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Each year, millions of people make resolutions to change their lives in dramatic ways on January 1 of the coming year. In essence, they are goals, whether they are called by that or another name, and getting in shape usually makes the Top 5 list. For some, setting 10 or more goals may be completely attainable, and yet for others it is self-defeating when they fall short. This year, rather than set too many goals or an unrealistic goal, try setting smaller ones and spacing them out throughout the year. This works especially well for fitness goals. Choose a few goals that are realistic as well as attainable, and spread them out possibly on a quarterly basis, a seasonal basis, or a short, intermediate, and long-range basis. By doing so, I think you will find it easier to stay on track because of the goals that you will reach along the way to your final goal. For example, one of my fitness goals for 2004 is to compete regularly in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournaments. I guess you could say that is my intermediate goal, because my short-term goal is to attend class regularly, each time working on a specific technique to improve upon. My long-range goal is to place in the top 5 of my division for the over-all year. Using this 3-step process will make goal attainment much easier than if I simply stated that I wanted to win in my division. By being as specific as possible, I am more likely to actually reach all of my goals. If you plan to begin a fitness program in 2004, a good starting point would be to set a goal of exercising 3 days a week, and then expand from there. Give yourself some freedom and flexibility within your regime for mistakes. In other words, if something unavoidable comes up and you miss the workout you had scheduled, just make a note to try and avoid the same problem in the future, rather than beat yourself up about it. Don’t let that side-track you into thinking you have failed at what you set out to do simply because of one missed workout. Be persistent and don’t let anything stop you from what you want to accomplish. When it comes to beginning a new fitness program, or taking on a new endeavor of a physical nature of any type, I always promote the use of progression for several reasons. For one, many people set unrealistic expectations for themselves, which only leads to failure, and two, the chance of injury is greatly increased when people push themselves too hard in the beginning, rather than building a good foundation to build upon. This usually leads to injury that could have been avoided. And once your injured, you may not be able to exercise for a very long time.
So sit down with pen and paper in hand, and decide what it is that you would like to accomplish in 2004. Be as specific as you can, and once you decide, write it down. Now, what steps are involved in attaining that goal? Does it require that you join a gym? Will you choose to hire a personal trainer to help you? Maybe you have suffered from some health problems in the past and you need to first set an appointment with your physician before moving any further ahead. Or possibly there is a sport or a league that you think about often. Maybe you are already an athlete but you want to undertake a new challenge within your sport. Whatever the case, nothing is stopping you! There’s no better time than the present to get started. Whatever it is that you decide you’d like to do differently in 2004, just picture yourself doing it in as much detail as you can, including the emotions that you would feel, the sounds that would be involved, where it would take place, etc. The more detail you can see your dreams in, the better your chance of reaching them. Don’t wait for what you want to come to you, or for someone else to lay the way, just go out and make it happen! All you have to do is believe in yourself.
©Melissa Allen is a certified personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal fitness training and kickboxing instruction. She is a self-syndicated columnist and a member of the San Diego Press Club and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. She welcomes input from her readers, so please contact her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling (619) 252-4993, email her at HYPERLINK "mailto:Opticondit@aol.com" Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her website at HYPERLINK "http://www.optimumcondition.com/" www.optimumcondition.com.
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