Struggling to set fitness goals that stick? We’ve all been there. Here are five tips for developing a plan for success and achieving more than you thought possible!


1. Find Your Motivation–Be Honest

The first and most important step in goal setting is to find your purpose for training. It is important to be honest in your assessment and truly determine the “why” behind your fitness goals.

Are you looking to live a more optimal lifestyle? Simply want to get that six pack before summer comes around? Just hoping to feel better on a daily basis? Define your personal motivation and revisit it throughout your journey.

Now, with that being said, you also want to be optimistic. When you determine your realistic goals, go one step further to be sure you are challenging yourself to reach higher than you thought you ever could before. Reach for the stars and you may just grab one.

2. Be Realistic, But Optimistic

Your goals are for you and you alone.

When setting your fitness goals, be realistic about what you are able to accomplish. That does not mean setting the bar low. It means defining your limits, understanding your history, and choosing milestones that you will truly be able to accomplish. 

Now, with that being said, you also want to be optimistic. When you determine your realistic goals, go one step further to be sure you are challenging yourself to reach higher than you thought you ever could before.

Your Fitplan trainers are here to make sure you put yourself to the test.

3. Break Down Your Long-Term Goal Into Micro Goals

Setting micro goals, or smaller goals that build up to your long-term goals, will allow you to tackle smaller milestones and track your progress in a realistic and measurable way.

For example, if you want to lose 20 pounds over the next year, your micro goals should break that number down into smaller tasks. After three months, you may want to lose five pounds, just to get started. Then, after the next three, you might want to step it up and lose 10, and so on.

These micro goals will keep you on pace and force you to stare the measurable results right in the face.

4. Start Small–Tackle One Goal At A Time

Once you set your micro goals, attack them one at a time.

If your first micro goal is at the three-month mark, focus all of your attention on that. When you hit that goal, celebrate like your life depends on it! Each milestone is a huge step in the process and should be celebrated and appreciated along the way. For each milestone, I like to take the approach of a professional athlete.

“We are going to enjoy this win tonight, but tomorrow, it is right back to work.”

Remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. View each workout of your Fitplan as moving one step closer to achieving your results.

5. Enjoy the journey

Although this is the fifth item on the list, it may be the most important. Reaching your fitness goals will be a grind. It will take time, effort, determination, and perseverance. However, the experiences you have, the emotions you go through, and the lessons that you learn will stick with you forever. The journey is the best part of the entire process. Enjoy the heck out of it.

If you are looking to take your fitness to the next level as a Certified Personal Trainer, check out the NASM (National Association of Sports Medicine*) free online practice exam . The gold standard in fitness credentials with best-in-class evidence-based programs in personal training, nutrition coaching, wellness, sports performance, and more!

(Note: Want our elite trainers to help you incorporate exercise into your routine? Start your Fitplan free trial today!)  

Related Posts

Bitnami