Commitment & Goal Setting Go Hand-In-Hand

3/17/201011:05:27 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Commitment, Goal Setting

There I was at 6am this morning, standing at the school track waiting for my bootcampers to arrive for class, only to quickly realize I was being stood up like Waldo on prom night.  After about 5 minutes of varying notions about why no one showed and placing layers of fault on myself and them, I decided to salvage the morning with a run around the lake to lick my emotional wounds and gather my thoughts.  As my mind settled, it lead me to the question of why people have trouble committing to consistently engaging in fitness activities.  There really are no rocket science answers here - they don't like it, don't have time, it's too expensive, an injury won't allow them to, and several others you can feel free to add.

But the underlying problem, at least with someone who's taken the initial step to sign up for a gym, bootcamp, or other healthy lifestyle activity, is there's no short and long-term goals to focus their efforts on.  When I ask new wellness program, bootcamp or personal training clients what they hope to gain from our fitness programs, typical answers are "to lose a few pounds" or "to get back into shape," which are well-intended, but aren't measurable and concrete.  The truth is that in many of life's situations, you're probably quite good at goal-setting as there's a more natural, obvious path with somewhat fixed timelines.  For instance, when you have a child, your short-term goals for them are to help them walk and talk, mid-term goals are to get them potty trained, build and improve their vocabulary, prepare them for school, and all the while hopefully one of your long-term goals and actions toward it include contributing to their college fund.

So, why can't fitness be that "simple?"  First, it's often it's hard to quantify what your realistic goals should be, and scary once they are on paper.  My fiancee wants to lose weight for our wedding in September, but we've never discussed how many pounds, what steps she's going to take to do that, or how that long-term goal breaks down into smaller, more attainable goals.  Considering she lives with a "professional" and we haven't mapped out a plan for her, I can't imagine how difficult that must be for most everyone else who doesn't have the knowledge or interest in the subject matter.

Another issue is most folks aren't interested in or are intimidated by the thought of running races, or participating in other athletic events.  Please don't let this be a deterent for you because the truth is that most races are walker friendly, and many help support a cause you may be interested in.  Oh, and did I mention they're fun and quite addicting!  Don't believe me?  Just go watch the next 5k in your area and see how inspired you'll be!

On final thought is you may not have the support of family or friends to help encourage you through your healthy change process.  Well, one of the best ways to get them on  your side is to make them aware of what your goals are so they can encourage you and keep you on track.  Who knows, you may even inspire them to join your quest.

Bottom line is set a few short-term goals to keep you on track toward your overall commitment.  There are a many free online tools to guide you on how to accomplish this and it will make all the difference in helping you achieve your vision.