Wellness Articles

Wellness Index

The most important part of developing a personal plan for physical fitness is knowing why you want to become more fit. As simple as that may sound, it is actually a critical aspect of a successful fitness plan. If your goal is weight loss, you'll approach fitness somewhat differently than if your goal is building strength and endurance. And, once you know why you want to become more fit, you can more easily determine what you can do to reach that goal.

Set Long-Range Goals

Be specific. Sit down with a paper and pencil and jot down exactly what you hope to accomplish by becoming more physically fit. Do you want to lose weight? If so, how much? Do you want to improve your endurance? If so, why? If you wish to improve specific skills (your bicycling, swimming, or golf game, for instance) state them. Knowing what you want in the long-run will help you tailor your program to achieve your ends as well as motivate you to follow through with your "working" goals.

Set Working Goals

If your long-range goal is to lose 15 pounds, start by setting short-range "working" goals — small steps that will help you reach your long-range wish. "Working" goals say what, how much, when, and how often you will do an activity to help you move toward your final goal. For instance, a working goal might be to attend a one-hour exercise class after work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each time you attend a class, you've met one working goal. If your ultimate goal is to increase the weight you can bench-press, your working goals will center around progressively "overloading" your muscles to help build strength.

Keep A Planner

The best way to outline working goals — and to make your fitness plan a firm commitment — is to keep a planner. Write down the activities you will do, which days you will do them on, and when and how long you will do them. It's best to space your "workouts" at least one day apart to allow for adequate recovery time, so if you exercise vigorously on Monday, wait until Wednesday to repeat that activity. (Remember, for optimum results, you should exercise vigorously 3-5 times a week.) When you've accomplished each goal, take a minute to write a comment or two on how you felt afterward. Did you feel a sense of accomplishment? Have you noticed that you're exercising with greater ease than when you first started? Did eating lunch before your workout affect your performance? Keep notes about your progress and use this information to analyze any problems you may be having as well as to award your achievement.

The Payoff

Long-range goals — the payoff — can be easy to lose sight of; that's why working goals and planners are important. By writing down what you hope to accomplish and setting well-planned working goals, you'll find the payoff isn't the impossible dream, it's the final success in a series of hard-earned achievements.

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