Are you already having a hard time maintaining your New Year’s fitness resolution? Or maybe you anticipated failure, so you didn’t even bother making any this year. Does the thought of changes you need to make in your lifestyle overwhelm rather than motivate you? Do you feel too busy to set goals? After all, it’s hard enough to keep up with a career, schooling, family, relationships and church; often our health goals fall to the bottom of our list of priorities. But what if you didn’t have to keep up with life?

Perhaps we can change our thinking so that our life has to keep up with us. What if we can learn how to effectively set our fitness goals?

Make one. “The most important thing about goals is having one.” – Geoffrey F. Abert

If you have a desire to accomplish something, it’s important to make a deliberate decision to achieve it. If it is not something meaningful to you, chances are you won’t see it through. So decide what you would like to achieve, no matter how small. But decide something. The key is taking the first step of making the decision to set the goal.

Make it Measurable. “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” – Harvey Mackay

It’s not enough to simply set a goal, however. Goals that are too general have a funny way of floating off into space and we seem to never see them again.

Maybe you want to eat more nutritionally, get more sleep or exercise regularly. All of these are wonderful goals, but none of them are quantitative or measurable. Be more specific.

I want to avoid trans fats, decrease my sugar intake, and create a habit of eating a healthy mid-morning snack.
I want to be asleep by midnight and get a full eight hours of sleep.
I want to exercise three to four times a week and learn to play a new sport.

Specific goals that are measurable will make it easy for you to see your progress and help motivate you.

Be realistic. “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
– Epictetus

Make goals that are achievable. Too often we make fitness goals that are not possible. We need to learn to transform the way we look at fitness. A common mistake in fitness is spot reducing. This is when you choose a portion of your body that you don’t like or where you seem to store fat and target it in your workouts. For example, person who doesn’t like the fat on their stomach, or their legs, so they try to correct the things they don’t like. It seems to makes sense, however, the body does not work that way. You cannot burn fat from a specific portion of your body, and if you simply try to build up muscle in your target area, the fat will remain on the outside of the muscle. Your target should be overall health and fitness. Try exploring ways to create a healthy lifestyle.

Write it down. “Written goals clarify thinking, objectify their potential, and reinforce commitment.” – Pius Ephenus

When you write down your goals and regularly review and revise them, the benefits are extraordinary. It’s like having a counselor who doesn’t charge. You give a few minutes of your time to offer your thoughts and reflections, and your written words provide guidance and motivation. It’s like capturing the distant world you call “goal setting” into the grasp of your journal, and creating a visible reality of your hopes and dreams.

Make sure you can see your goals by putting them on your mirror or by your computer. You need to be continually reminded that life has to keep up with you.