A healthy lifestyle is a life long journey… it doesn’t have a shelf life.
It’s not something we can have for a season, then put it on a shelf and expect to pick right back up where we left off.
If we want to avoid the cycle of starting and stopping over and over again, it’s important to learn new things and stay motivated!
Set Goals
Goals keep us looking ahead. They challenge us to step it up.
I have learned that these four things make a goals more effective:
1) Make the goal Personal. Sometimes we can be motivated by others or situations around us, but if we are not personally invested in our goals then its going to be a lot harder to make the daily choices needed and effectively achieve the goal.
2) Make the goal Reasonable. I am all for dreaming big, but it is necessary for our goals to be reasonable especially when it comes to health and fitness . For example it’s not realistic or healthy think we will lose 20 pounds in 1 week. Can it be done? Maybe… but there is not a Healthy or Reasonable way to do it. Why set yourself up for failure? Instead set goals that will lead to success.
3) Make the goal Specific. If the goal is too vague then it will be difficult to know if you attained it. I found that setting multiple, smaller goals at the same time helps to be more specific and directly target the area that I want to improve.
4) Make the goal Measurable. Quantities and time frames help with this. Example: Amount of water to drink every day, calories to eat, types of nutrients to increase, hours of sleep and exercise. If the goal is measurable it is easier to track and celebrate!
What are some of your health and fitness goals this week?
Linked to Fitness Friday
I totally agree with you. Without goals we are just kidding ourselves. I am not saying the goal has to be huge; even if it’s to get out once a week and run or something similar, it is still a goal! And when you do it, you have still accomplished your goal, which is key!
It’s true! Without goals we are just kidding ourselves! Thanks for stopping by
i am with you on all of these! I would add just one more thing and say re-evaluate! Its always good to come back and see if it really works for you and adjust if need be!
Nice addition! I agree re-evaluating is so important thanks for stopping by
So true! I especially need the “measurable” one- otherwise I feel like I’m working toward it without really knowing or tracking my progress. Now I’m careful to set them up in a way that I can measure them!
I agree being able to measure progress is important . Thanks so much for stopping by!
All so important to remember. It is hard to have a vague goal, it doesn’t truly give you the ability to be accountable either when you don’t fully know what you are aiming for.
I agree! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Thank you, thank you for this concrete and motivational post. I have been struggling with my fitness and weight goals. I’d stalled. And this is just the thing to jump start me again! I am going to put some serious thought behind each of these. Thank you for sharing and for linking up with NOBH! Smiles -
Hi Amy, All four of these goal setting steps have helped me a lot! I am so glad to hear that they have encouraged you to get you back on track to reach all your goals, including fitness! Thank you so much for stopping by! Blessings~
Hi Danise, so glad I found you on NOBH!
Love these goals, and something I encourage people to do is drink more water. It’s so beneficial to our system, including skin and hair and eyes. Plus it helps flush toxins and makes us feel better!
And that’s easy to add to whatever healthy eating and activity goals we have!
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to following you!
~Susan
I couldn’t agree more!!! Drinking enough water is so important and yet it is probably the easiest healthy habit to start!