By Lillian Khanna
So you’ve been told by people on the internet and your friends to “just set some health and fitness goals” but you still feel lost. You may find yourself asking what those goals might look like or feel like, but there are ideas swirling around your mind at a million miles a minute about what the next steps are.
- Timeline
Health and fitness goals should be given deadlines just like work tasks. Start with one month and then you reevaluate. The best way to break down your goals is to start with something short term and grow it from there. It takes away the need for everything to be perfect before you start. You can try one food regime for one month and see how it makes you feel and the progress on the scale if that’s how you chose to measure your successes. You could try an exercise routine for one month before changing to another program.
- Pick a mental goal
After you have established a timeline, it’s time to find a goal for the health part of health and fitness. For me, this means my mind. I can perform best in my physical exercises when my mind is well rested and properly fueled. I chose to meditate to keep my mind sharp. You may not see how this relates to fitness but mental toughness and resilience are built through the way you think and approach the situations you find yourself in throughout life.
- Pick a physical goal
After you prioritize yourself mentally, you can address yourself physically. Start with the simple task of moving your body more than you do in your current state. If you do no physical activity in your day to day life, begin by walking 3-4 times a week for a mile. If you do yoga and pilates, start weight training 2-3 times a week. If you weight train but do no mobility work, add that 3-4 times a week. Use your current lifestyle and build upon that. Take it in one month increments and continue to add new goals for the month to find the regiment that delivers to you the results you are looking for.
- Pick a learning goal
Lastly, pick a goal that requires you to do research. For me, this is supplements. Learning how I can help aide my body in the recovery process and make sure my hormones are properly balanced without the help of medication are the final pieces in feeling my best. Not only do I like to learn, but I like to feel educated when I am asked about my choices. Currently, I take multivitamins, creatine, magnesium and fish oil. Each of these supplements play a vital role in the process and are the building blocks to helping my body recover.
I didn’t get here in a month or two. My process and goals have changed as drastically in month 4 as they did in month 14 but with each change I get closer to the overall advancement of my health and fitness, and you can do it too!