One Tip Can Drastically Affect Your Fitness Accomplishments

Are you ready to get back into shape for the summer?  We recommend you spend your first day focused on creating sustainable goals.  Studies show that simply writing down your goals drastically increases the likelihood of achieving them.   

Create and Write Attainable Goals.

At Balance, we work hard to provide our members all of the tools they need to achieve their fitness goals.  We offer the latest equipment, convenient locations, and seasoned trainers.  However, as with anything in life, there is a massive psychological component to staying fit and eating clean. This article provides some simple tips to help create and follow through on your fitness and exercise goals.

We don’t need to understand the psychology behind why setting goals is effective, but some obvious reasons are they provide you with reminders, create accountability, offer you a vision, and help set priorities.  However, regardless of the reasons behind goal setting success, we know it works.

In a recent Forbes article, they reference a study carried out by a Harvard MBA program.  The results showed only 3% of the students surveyed had written goals and plans to accomplish them.  Thirteen percent had goals, but hadn’t written them down, and an astonishing 84%  never set goals for themselves.

Ten years later, the study group were interviewed and the results were more profound than anyone would have imagined.  The 13% who had goals, but didn’t write them down were twice as likely to achieve them than the 84% who didn’t have goals.  The 3% who actually wrote their goals out, achieved them at a rate of 10 times the amount of the 84% who never set their own personal goals.  

If you write your exercise and fitness goals out right now, you are 10 times more likely to accomplish them!! 

Get that #2 pencil and CVS receipt out and start writing!

Below are some tips to help improve the success of your goals.

• Define Your Goals: You may have an idea in the back of your head on what you hope to accomplish, but properly defining your goals can take a bit more effort.  For instance, you may have a goal to run a 10 minute mile.  However, you haven’t defined how you plan on doing it, when you would like to accomplish it, or a plan to make it happen.  By simply adding specifics to your original goal can change it significantly.  In the previous example, our new goal is:  On August 1^st 2019, I will run a 10 minute mile by exercising three days a week incorporating intervals, hills, and plyometric training.
• Create a Three Step Plan: To help define your goals, we recommend creating a three step plan on how to achieve it. Below are a few three step plan examples.
  • I will run a 10 minute mile
    • I will exercise 3-4 days a week incorporating interval, hill, and plyometric training.
    • I will reach my goal by August 1, 2019
    • I will track my progress by timing a one mile run each Friday.
  • I want my body to look better.
    • I will go to the gym and exercise 4-5 times per week.
    • I will eat 500 fewer calories each day.
    • I will incorporate both cardio and strength training into my workouts.
  • I will make better choices to improve my diet and nutrition
    • Each week I will swap 5 items on my grocery list for healthier choices
    • 25% of my groceries will be from the fruit and produce section
    • I will track my protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake each day.
  • I will increase my endurance and strength
    • I will run 3 miles without stopping 2 X per week
    • I will take Boot Camp classes 2 X per week
    • I will strength train 3 X per week

A Personal Trainer Could Be Exactly What You Need to Get Started

A great way to stick to goals is make yourself accountable.  A great way to do that is workout with a partner, or better yet, a personal trainer.  Trainers are great resources in helping you create attainable and realistic goals, and show you how to achieve them through proper training and nutrition.   If you haven’t spoken to a Balance trainer, we highly recommend it.  To learn more about the personal training offerings at Balance, contact the location most convenient to speak with our Fitness Consultants.

• Balance at Glover Park: (202) 965-2121
• Balance at Thomas Circle: (202) 216-9000
• Balance at Foggy Bottom: (202) 457-5070
• Balance at Capitol Hill: (202) 450-5448