5 Ways to Crush Your Fitness Goals!

It’s that time of year again. With the New Year comes new year goals and resolutions. If you are looking for tips on how to not only stick to your new year fitness goals but CRUSH them, you’ve come to the right place. Many times, we set these goals/resolutions in December and call it quits by March, but not this year. Stay motivated and on track with these tips:

1. Setting SMART Fitness Goals

Using the SMART strategy to create fitness goals is an effective way to stay motivated, focused, and achieve results. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

  • Specific- Define your goal in detail. Be as specific as possible.
  • Measurable- Decide how you will measure success.
  • Attainable- Set realistic goals that challenge you but are achievable.
  • Relevant- Ensure your goal is results-oriented
  • Time-bound- Set a clear timeline and monitor your progress.

In addition to setting SMART goals, using a planner to track progress and plan out physical activities will help you stay motivated.

Using a planner to track progress and plan physical activities will help you stay motivated.

Using a planner to track progress and plan physical activities will help you stay motivated.
Photo credit: Pexels/Pixabay

2. It’s a Marathon. Not a Sprint

Go at a pace that is comfortable for you. Pushing yourself too hard, too fast, could result in injury. Start small so that you can build towards achieving your goal. By starting small, you are more likely to stay consistent with your activities. Remember to remain patient. The results will not come overnight.

3. It’s More Than Exercise

Creating healthy eating habits, such as those recommended by MyPlate, drinking water, and getting at least eight hours of sleep can help aid in achieving your fitness goals. Being well-fueled, hydrated, and rested will provide you with the energy needed to be physically active. Many times, we must make exercise changes and diet changes to receive the results we desire. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, weight loss is most likely to happen when there is an increase in activity and a decrease in calories. Holistic health choices may help you feel better, so you can stay focused on your goals and overall health.

4. Make it Fun

Having a mix of activities will help keep you motivated, including a variety of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities to make sure that you never get bored and lose your desire to reach your goals. Find activities that you love and change them up to keep things interesting.

5. Remember Your ‘Why’

Setting New Year goals/resolutions are a great way to kick off your fitness journey, but it can be easy to get discouraged and quit. Remembering why you created these goals in the beginning will help keep you motivated to ensure that you crush your goals. Find what works best for you and push on.

Being physically active can help you feel better right away by boosting your mood, sharpening your focus, reducing your stress, and improving your sleep. Physical activity and exercise can also lower your risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and some cancers, control your blood pressure, and maintain a healthy weight. By properly planning and finding ways to make being physically active fun, we can remain consistent and crush our goals.

If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at hgic@clemson.edu or 1-888-656-9988.

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