Setting Realistic Health & Fitness Goals

Let's be honest. Most people who set a fitness goal for their new year resolution end up giving up around this time. It's hard to dispute when there are studies upon studies about this simple, sad fact. Does this mean people are lazy? No. Does this mean people don't want to get fit? Highly doubtful. Does this mean that maybe we're approaching this the wrong way? Very possible. I am the queen of setting health and fitness goals but never following through. Something always seems to happen. So this year, I thought I'd hold myself accountable and get all tech savvy with it by downloading apps. Well, it still didn't work. So I decided to try something different. Here's how...

Stop setting big goals. That dream goal of losing 50 pounds takes a lot of work and a bunch of little steps. When we start to think of all that work and all those steps, it starts to seem impossible. Instead, write a list of all the things that you need to do to hit that goal. Drink more water. Eat less bread. Eat breakfast every day. Workout at least three times per week. Once you've created your list, start with number one and work your way down the list every couple of weeks. By adding little changes to your life gradually, you're more likely to succeed at mastering the entire plan over time. Even better, since you're making lifestyle changes the chances of gaining the weight right back like after a fad diet are much smaller.

So far, I've discussed weight loss since that's the biggest one you hear about but this can work for any larger goals. Take travel for example. Making a new year resolution of taking a month-long sabbatical to Italy is not going to make itself happen. Instead, write a list of all the things you need to accomplish in order to reach that goal and get started with number one. What makes this work even better is that crossing off all the tasks will become so fulfilling you won't be able to help yourself from moving forward. So make sure to keep your original list. 

I have two new year resolutions that I'm committed to making happen. For my health goal, I've organized my list into each month to accomplish small goals every 30-days. So far, it's been working. Here is a view of the first four months:

JANUARY:
Drink a glass of water immediately after waking up each morning. (How: keep a bottle of water next to my bed) - SUCCESS!
Eat a good, nutritious breakfast every morning. - SUCCESS!

FEBRUARY:
Go to Biking every Tuesday night at the gym.
Cardio intervals every Thursday morning. 

MARCH:
Eat 2 servings of fruit every day.
Strength training intervals every Wednesday morning.

APRIL:
Eat four servings of vegetables every day. 
Pilates class every Monday night at the gym.