Fitness goals are different for everyone. Some people may have similar end goals, but their journeys may be different. A good example of this is the Olympics. All the competitors had the same end goal...winning the coveted gold medal. How they got to Paris was similar in that they had to win in competition. Their individual training methods were different and geared to the individual's needs and abilities.
Fitness goals also change with time as we age. When I was a teenager, I trained for sport primarily. How I looked and felt came in a close second once I saw the body changes. A third reason then became attraction to the opposite sex. I'm sure this thinking still holds true today.
In my 20's I was no longer participating in organized sports, but the other two reasons still continued to be factors and kept me going. Once I hit my 30's and settled down, my main focus was less on the vein and more on the health benefits and a longevity of life to spend with family. That's where I have been for sone time now.
I ask again, what is your fitness goal in your current stage of life?
Once you know what your end goal is, how are you going to get there? How motivated are you to get started? How motivated are you to keep going when roadblocks occur and how are you going to get around those roadblocks?
Please don't let this seem like you are about to take on K2, the second highest mountain in the world. These are questions that can be answered and acted on with simple steps. The key is taking action.
Question 1: What is your end goal? Put on muscle, lose fat, improve performance. These are the three main ones I hear over and over.
Question 2: How much muscle do you want to put on? How much fat do you want to lose? What performance metric do you want to improve (speed, endurance, reaction time, distance thrown) for your sport?
Question 3: What is the deadline to reach your goal? Be realistic here. It will not happen overnight. Make your goal something you have to reach for. If you make it too high, you may not reach it. You will then be discouraged and give up on reaching your goal. You also don't want it to be so low that you don't have to put forth any effort.
Once you have these questions down, you can start to figure out what to do to reach your goal.
Bonus question to think about:
What will you do when you plateau or have a set back? This happens to everyone. You lose weight, then you stop...or gain a little back? You gain muscle then you plateau and don't seem to gain more. You're on a set schedule to work out and an issue at work or with family keeps coming up. This doesn't mean to give up on your goal. You just have to tweak what you are currently doing. This is one reason why I prefer to work out early in the morning and get it out of the way with no interference from work or family. If I wait till later in the day, something always seems to come up.
If you have questions or are looking for a personal trainer, let me know. You can contact me at RHWellsfitness@gmail.com
