One thing I want to accomplish with this blog is trying to help and encourage anyone with their fitness needs no matter where they are in terms of their fitness levels. It could be someone who has a lot of weight to lose and is just getting started, someone who has been exercising and losing weight for a while now and just needs some additional encouragement to keep at it, or someone who likes where their weight is and needs to know what to do from this point going forward. The number one thing I have found that helps me, no matter where I currently am with my weight, is to always have a goal.
Why goals are important
Goals give you something to achieve. If there is always a carrot being dangled out in front of you, then you are for more likely to stay consistent with exercising and keeping your body in shape. If your overweight, your primary focus will likely be to lose the unwanted pounds. You may also strive to get stronger, but losing the weight is going to be your main focus. If you aren’t trying to lose any weight, there may be certain parts of your body that you may want to work on. Without goals, it is tempting to skip a workout every now and then which can lead to some unhealthy habits.
Setting goals after you reach your ideal weight
I was able to keep every pound I initially lost off for 4 years by setting goals after I reached my ideal weight range of 180-185. I have put on some more recently, and my current goal is to get back there. But before I put on these 15 pounds, I always had something I was striving towards to keep me going. I was always trying to build up muscle after I reached my goal weight. If you don’t want to build muscle, maybe you want to just eliminate body fat and get leaner. Lots of people are self-conscious about their abdominal region, so maybe that’s an area you want to see change. Also, if you have ever wanted to run a 5 K, 10K, or marathon, training for those would be an excellent way to stay fit
My current goals
As I mentioned earlier, I want to lose the 15 pounds that I gained within the last 8 or 9 months. That is my current primary goal. In the process, I want to become more athletic (I don’t know why, I haven’t done any athletic event in years, but it sounds nice). I would also like to see more muscle grow and shed some of the fat around my abdominal region. That always seems to be the hardest fat to get rid of.
So what are your goals? If you don’t have any, think about what you want from your body. The only way you will get there is to place some kind of expectation on yourself. As they always say, getting in shape is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be some tough days between now and the time you reach those goals. Once you get there, don’t get complacent. Set new goals so you don’t fall back into some of your old bad habits. I hope you have a great day and may all your fitness dreams come true!
Justin
Confessions of an Exercise Junkie 