Setting your fitness goals

Before you step onto that treadmill or settle into the saddle of the exercise bike, take time out to think about what you really want to achieve - and how.

We've all heard the old proverb 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'. The moral is that in order to achieve anything in life we have to take some small action towards making it happen.

Most new and returning exercisers set out with good intentions and a list of 'wishes' without ever giving a thought to planning or setting realistic goals. They simply join a gym and begin a diet with the intention of 'getting fit' or 'losing weight', and then feel disillusioned a couple of months later when neither result is achieved. This sets in place a disheartening cycle of failure where negative results create negative thoughts and feelings which, in turn, perpetuate the negative results.

If you really want to succeed this year and actually achieve your goals, then follow these four simple steps:

1. Define your aim
Merely stating that you wish to 'lose weight' or 'get fit' is of little value when setting your health and fitness goals. These definitions are far too broad and are relatively meaningless and, as such, hold very little power to motivate us.

Instead you need to define what these terms mean. Is getting fit running a mile? Completing the marathon? Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Does losing weight involve losing 15lb of total weight or 10lb of body fat?

The difference in the approach is that in the first instance we are merely 'getting fit', whereas in the second we are completing the marathon. This creates a situation where we now have a specific target to aim at, along with an actual measure from which we can ascertain our current level of success.

If you want to stay motivated and on track, then stating your specific aim is the best way to assure your success.

What do you want to achieve this year?

2. Define your purpose
While many people have found some level of success with the first step, there are still many who set their goals specifically and yet still fail to achieve them. Invariably, when assessing why success was not forthcoming there always seems to be the feeling that the goal was not worth the effort required to achieve it. For this reason it is important to determine from the outset 'why am I doing this?'

You see, without this sense of purpose there will always be a lack of passion or compelling reasons to stay with the goal when the going gets tough. Conversely, those people who exhibit a great sense of purpose are always more willing to find a way when the odds are stacked against them. The difference is passion!

Why do you want to achieve this? What makes it so important to you?

3. Define the territory and plan the route
Even if you know where you want to get to and why you want to get there, it's still a good idea to plan how you're going to achieve the goal. This is somewhat like planning a route on a map. You may well be able to locate the destination on the map, but if you don't know where you're starting from you'll never know which turns to take in order to get there and so you'll be more likely to get lost along the way.

It's a good idea to find out where you're starting from by taking measurements, photographs and maybe testing your fitness with a run, some push-ups or some other test relevant to the goal. This will enable you to determine where you are relative to the end goal and allow you to plan the following weeks and months of training accordingly. In addition, you'll be able to perform these tests at four- to six-week periods to find out how well you're doing, and adapt your approach if it's not working.

Where are you in relation to the goal? What do you need to do in order to get from where you are now to your final destination?

4. Take massive and consistent action
Even when all of the above steps are completed, it's all for nothing if you fail to do anything to make progress toward your goal.

Sometimes it's the small things that stop you from achieving the big things in life. Small things like habits exert an immense influence upon our lives and create a 'gravitational pull' every time we try to break free of them. For this reason it's often a good idea to smash a habit by taking massive action at the start of your new health and fitness 'habit'. Don't just 'start a diet', change your lifestyle!

But we all know that large actions aren't always sustainable, don't we? This is where consistency becomes important. It's the 'little things' that we do every day that determine our success in any endeavour and so our efforts need to focus on doing the right little things every day. For example, a single workout will produce few, if any, gains in muscle tone or fitness, but perform that same workout on a regular basis and you create a powerful habit that will practically guarantee your health and fitness success. This is the power of the little things!

What massive action are you going to take? What little thing can you do every day?

These four steps are simple, yet very effective - follow them for six months and you'll be astounded at what can be achieved.

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