Setting goals with exercise takes the same principles that you use at work for a project to give your goals a clearer focus. Planning with milestones along the way sets a specific path to follow, which over time will provide motivation and help you overcome barriers to success such as boredom or time constraints.
Step 1
Define the primary goal you wish to achieve from exercising. Perhaps you want to lose weight. You may have an athletic event such as a 5k race in which you'd like to compete. Defining a goal gives your plan focus and direction.
Step 2
Decide on a tangible goal. It is not enough to say that you want to get in better shape. You will find that it is more motivating to determine how much you want to lose or what you want your time to be for your race. This figure allows you to gauge your performance over time. For those who have weight loss as their exercise goal, Mayo Clinic recommends a realistic weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week.
Step 3
Determine how much time you can devote to exercise. You may want to consider future changes such as seasonal patterns or upcoming work schedules.
Step 4
Plan your exercise schedule. For general good health, you should plan on exercising 150 minutes a week, recommends the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Adding exercise to your calendar gives it the same importance as other events and tasks in your life.
Step 5
Set up a tracking system. The only way to determine if you have reached your goal is to have a means to track your performance. You can use a spreadsheet, calendar or an online web application to track your progress. A study sponsored by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and published in the July 2010 issue of "Journal for Medical Internet Research" found that using a tracking system with an interactive website increased long-term weight loss success.
Step 6
Set up mini-goals or milestones along your path to success. A weight loss goal of 30 lbs. may seem daunting. However, if you break it down into mini-goals of 5 pounds, you may find it easier to stay on track to reaching your overall goal.
Step 7
Determine a reward for reaching your goal. It could be new clothes or perhaps a new pair of running shoes. Achieving a goal with exercise can be a difficult task. Respect the effort you are putting into it with a reward for your time and work.
Step 8
Review your progress on a weekly basis. You may find that you need to tweak your exercise plan if you are not making progress toward your goal. Weekly reviews assess your exercise plan and can help show areas of improvement. You can incorporate a measure based on your goals such as a timed race or a weigh-in.
Step 9
Modify your exercise plan as needed. For example, if you are not losing a pound a week, you may want to try increasing your exercise time or intensity level to increase your calorie burn. An exercise plan is a work in progress that should be flexible enough to help you achieve your goals.
Tips and Warnings
- Choose a reward that fits your goal to make your progress more meaningful.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve in a certain period of time. Don't set yourself up for failure or burn out.
Things You'll Need
- Spreadsheet program
- Calendar
- Scale (optional)
- Stopwatch (optional)
References
- Mayo Clinic: Barriers to Fitness: Overcoming Common Problems
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss: 6 Strategies for Success
- USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: Balancing Calories to Manage Weight
- "Journal for Medical Internet Research"; Associations of Internet Website Use With Weight Change in a Long-term Weight Loss Maintenance Program; K. Funk, et al.; July 2010
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