Unleash the Power of Goal Setting

Posted: Sun 9 Jan, 2011

Exercise is no different from the other areas of your life in that it demands clear goals. Without clear goals you will find that your exercise is aimless in periods, sporadic and lacking in purpose.

Throughout history there have been numerous examples of people that have experienced terrific success and attributed this to clear and concise goals.

I heard Kerri Pottharst speak and she attributed her gold medal success to clear and concise goal setting.
One of the major problems that I find people have with goal setting is that they are vague in their detail. Vague goal setting will result in vague results.

So how do you set a goal that gives it the best possible chance of being achieved? It needs to follow these 5 guidelines:

1.  Be as specific as possible

• Use future paced language that has definite language.
• For example, rather than state your weight loss goal as ‘I want to lose 10 kg’. Try the following ‘I will weigh 80 kg at 5 pm on 30th Dec 2010’.

2.  Ensure your goals are measurable

• Ensure your goal has a metric attached to it so the success can be measured.
• For example, instead of saying ‘I want to be fit’. A better goal would be ‘I will be running 10 km by 30th Dec 2010’.

3.  Set adjustable goals

• There may be times where injuries or illness stall your progress so you need to have adjustable goals. If you are aiming to run a marathon but have been inhibited by an injury then adjusting that goal to a half marathon would be a great alternative. Too often people give up on their goals when they face challenges.

4.  Be realistic with your goals

• Ensure the goals are challenging but physically possible to achieve. There must be a balance between having the goal set at a point that is too easy to achieve and having it set at a point that is unrealistic.

5.  Have definite times for when you want to achieve your goals

• Again, be as specific with your timeframes as possible. This will also apply to your objectives that you will set on your way to achieving that big goal.

The final and most important part of goal setting is the review process. Your goals need to be reviewed daily and you need to visualise the success of your goals regularly.

So what are exercise and health goals for 2011?