If you're having trouble achieving weight loss or fitness goals, the issue might be with your strategy. Setting unrealistic goals can discourage rather than motivate, especially if your goals are based on numbers you see on the scale. To get back on track and cultivate more productive behavior, be realistic with your goal setting and the work it will require to meet those goals.
Realistic
Failing to achieve your goals can be disheartening and may spur you to abandon your fitness routine altogether. However, if you make sure the goals you set are realistic and attainable, your attitude is likely to stay more positive, and you may take more pride in your successes. In their book "Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness," Werner and Sharon Hoeger encourage people to find realistic and creative alternatives that will allow them to meet goals even if plans go awry. For example, if you set a goal to jog for four days this week and a thunderstorm prevents you from going outside, you could jog at an indoor track instead, or jog indoors with an exercise DVD.
Specific
Set specific goals that you have no trouble defining in detail. "Lose weight," for example, is a nebulous goal, and it's hard to find specific steps that could help you achieve it. On the other hand, setting a goal such as "Run a 5k in the next three months" calls for detailed training steps. In a 2004 report from the "American Journal of Health Promotion," researchers at California State University-Sacramento point out that a specific goal "provides a clear and narrow target and designates the type and amount of effort necessary to accomplish the goal."
Time-Sensitive
To give your goals a sense of urgency and improve the level of motivation you have to meet them, make them time specific. The frame of time can be anything, ranging from a day to months or even years, but ideally, it should be a window of time you can grasp and use for positive planning. The Medical University of South Carolina recommends setting short-term, weekly and daily goals as well as long-term goals. When the time of your planned benchmark arrives, evaluate your progress and, if necessary, set new goals for the future.
Qualitative
It's important to set goals that are qualitative as well as quantitative. Both are driven by motivation and accomplishment, but qualitative goals may be more easily attainable if you have a health condition or schedule that makes it challenging for you to sustain a workout routine or achieve physical change. A qualitative goal might be "Feel more energetic on a daily basis by making healthier food and sleep choices."
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