The New Year is always a popular time for fitness goals. Setting a fitness goal for yourself in 2015 is a brilliant idea. Your goals should encompass all areas of your life and physical health is one of the most important. Your overall health affects all other areas of your life, so making choices to improve it are a wise investment. The thing about your goals is that you need to do more than set them. You need to work on them.
My biggest disappointment this year, in terms of the success of my goals, was my failure to reach my weight goal. Certainly I had a lot of challenges to overcome, especially with the move, and I got within 7lbs of making it, but now I’m just about back to where I was on January 1, 2014 and 14lbs from my goal. I started this weight loss journey in January 2012 when I got on the scale and it read 197. As a part of the process I’ve learned that weight loss requires not only tremendous discipline, but also patience. It takes time and effort over time. I also recognize that it will always require work and that, even if I hit my goal, I run the risk of gaining it all back.
Weight loss is just like our overall health. We have to be always working at it in order to keep it. That means monitoring our intake and ensuring that we get outside and stretch our legs from time to time. Controlling your diet and exercise can help control many illnesses and medical conditions, so there is added benefit, in addition to feeling at your best.
You need to take care of yourself and, frankly, no one else can. The best motivation comes from within, so if you’re fired up to get in shape, then you’ll make it. If someone else is fired up for you, it’ll be an uphill climb that you never complete. That’s where our 2015 goals come in. So many people set fitness goals in the New Year, only to fizzle out by February, if they’re lucky. There is a subset of the population who do endure and make lasting changes. Their secret? They’re motivated because they know that no one else can do it for them and that having your physical health is better than eating a doughnut or watching TV.
Goals on paper are nice, and science proves that written goals are more likely to be accomplished. At the end of the day, you have to decide to put them in action.
In 2015, do things a little differently. Write down 7 goals for your life across the following areas: physical, spiritual, intellectual, career, financial, social, and family. You can opt out of one or two categories, but setting goals across these areas will help you grow as a whole, not just one part of you. Once you have your goals, write 4 action steps per goal, with due dates, to help you break it down and keep moving forward. 2015 has the potential to be your best year yet, but only if you plan for it.
Tags: Wellness
