The Importance of having concrete goals

Motivation comes and goes in your fitness journey, and I will not lie to you, there are definitely times when you may feel more motivated than other days. You may find that you are able to accomplish more when you have goals to work towards, and a result, you may even find yourself a bit happier and more fulfilled when you are making steps that are challenging, but also realistic in reaching towards those goals. This may not be the same for everyone. For example, your goal might be to eat healthier, but just saying that you will "eat healthier" is very vague. For example, one step towards eating healthier meals might be to take a closer look at the ingredients of the foods that you are buying at the grocery store. But even that is not always enough, because you can look at the ingredients and still find that they are unhealthy. So, something else that you could do could be to avoid foods that have lots of complicated names that make absolutely no sense to you (these sorts of foods usually have lots of preservatives and dies in them). If it sounds like something that was made in a lab, it probably isn't good for you. If you find a product with few complicated names and preservatives and one that is closely related to what you are looking for, such as "chicken" or "organic apples", it is probably better for you. So, a realistic goal for you may be to look more closely at the ingredients that you are consuming and to also buy the products with the lowest amount of complex ingredients. By keeping this in mind, it is much easier to eat simpler and healthier.

Another goal that someone may have (or repeatedly say to themselves) is to "get more active". Yes, that is a good goal and is probably better than to not be active, but how specifically are you going to get more active? By running for 30 minutes five times a week? How many times a week will you hit the gym? What body parts will you train? What exercises help with training those body parts? What sorts of barriers get in the way of getting enough exercise, and how will you overcome those barriers? Will you have others who will support you in your goals? Can you see yourself enjoying this activity in the long run? These are all very important questions to put into consideration when you are thinking about lifestyle changes and setting goals for yourself.