Self-Growth Through Physical Fitness

THROUGH PHYSICAL FITNESS

By Carly Meyers

Since our winter issue, we’ve focused on self-growth techniques and ways to set goals, measure and track them to become the most successful versions of ourselves. This season, we’re applying the skillset to our physical wellness.

To be the best versions of ourselves, we must be healthy and productive both mentally and physically. If we don’t feel well enough physically to complete our other goals in the rst place, we will have little success in achieving them.

Introducing a new routine or making any kind of lifestyle change can be challenging. Having a goal in mind gives you a clear vison as to what you’re working toward and what motivates you to stay on track. These goals also help measure progress and the e ectiveness of your e orts. If you’re trying to become more physically active, realistic, wellplanned goals will keep you focused and motivated.

When setting your goals, remember to consider:

• Set an ultimate goal. • Set small, speci c mini goals. • Track your progress. • Prepare to adapt to challenges.

Be realistic: Your ultimate tness goal could be anything. Remember that most of us are not worldfamous athletes, nor are we trying to be. Set goals for yourself that are achievable. Do you want to run a race by a certain date or just be able to run to the end of the street and back? You know realistic goals for your own body. This doesn’t mean you can’t far surpass them, but at least ensure your starting goals are realistically achievable.

Be speci c: Make your goals measurable so that you can track your progress. If you want to lose weight, how much? If you want to swim laps, how many?

Make it count: Choose goals that have meaning to you. If they mean nothing to you, how do you expect to keep interest in achieving them?

STARTING SMALL

You are more likely to reach your ultimate goal if you break it down into smaller, short-term, mini goals. Mini goals are speci c, daily actions or behaviors that lead you to success of your ultimate goal.

De ne your starting point. Pick activities that are comfortable and realistic for you and build upon them at your own pace.

Set a reasonable time frame. Don’t set yourself up for failure with an unreasonable time frame to complete your mini goals. Don’t make these goals’ time frame any longer than one week. These are supposed to be achievable quickly so you can take on new ones weekly.

Consider your exercise routines as mini goals. For example, one mini goal might be to exercise on all or most days of the week. The more mini goals you achieve, the more motivated you’ll nd yourself.

If you are unsure how to best achieve your tness goals, ask an expert. For example, see your doctor or consult an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist or appropriately quali ed and certi ed personal trainer.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Make your mini goals and ultimate goal measurable. Decide how you are going to monitor your progress to measure the e ectiveness of your actions.

Measure your progress in concrete ways. For example, if you are weight training, write down the weight and repetitions for each exercise. You can try weekly to beat your reps or weight done the week before.

Choose appropriate ways to measure your progress. For example, bathroom scales don’t distinguish between muscle and fat. It may be better to take your measurements with a tape measure, or just notice how your clothes t.

Find as many di erent ways to monitor your progress as you can and write down your progress regularly. For example, if you are exercising to lose weight, you might like to record your daily diet and weekly measurements. Include incidental achievements like feeling more energetic or tting into a smaller pair of jeans. Give yourself plenty of ways to succeed and celebrate your progress.

PREPARE TO ADAPT

Regardless of the plans, schedules or routines we put in place to achieve our goals, life will always nd a way to disrupt them. The best way to overcome these interruptions is to prepare for them before they happen.

If holidays or events get in the way of your regular schedule, switch up your workouts. Utilize tness facilities in hotels while traveling (they’re almost always empty) or walking is never out of the picture. Bad weather? Follow a workout on YouTube or pour your heart into a dance game. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way to stay active.

If you get injured or become ill, don’t abandon your physical tness goals. Instead, adjust your ultimate goal’s time frame. Come up with mini goals to keep you on track while you recover. Or, if your ultimate tness goal just seems beyond you for whatever reason, readjust your mini goals to stay motivated.

STAY PERSISTENT

The rst few months of a lifestyle change are always the most challenging, but can also be the most rewarding. By applying your self-growth skillset and administering goals towards a physical wellness, you’ll be able to take your wellbeing past a mental level. Healthy bodies promote healthy minds.

If you start to lose track, readjust your short-term goals, persist, and have faith that things will get easier with time. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small because making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle is a tremendous achievement, even if your tness goal is a little harder to reach than you rst thought.

Physical growth goals may seem the hardest to achieve, but once you start ticking them o , they make achieving any other goal seem simple. These goals allow you to literally push yourself and will teach you to push yourself in other areas in your life, too.