Creating Goals
I want to lose weight, I want to get stronger and I want to be healthier are usually the first thoughts that come to mind when we think about our fitness goals. What are your fitness goals? Like anything in life having a goal gives us a direction to move in. The more specific the goal the better we can fine tune and optimize our journey there.
There are many ways to lose weight, gain strength and be healthier but what exactly do you want? I want to lose 10 pounds of fat, I want to deadlift my body weight, I want to get off medication are examples of specific goals. Can you fine tune your goal?
Why I Need a Specific Goal
In fitness goals dictate our training style and help us narrow down ones that work well with our lifestyle. Take a quick peek at our training guide on how to run your first 15k in 10 weeks. The table found in this guide is a great example of how a specific goal, running a 15k in 10 weeks, shapes your training style. In order to achieve your goal of running a 15k in 10 weeks you just have to plug the table into your schedule and commit to following it. It is that simple!
Generally speaking, working out 3 days a week is considered maintaining your current shape and working out 4+ days a week will encourage the body to change. Let’s take another example: My goal is to lose 10 pounds before my sister’s wedding in two months.
A healthy amount of weight to lose in a week ranges from 0.5 – 2 pounds per week. There are about 8 weeks in two months, meaning you can theoretically lose 8-16 pounds in that time frame in a healthy manner. Now you know mathematically reaching your goal in two months is achievable, the next step is to decide how you want to go about it. If you’re sedentary then building up to 3 workouts a week for the first few weeks will help you see changes in your body. If you workout here and there then your next step would be to dial it in by being consistent.
Without getting technical or branching out into various weight loss regiments; understand that having a specific goal will keep you motivated will drive you in the right direction.
How Do I Achieve My Goal?
Consistency and community are the biggest contributors to success. You have to consistently show up and having a community that supports you helps keep you on track. There are no healthy shortcuts or magic pills. It’s finding a form of movement you enjoy and doing it regularly with other people who may grow to become your new fitness friends.
Still don’t know where to start? Find a gym with group fitness classes, a dance studio, a yoga studio, a martial arts gym – whatever it is that interests you and check it out. Find the type of coach and community that fits your personality and the rest will easily fall into place afterwards.
Whatever your goals are I guarantee you there is a specific fitness program that can help you reach it. Check out our database of training guides and see if any of those match your goal. We plan on continually adding training guides to this website.
If you live in the greater San Jose, Ca area visit our studio for group classes, join our free monthly hiking group or drop in for a workshop to sharpen your skills. Unravel Fitness wants to help you find your community, whether it’s with us or somewhere else. Let us know what your fitness questions are in the comments below and we will push more content out!