The majority of people know how to set a goal. The ability to do so is practically ingrained in all of us from an early age. Riding a bike without training wheels, making the varsity soccer team and getting into your first-choice college are all examples of common goals that many set throughout the early stages of life.
While standard life goals may seem inherently easy to achieve, health and fitness goals can sometimes be a bit trickier. Some common health goals that people often set are: run a marathon, lose 50 pounds or do 15 full pushups. Although these are all great goals, the question is whether they are the right goals.
In order to achieve a goal, you must first set the right goal, a goal that makes sense, is achievable and, most importantly, involves something that you enjoy. A goal without these characteristics can be subject to failure.
1. It must make sense
In order to set a proper goal, it must make sense. Oftentimes, people get overzealous when it comes to setting goals related to health and fitness. Let’s take a common goal of running a marathon. If you’re a runner, this may be a great goal for you. However, if you’re not a runner, this initial goal most likely won’t make sense. It can be the long-range goal, but it’s best to start out with a smaller goal, such as running a 5K, and build from there.
The best practice when it comes to goal setting is to choose a goal that makes sense. Using the marathon example, the idea isn’t to discourage nonrunners from becoming runners. However, starting with a smaller goal would make more sense before going big.
2. It must be achievable
When it comes to goal setting, another important aspect is that it is achievable. Let’s use the example of losing 50 pounds. The most important aspect to weight loss goals is the timeline.
Setting a timeline of 1-2 pounds per week is a good loss for someone who has a lot of weight to lose. This would mean that losing 50 pounds in a little short of one year to as quickly as 6 1/2 months would be an ideal timeline and could be attainable.
It’s extremely important to set a timeline when it comes to a weight loss goal or any other health or fitness goal. This way, realistic expectations are set from the beginning, and you won’t be disappointed when a goal isn’t met within an unrealistic timeline.
3. It must be enjoyable
The last and arguably the most important aspect to proper goal setting is that it must be enjoyable. What’s the point of setting the goal of running a marathon if you hate to run? Sounds like a horrible idea, right?
The best practice to proper goal setting is to set a goal relating to something you enjoy. This way you will be more inclined to be committed to the goal and stay on course to reach the goal.
Jason DeHenzel has trained some of New York’s most prestigious clients, including high-profile lawyers, advertising executives, movie producers and musicians. Sophie DeHenzel is a Pn1-certified nutritionist and former downhill ski racer. The pair founded DeHenzel Training Systems to develop customized fitness plans for clients of different abilities, experience and commitment. Find out more at dtsnova.com.
