One key aspect of any successful fitness regimen that is commonly overlooked is goal setting.
“Day after day a man prayed, ‘Dear God help me to win the lottery…’”
After months and months of this prayer, day after day, he finally heard a thunderous voice from the sky, “This is God speaking. Yes, I will grant you your request to win the lottery, but will you do just ONE thing for Me, please?”
“Yes, God, anything. You name it.”
“Will you PLEASE go buy a ticket?”
I love that little story because it it really brings home the message that you have to DO; desire alone won’t cut it. If you don’t set a specific goal and follow through, how will you achieve it?
I have put together some of my favorite tips for goal setting below, along with some questions you should answer when setting your goals.
Goal setting tips
- Do not be vague but rather set specific, measurable goals (such as “I want to lose 5lbs” instead of “I want to lose weight”). If you can’t measure and track your goals progress, how will you know when you’ve hit it?
- Start small. Using the questions below, space your goals out so they build off of one another. Running a marathon may be your over all goal but it may not be realistic to set it for a month from now if you have never run before. Starting with a 5k, 10k, half, and then a marathon may not only make more sense, but may rev up your motivation to help you reach it!
- Know the difference between need and desire, and be realistic. Instead of focusing all on desire, start with your basic needs (what needs improvement the most) and move up from there.
- Just like with anything else, consistency is key.
Your goal setting questions
Write these out (or type them up) and stick them somewhere (or everywhere) as a reminder of your goal(s)!
- My overall goal is _____.
- One month from now, I want _____.
- Three months from now, I want _____.
- Six months from now, I want _____.
- One year from now, I want _____.
Feel free to change the “wants” to “wills” for that extra boost of confidence and motivation! 
I would love to hear your goals or your tips for reaching your goals!
Jennifer is a 27 year old personal trainer living in Connecticut. She is "Coach Jen" at 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: JoannaSutter
October 1, 2010 at 8:25 am
I am such a goal setter! Usually I set 12 week goals and break them down into chunks so week by week and day by day I’m doing something to achieve a particular goal.
Great post, girl!
Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice)´s last [type] ..America’s Next Top Fitness & Spice Model Contest
Twitter: glamamomnyc
October 1, 2010 at 10:14 am
Love that story! I completely agree and wish I could put it into practice more. The times I’ve been focused, I get it done. If I’m not, I’m all over the place.
Glamamom´s last [type] ..ZUMBA FITNESS® VIDEO GAME
Twitter: lisaeirene
October 1, 2010 at 2:05 pm
The idea of losing 100+ pounds was super overwhelming. When I first started my journey I decided my goal was to lose 50. Once I got to 50, I thought “I could lose another 25…” Then I did. I KNEW those last 25 or so would come off too. I ended up losing 110 in 2 years. Setting small goals helped a lot!
Haha that is a great story! I definitely have trouble focusing. I think that’s why I like taking classes at the gym, because there’s a trainer pushing you on. I need to work on my internal motivation :X
Lisa @ Endeavorous´s last [type] ..Good to know
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