Write down your health & fitness goals for optimal success!

Do you have some health & fitness goals in mind for yourself?  Did you know that you are more likely to achieve your goals if your WRITE THEM DOWN?  Just the simple act of putting them on paper, or sharing your goals with friends and family makes them REAL!  When you write down your goals they aren't just a thought floating around in your head that may or may not happen.  Writing down your goals makes them tangible, achievable, concrete! 

A step beyond writing your goals down is making those goals SMART!  Why SMART goals?  

The more SPECIFIC you make your goal, the better you will be able to track your progress & know if you are on your way to achieving your goal.  If you just say "I want to lose weight," that is too general.  State how many pounds you want to loose.  For example, I will lose 5 lbs. so my favorite jeans will fit better!  

Make your goal MEASURABLE by placing a specific value / unit of measure in your goal.  If you have a goal to become better at running, set a MEASURABLE goal specific to running.  "I will run a 5K without any walking breaks."

While our first instinct is often to shoot for the moon, be sure to keep your goals ATTAINABLE.  You may have a long-term goal to complete an Iron Man competition, but if you have never run a day in your life or you have been on a bicycle since you were 10 years old that goal is not going to be immediately attainable.  Break that goal down into manageable chunks that will eventually lead you to your ultimate goal.  Perhaps start with "I will bicycle 2 miles a day, 5 days a week."  Once you have crushed that goal, move on to another attainable short-term goal that will lead to your ultimate dream of running an Iron Man.

Keep your goals RELEVANT.  If you want to gain muscle & tone, don't write a goal that is all about cardio conditioning or how far you will be able to run.  To gain muscle & tone you will need to lift weights, eat clean, and have a cardio component as well.  A more relevant goal for this will be "I will lift weights three days a week & do cardio and stretching workouts two days a week.  I will reach this goal by following the ChaLean Extreme workout program."

Putting a deadline on your goals give you urgency to TAKE ACTION & keep on moving!  A good example of this is, "I will follow the meal plans and workouts of the 21 Day Fix program so I can rock my favorite dress at the Vacation Gala on March 8."  If you don't make your goals TIME-BOUND you are more likely to push it off, get off track, & procrastinate.  

So now you have written your goals down, the are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, & TIME-BOUND.  Ready to go out & crush them?!?!  Need some help staying motivated & on track?  That's where I come in...email me for more information on how I can keep you focused to achieve your goals to get healthy & fit.  jessicahrbek@gmail.com