know where you are going then you will quickly and easily become aware when you have veered off course. It becomes quite obvious that the 770 calories and 48 grams of fat in that Whopper with Cheese won’t help you achieve your fitness goal. When it comes down to our own health and fitness, results are what we are after. Results ultimately make us look better and feel better. Clear, concise goals will help you make better choices. And with better choices you will see better results.

MEASUREMENT. Here is a big thought to consider. What gets measured gets improved. This is true in both business and with your overall health and fitness. Setting goals gives you something to measure. If your fitness goal is to get down to 12% body fat then you now have a standard against which to measure your progress. And as you measure, you have a basis on which to improve.

INSPIRATION. The very act of expressing your goals on a fresh white piece of paper causes you to step into a new realm of possibilities for what your life can become. In short, goals help breathe life into your day. This brings with it an emotional component that is critical in achieving your desired goals. Psychologists refer to this as “motivation toward”. Where a clear objective, passionately held, provides us with the direction and the energy needed to sustain us through the “rough spots” (and there are always rough spots).

Where do you go from here? The first critical step in the process is to determine what you want before you can use goals to help you achieve it. So the “what” always comes before the “how”. I will attempt to dig deeper into the “how” in subsequent posts. The above reasons should help provide the purpose for setting your own personal health and fitness goals…and now is a good a time as any.

Tagged as: best life, conscious living, focus, goals, inspiration, personal growth, results