New Year, New Goals: Setting Achievable Fitness Resolutions for the Upcoming Year

The end of the year is fast approaching and with it come the new year’s resolutions. We all do it. Making resolutions is the easy part. The hard part is sticking to them.

Whether you’re already a gym-goer, a fitness beginner or someone who struggles to stay the course, make the decision to stick to your fitness resolutions. To help you achieve your goals, we’ve compiled a quick guide to keep you motivated and on track.

Set realistic goals

The problem with many new year’s resolutions is the goals aren’t realistic. Always set tangible and achievable fitness goals, targets you know you personally can achieve.

Many people make the mistake of basing their goals on what others are doing, or being in a hurry to sculpt the perfect body or physique. You should only focus on what works for you. When you set realistic targets, you’ll see improvement and this will motivate you to keep going.

Personalise your fitness goals

Personalise your fitness targets and a workout routine. Everyone has different interests and lifestyles and not everyone is on the same fitness level.

This is something you could discuss with our personal trainers. We can help you tailor a fitness routine with targeted milestones, one that blends in seamlessly with your lifestyle and where your fitness level is currently.

Use SMART goal setting

Many people use the SMART system for setting business goals, but you can apply it to fitness goals too. Let’s break it down:

• Specific: Make your goals specific and not vague. For example, “I plan to lose 4kg in the first month”. When you have clearly defined goals, you know when you’ve achieved them.
• Measurable: Set objectives where you can measure your progress, such as meeting a certain milestone, or increasing your number of reps in the gym by the end of the week/month.
• Achievable: Setting goals that you’ll never achieve is pointless. You know yourself better than anyone and know what you can and cannot realistically do. Set achievable goals to make progress. As you reach each milestone, you can always set the bar higher.
• Relevant: What goal do you want to achieve with your fitness routine? Is it relevant to you and what you really want? Never set goals based on what others are doing. This is your journey. Do what’s best for you.
• Time-bound: Deadlines make it easier to achieve goals and pass milestones. Without deadlines, it’s human nature to procrastinate or take it easy. Reasonable deadlines create enough pressure to stay motivated and focused on the outcome.

Planning and tracking progress

Planning the right fitness regime for you will depend on what you want to achieve. Talk to our friendly staff at Live Fit Gym if you need some help with this. Start by writing down your fitness goals, followed by the type of exercises you believe will realise those goals. Next, determine how often you’ll need to exercise per week and for how long.

When you have defined and achievable goals with milestones along the journey, you’ll be able to use this to track your progress.

Weighing yourself regularly and taking your body measurements periodically are ways to keep track of your progress, if the goal is to either bulk up or slim down. Writing everything down in a fitness journal is also good for planning and tracking progress.

Add variety to your fitness routines

Be open-minded about your routines. Fitness doesn’t only occur inside the gym or pounding the pavement when jogging. Mix things up to keep it interesting. You’ll stay more motivated this way as you’ll always be enjoying your exercise.

Have specific gym days and on the other days, take a power walk around your local park, jog a different route each time, take a walk during your lunch break, play with the kids, or swim in the pool or at the beach. All forms of exercise are beneficial.

Balancing fitness and life

You’re focused on your fitness goals and you want to accomplish them as quickly as possible, and that’s great. However, never let yourself grow obsessed with working out. Life is more enjoyable when it’s balanced and you’ll actually have a better chance of achieving your goals when things are on an even keel. Schedule workouts around other things in your life, like family, work commitments and a social life.

Take time off from exercising. Spend quality time with your partner, family, kids or friends. Make time for fun, relaxation, indulging your hobbies and anything else you like to do. Fitness is a part of your life, but it’s just one part.

Overcoming common obstacles

“I don’t have time to exercise”, is a common excuse. Everyone has time to do something good for their body, even if it’s just fifteen or twenty minutes a day. If you have time to get to the gym, great. If not, you could still find time to walk or go for a quick run around the block.

Staying motivated is another common obstacle. That’s why it’s important to keep exercise fun and interesting by mixing things up.

Support and accountability

It’s easier to remain focused and committed with the support of others and someone to hold you accountable. Find a gym buddy. You can motivate each other and also hold one another accountable along the fitness journey.

Join fitness communities, take group classes at our gym or team up with one of our personal trainers. They’ll give you the support and encouragement you need to stay the course.

Celebrate milestones

Reaching fitness goals should never be all about hard work and grinding out reps. You also need to celebrate victories along the way. Give yourself a pat on the back when you achieve a milestone. Go out and celebrate with your friends when you reach your target weight.

Adopt a mindset for success

No goal worth achieving comes easy. It takes a positive mindset and perseverance to push through the tough times. And there will be some. The important thing is to keep going, keep your eyes on the prize and never quit.

Keep it fun, keep it interesting and remain optimistic. When you get to where you aim to be, it will all be worth it.