Fitness Goal Setting – Using Fitness Goal Setting as a Success Tool
Unlike resolutions, which are usually broken by February, goals are made to be set, attained, and set again at a new higher level. Goal setting is an important tool for evaluating your progress and successfully meeting your goals. It is the road map that helps lead you to your final destination. Short-term (immediate) and intermediate goals are the stepping-stones to your long-range goals. Short and intermediate goals are necessary so that success is experienced during the long journey towards your long-range and final, ultimate goal.
Types of Goals
Short-term or Immediate: A desire you have now, next month, before the year ends.
Intermediate: A goal that you want to achieve in a period of one to three years.
Long-range or Long-term: A goal that you could achieve in several years (three or more).
Ultimate: A goal that may never be completed. For example, to become the complete person that you wish to be.
A person may have many different goals and many types of goals at the same time. For example, a person may have a fitness goal, a career goal, and a family/relationship goal at the same time. Small, more detail-oriented goals can also be set and ultimately achieved and new ones subsequently set. An example of this would be that a person who is working on developing upper body strength might start with modified push-ups from the knee and have a short-term goal of doing ten such push-ups, an intermediate goal of doing one regular push-up, a long-range goal of doing ten regular push-ups, and an ultimate goal of doing one pull-up. Precise, detail-oriented goals such as the one above may allow the ultimate goal to be met and then reset at a new, higher standard.
Goal Setting Worksheet
The following goal setting worksheet is designed for a teenager or an adult. In other articles I have adaptations for children and young adolescents.
This is a sample goal setting worksheet. A separate worksheet should be filled out for each goal that is set. The goal worksheet should be posted in a prominent place and read aloud at least twice daily.
TYPE OF GOAL………………………………
Fill in type of goal here Immediate (Short-term), Intermediate, Long-range (Long-term), Ultimate
1. I WANT TO……………………………..
Write your goal here.
2. I WANT THIS GOAL FULFILLED BY……………
Write the date you would like to fulfill this goal by.
3. TO FULFILL MY GOAL I WILL……………….
This is the work plan for your goal. What exactly will you do so that you meet your goal? What are your actions that will allow you to meet your goal?
4. I CAN VISUALIZE MYSELF………………….
Write down what you will see when you accomplish your goal. What will it look like? How will it feel? Substitute the word “see” to make this statement easier for teens.
5. I BELIEVE AND EXPECT……………………
Affirm that you will meet your goal. State what your goal is at the end of this statement. This is a positive affirmation to go with the visualization of the attainment of your goal.
A Point to Remember
Goal setting is a fabulous tool for meeting your fitness goals. Research has shown that written goals are much more likely to be met than goals that are not written. Why not try one goal setting session to see how it positively affects your success? Remember: Resolutions are broken, but goals are met.