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Establish Goals

You may want to lose weight, gain weight, tone up, get fitter, run a marathon or simply run up the stairs without getting out of breath. Whatever your motivation we all need to establish a goal - something to aim for.

When thinking of your ultimate goal it is best to have short term goals that support your ultimate goal. Focus on the more manageable short term goals and through acheiving these you will be in the position where you can acheive your ultimate goal.

When thinking about your goals it is best not just to focus on one specific thing, for example, how much weight you want to lose, instead look at your lifestyle as a whole and how elements such as diet, exercise and socialising influence this. For example:

  • Exercise - think about your exercise regime and start with something manageable. This will depend on what your ultimte goal is. If your goal is to lose weight and you currently do no exercise then by your first short term goal could be to do a minimum of 15 minutes exercise 3 times a week. This could be a brisk walk (start off with 10 minutes), then evolve into a brisk walk with some intervals of running (3 x walk 3 minutes run 2 minutes). If your goal is to run a marathon then your first short term goal could be to run 3 miles without stopping, or a 10k race if you already do some running.
  • Diet - your diet will be vital in acheiving your goal. If you are exercising a lot you need to ensure that you are eating enough to cope with the activity. If your goal is to lose weight you may be concerned that you are eating too much, however, you will find you can eat more if you are eating a good balanced diet. A good way to come up with your short term goals with regards to diet is to write a food diary in which you can record what you eat and drink. A food diary can be revolutionary to most people in identifying patterns and areas that they can improve. There are many schools of thought with regards to weight loss (see diet section fo latest diets) however substaining these may be difficult and health implications are often questioned. The best method for effective weight loss is to ensure you burn more than you eat - this can be acheived through increasing activity through exercise, or eating less or more of healthy diet.
  • Drink - what you drink can be very important in acheiving your goals. Through using a food diary you can see the amount you drink and what you are drinking. We should aim to drink at least 2 pints of water a day (coffee and tea do not count), if you are doing a lot of actiity this should be even greater. Caffine based drinks can build up the toxins in your bodies and can dehydrate you. A Friday night drinking session can be great fun but will help pile on the pounds and can undo all your hardwork in the gym! Use your goals to try and acheive a healthy balance, on a night out try having one soft drink after every alcoholic one.
  • Rest - rest and relaxation are as important as exercise. If you do not get enough rest your mind and body become tired and you will become susceptable to injury and illness. If you have a hectic schedule try to build in some time to rest. You would need to schedule a session in your diary for the gym so make sure you schedule in sessions to simply do nothing but relax.