Be S.M.A.R.T. about your New Years Fitness GoalsWith the New Year fast approaching it's a time to reflect on all that we have achieved in the past 12 months and start to plan what we would like to achieve in the coming year. For many the New Year brings a renewed determination to finally get in shape which is all to often doomed to fail before the end of January! In a moment I will share with you a S.M.A.R.T approach for setting fitness goals.
But first, why do people fail? Because people often set unrealistic goals and try to do too much too soon or they begin a diet based on depravation because that's what all the books tell them. Don't eat this, don't eat that. Carbs are bad, no wait fats are bad. Do only aerobic exercise if you want to burn fat. Don't lift weights as you will become muscle bound! With all this conflicting information it's no wonder people fail, they attempt to change with an approach that is GUARANTEED to fail them and then they feel guilty and blame themselves.
Successful weight loss begins when you have the three synergistic components of success in place, 1, the right nutrition, 2, aerobic exercise and 3, a preservation of muscle tissue.
1. If want to lose weight you have to take responsibility and control of your metabolism. And since metabolism means "the speed your body burns through food", part of the trick is not to starve your self but to actually eat! I have my clients eating up to six times per day, in many cases more food than they've eaten in there entire life as they watch fat go away! You should try to get to a meal every three to three and a half hours and each meal should contain an equal amount of a lean protein, starchy carbohydrates and fibrous carbohydrate.
2, Aerobic exercise is any exercise that elevates your heart rate and you can continue at a moderate pace for up to an hour. Try exercises that use the larger muscle groups in a rhythmic fashion such as fast walking, running, cycling, rowing and swimming. Aerobic exercise is good for your heart and has the potential to burn fat.
3, Muscle is the engine of your body, the driving force behind your metabolism. Basically the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism and as noted above, metabolism simply means the speed at which your body burns through food. In other words, if you have more muscle, you have a faster metabolism which means you can eat more food without getting fat! Now wouldn't you rather be able to eat than go on a restrictive diet that is going to fail you? So now you should be asking "how do I get more muscle?" Simple, train your body with weights. Perform multi joint exercises that use more than one muscle group at a time. This will not only burn more calories but will stimulate more muscle fibres so you get more done in less time. For more a more specific program go to my contact page and ask about online training So back to the topic of this newsletter, what is S.M.A.R.T and how do I use it to set my fitness goals for the New Year?
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym and each letter stands for a specific part to successful goal setting.
S= Specific Provide details of what you want to achieve, for instance you might set a goal to lose 8lb of fat in 4 weeks? Be specific in what you want to achieve, just saying "I want to get in shape" is not good enough, how will you know when your in shape?
M= Measurable How will you measure whether you have reached your goal? For instance if your goal was to lose 8lb of fat in 4 weeks how will you know you have achieved it? Don't rely on the scale as they only tell you how much you weigh under gravity at a specific time on a specific day. Use a tape measure or have a professional personal trainer measure your body fat percentage using skin fold callipers.
A= Attainable Be realistic when setting your goals, for instance don't aim to lose 10lb of fat in a week. If you have the three synergistic components in place then the body is only capable of losing up to 2lb of fat per week. Sure you can lose more weight if you go on a diet based on calorie depravation but most of that weight loss will be water and muscle tissue and you know what happens next.
R= Rewards-Based Attach a reward to each goal. For instance you could by your self a new dress (ladies), massage, dinner for two with the special person in your life or maybe treat your self to a weekend away at a Spa. Give your self a reason to achieve your goal and celebrate when you achieve it.
T= Time Frame Set a specific time to reach your goals, by doing this you apply a little pressure to yourself and will be more able to reach your goals. So there you have the S.M.A.R.T. way to set your goals for the New Year, however I would like to add one more step to the above system and that is, know your potential. Don't let the completion of your goal be the end. Once you have reached your target, celebrate and then set more S.M.A.R.T. goals and keep on achieving.
Remember, be S.M.A.R.T
Your fitness coach
Marc
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