At the start of the new year, you may have set some fitness goals – perhaps a new race distance? Or going for that PR? Or a mileage milestone? Or the addition of strength training, cross-training, or a new sport altogether. Whatever goals you have laid out, it’s important to be prepared for possible pitfalls along the way.
Fit Five Friday — 5 Challenges to Reaching Your Fitness Goals
Lack of Consistency – Progress towards any goal requires a consistent approach. Striving for small efforts done consistently will always yield greater success vs. trying to make big efforts in fits and starts.
Lack of Time – The companion challenge to consistency may be scheduling. When you’re facing multiple demands on your time (work, family, and other personal commitments), it can be tough to find time for your workouts. Scheduling your workouts as you would any other meeting or obligation is key to ensuring that you have the time you need to make progress toward your goals.
Unrealistic goals – While a goal should stretch you beyond your comfort zone, if the goal is too big of a reach it could backfire when you struggle to make progress. Now I’m not discouraging anyone from shooting for the stars, but it may be helpful to build in smaller goals along the way so you have some success and can build momentum.
Someone else’s goal – Are you running that marathon because you really want to run a marathon or because your friend is? When chasing your goals gets tough you need to remember your why – so it is really important that you pick a goal that matters to you. If you’re chasing a goal because others are doing it/have done it and you feel like you “should” then you’re not setting yourself up for success. And, is it really a goal you want to be pursuing in the first place?
Mindset – Even if you do everything right, you still may encounter setbacks. This is where not only your why matters, but also your mindset. The thoughts you hold and your self-talk will have a significant impact on your ability to reach your goals. Building a practice of positive self-talk (through mantras and affirmations) will serve you well when things get challenging.
What challenges do you face when trying to reach your fitness goals?
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Time is a big one for one.
But mine set is very important. Because if it is really important you will make time.
Time is a big one for me too! And, I do think mindset is everything – without the right mindset, none of the other stuff matters much.
I”ve gotten much better at setting goals that fit me at the time. Scheduling is key for me too.
I think when you can find goals that are a stretch but attainable – that’s the sweet spot!
I agree on trying to reach unrealistic or “someone else’s” goals. It’s taken me a while to train for where I am versus where I used to be.
I hear you – I am still learning to let go of old paces and accept running as it is now for me. Comparison is hard!
These all are valid points!! I think the last one, though, is the key one—MINDSET. If we’re not honest with ourselves, all the excuses in the world will not enable any goals to be seen or met.
Absolutely!!
Ugh, scheduling. It can be so hard to fit everything in. I’ve been making a schedule at the beginning of each week (when I’ll run, when I’ll get to the gym, etc.) and sticking to it. I have a million ways to talk myself out of going to the gym, but so far I’ve been consistent.
Definitely a challenge – that’s great that you’re sticking with your schedule!
I have most of the same challenges as you — especially the lack of time + consistency. I tend to be overly ambitious with my goals too so I’m trying to pare things down and just getting to it even 1-2x/week or month would be good in my book right now!
Time is a big challenge for a lot of us. I agree that sometimes paring things down helps.
Ooh, making sure your goal is realistic (even if a reach) and your OWN are really important checks.
Great topic.
Thanks Coco 🙂
yesssss Michele, you hit the nail right on the head!! I think we also tend to think of things in the whole picture rather than breaking things down in chunks. So maybe it’s harder to be consistent, for example, if we are subconsciously feeling overwhelmed by a goal that’s maybe not realistic or truly our own.
Michelle of course, sorry to leave out an “L”. 🙂
🙂
Exactly! I think it’s so easy to become overwhelmed by a goal so breaking it down into more bite-sized pieces helps. Also, give you the space to step back to consider if the goal really lights a spark for you.
These are all valid points. I am also trying to be more realistic with my goals. My paces are slower now than before and I am OK with it. As long as I enjoy my runs and have fun in races then that is all I need. Well, a PR here and there would be nice too. 🙂
Yes enjoying the races and having fun are key for me too – I feel like my PR days may be behind me.