Make realistic goals

IN THIS day and age with all the information that is at our fingertips and with social media it’s no wonder the pressure to look your best and be like that famous celebrity is higher than ever before.

The media paints a false picture of what is achievable by doctoring images and stating false claims of celebs losing ridiculous weight overnight.

This may be what initially motivates someone to set a fitness related New Year’s resolution but ultimately the false expectation of losing weight in an unrealistic amount of time dooms most to failure.

Exercise is all about the mind. Where the mind goes the body will follow. This sounds a bit farcical but sports psychology is big business these days with athletes paying top money to give them the edge mentally.

When it comes to our resolutions, whether it’s to lose weight or get fit then you have to be motivated.

There’s plenty of ways to get motivated but first and foremost is to set a goal. And not just any goal, a SMART goal! SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. Your goal needs to be specific, not to just lose weight but exactly how much weight? The goal then becomes measureable but to make it achievable you need to set a realistic amount to lose. You’re not going to lose a stone overnight.

And lastly you need to set a realistic time to achieve your goal by. Write it down and set a date.

Once you have a goal you have direction and this will motivate you.

Break it down into stepping stones of mini goals such as lose 2lbs a week and along the way record your achievements, monitor your progress and reward yourself for each stepping stone achieved (but keep it healthy).

This will reassure you that you are doing well and realising your success is one of the most powerful ways to keep motivated and achieve those resolutions.

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