Physical activity - setting yourself goals

When you’re trying to become more physically active, it’s good to set realistic health and fitness goals and monitor your progress. Remember to see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new fitness program, particularly if you are over 40 years, overweight, haven’t exercised in a long time or suffer from a chronic medical condition.

Principles of goal setting
The main principles of effective goal setting include:

• Pinpoint your ultimate goal.
• Work out the best way to achieve your goal.
• Break down your ultimate goal into small, specific and achievable mini-goals.
• Monitor your progress regularly.
• Adapt your goals to fit changing circumstances.
• Don’t berate yourself or give up if you fall short.
• Write down your goals.
• Make your goals known to others.
• Include a reward in your goal-setting process. Plan for how you will benefit if you meet this goal.

• Be realistic. Your ultimate fitness goal could be to be fit enough to participate in a competition on a set date or to do 50 laps of the pool. Whatever the case, make this goal realistic. Remember that most of us will never be world-famous athletes or supermodels. Think about what is achievable for you. Write this goal down in a training diary.
• Don’t make your ultimate goal a general statement like: ‘I want to lose weight’. Be specific. Make it measurable. Exactly how many kilograms do you want to lose?
• Choose a goal that is meaningful and important to you, not to anybody else. For example, if your partner wants you to lose weight but you’re happy as you are, you may find it difficult to commit to your exercise routine in the long term.
• Consider a process rather than, or in addition to, outcome goals. For example, instead of weight loss, aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes on four days each week. Focus on feeling better today.

• Choose aerobic activities such as walking.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes on all or most days of the week.
• Cut back on junk food.
• Eat smaller food portions.
• Increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and wholegrain foods in your daily diet.

• Set a reasonable time frame. For example, if you want to lose 20kg, then a realistic weight loss of 1kg of body fat per week means that you need to allow yourself around 20 weeks.
• Consider your exercise routines as mini-goals. For example, one mini-goal might be to exercise on all or most days of the week.
• Mini-goals should be set for every week or every fortnight. The more mini-goals you achieve, the more motivated you will become.

• Measure your progress in concrete ways. For example, if you weight train, write down the weight and repetitions for each exercise. If you are exercising to lose weight, keep track of your weight loss.
• Choose appropriate ways to measure your progress. For example, bathroom scales don’t distinguish between muscle and fat. It may be better to take your measurements with a tape measure.
• Write down your progress at set intervals such as once a week.
• Find as many different ways to monitor your progress as you can. For example, if you are exercising to lose weight, you might like to record your exercise sessions, daily diet and weekly measurements. Include incidental achievements like feeling more energetic or fitting into a smaller pair of jeans. Give yourself plenty of ways to succeed.
• Celebrate your progress.

• Think about ways to cope with interruptions. For example, you may not be able to exercise in your usual way when on holidays, but you can always walk or use the hotel fitness facilities.
• If you get injured or ill, don’t abandon your fitness goals. Instead, adjust your ultimate goal’s time frame. Come up with micro-goals to keep you on track while you recover. For example, you may be too ill to exercise, but you can improve your diet. Write down these micro-goals in your training diary to keep up your motivation.
• You may find that you achieve your fitness goal earlier than expected. Go ahead and set another goal.
• If your fitness goal seems beyond you, set your sights a little lower and stay motivated.

• The first few months of a new exercise program are always the most challenging. Adjust your short-term goals, persist and have faith that things will get easier with time.
• Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle is a tremendous achievement, even if your fitness goal is a little harder to reach than you first thought. Flip back to the start of your training diary and appreciate how far you’ve come.
• Have a secondary fitness goal in mind. For example, if your ultimate goal is to lose 20kg, a loss of 15kg may be your secondary goal. Achieving this secondary goal is still a great success.
• Don’t give up. You’re worth the effort.

• Your doctor
• ‘Go for your life’ Infoline Tel. 1300 739 899 www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au
• BHC Activity finder

• Break down your ultimate health and fitness goal into small, specific and achievable mini-goals.
• Keep a training diary to monitor your progress.
• Always see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new fitness program, particularly if you are over 40 years, overweight, haven’t exercised in a long time or suffer from a chronic medical condition.

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