Fierce Fitness: The Importance of Setting Goals and Exercise

Every day is a fresh start. I am sure you have heard this or read this many times in your life. But do we know what this means? Some say it is a new beginning for their life, and some say it is a new start to a romance or a fresh start to stop putting off an essential habit and to get healthy and fit TODAY!

Today’s message is a fresh start for you to look after your health, body, mind, and soul. It all starts with setting small and attainable goals that make achieving the fitness regime more manageable and less daunting of a task. Look at it this way. Much like a house is built in stages, health is a series of steps and goals. Creating clear and manageable goals creates a clear path and something to focus on. When you achieve each small goal, it will give you more confidence and encourage you to continue your quest for a better, healthier you.

Having goals also helps you achieve results, and when you have specific goals, you will achieve better results than having no goal at all. Start by setting one specific and attainable goal, for example: how many times a week are you going to exercise (this can include going to the gym, running or walking). Once you have achieved this, set a new goal, and so on.

Top tips for setting goals:

Setting fitness goals are important for several reasons; they keep you accountable, keep you motivated AND allow you to push yourself that little bit further.

Set your fitness goal and write them down! Stick them on your fridge or your mirror; use this as motivation to keep going, even on the bad days.

Focus on one goal at a time: Remember you cannot do everything at once, strip it back to what you want to achieve and go from there.
Add in mini-goals: By adding in smaller goals as you work towards your final journey, you will boost your confidence and motivation to keep going!
Focus on one goal at a time: Remember you cannot do everything at once, strip it back to what you want to achieve and go from there.
Add in mini-goals: By adding in smaller goals as you work towards your final journey, you will boost your confidence and motivation to keep going!
Add in mini-goals: By adding in smaller goals as you work towards your final journey, you will boost your confidence and motivation to keep going!
Do not aim for the stars: You need to be honest and keep your goals realistic. For example, dropping a heavy amount of kilos per week or having a toned body in a month will do damage to your health. Aim a little lower, then increase it when you smash that goal!
Keep track of your progress: This will allow you to look back at what you have achieved. Write down your daily or weekly progress. For example, noting the number of times in a week you exercise, how it makes you feel, etc. It is your goal; it can be whatever you like!
Celebrate the small wins: This is such an important tip. Stop halfway; see how far you have come!

How to set goals for a runner:

As a beginner learning to run, you need to be gentle with yourself and know that this goal is achievable. To avoid injury and enjoy the experience, you must ease yourself into running slowly and increase your pace and distance gradually over several weeks.

Start each run with a gentle warm-up of at least 5 minutes. This could be anything from side steps, climbing stairs, mountain climbers or even skipping. A warm-up will help increase blood flow to your muscles, increase muscle suppleness and prevent unnecessary stress and fatigue from being placed on your heart, lungs and muscles.
Start walking for an amount of time that feels comfortable – 10 to 30 minutes. Once you can walk at a good pace for 30 minutes, include running intervals of 1 to 2 minutes. As time goes on, make the running intervals longer until you run 30 minutes continuously.
When running, make sure your arms and shoulders are relaxed and elbows bent. Keep an upright posture and smooth running stride, striking the ground heel to toe.
Give yourself 5 minutes to cool down, which will bring your heartbeat back to normal. Remember to stretch your leg muscles are each run.

As a beginner, it is imperative to get into a pattern.

This means you need to dedicate two to three days a week. Your running will improve as your body adapts to the consistent training schedule. As I always say, it is better to run twice a week, every week, than to run six times a week. Running six times a week will make you give up quite quickly, as you are putting a lot of pressure on your body – mainly your feet and legs.

Tips:

Keep a diary: Note down each run, including where you ran, distance, time, weather conditions and how it made you feel. When you write down how you feel, you can look back and see how far you have come and how much you have improved.
Mix it up: Running the same route over and over can become tiresome. It is essential to vary your routes. This will give you more motivation, and you will achieve your goals. Join a beginner running club: There are so many clubs that cater to all levels. The great thing is that they are fun free, and you get to meet other like minded people with the same goals.

Gentle Reminder: It would be best if you were willing to change your mindset and your mindset is always the biggest hurdle you will face. But it is crucial if YOU are to achieve your GOALS and the results YOU desire. Take ownership, and you can achieve anything.

Jo Lastro, Our Expert (Former)

A 1st-Degree Muay Thai Kickboxer and sole owner of Jo’s Fitness Studio. Muay Thai has made Jo stronger, more comfortable in her own skin, and taught her to have faith and trust in herself. She now hopes to inspire, and help others overcome their own obstacles by sharing her expertise in fitness.