In life, as in fitness, one of the most important things you can do is learn to set realistic goals for yourself, goals that are attainable. Your ‘realistic’ goals should be based on what you know you CAN do, and where you know you want to be.
Ideally, the world would be a better place. Ideally, our food wouldn’t contain chemicals that we have to be aware of, we wouldn’t be overweight, every exercise would come easily and workouts would be fun. Realistically, fitness is a challenge and a journey. Realistically, healthy living is more difficult for some. Realistically, weight doesn’t come off easily for everyone and realistically, it’s hard for people to keep up a fitness regimen on their own. Ideally and realistically are two different things.
Some examples of goals and how to make them more realistic.
I’m going to do an hour of cardio every day.
Last time you promised yourself you were going to do an hour of cardio every day, how did that work out for you? An hour of cardio is INTENSE, and realistically doesn’t jive with most people’s schedules. It will require more time sacrifice, more endurance and tons of motivation to keep up over time.
Realistic Goal: instead of promising yourself you’ll do an hour every day, opt for 20-30 minutes instead, 4-5 days a week. On days you have more energy, you can always do more, but 20-30 minutes tends to be more realistic to fit into people’s schedules and maintain. On a low energy day, you’re more likely to say yes to 20 minutes (and maybe throw in an extra ten) than a one hour grueler.
I’m going to stick to 1200 calories a day.
Realistic Goal: I’m going to do my best to make smart choices in the moment. Things pop up, our energy levels waiver, and sometimes we don’t always have time to prep like we should. Instead of promising yourself you’ll be perfect, aim to do the best you can and make room for occasional splurges.
I’m going to lose 20lbs in a month.
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