Run better. Train for a marathon. Lose the belly. Improve your skiing. Whatever your goal, there are lots of things you can do to help yourself get there.<\/p>\n
Motivation and inspiration are the starting point.<\/p>\n
Motivation<\/strong>\u00a0requires something to aim for. It could be a physical challenge or sporting endeavour or just getting an early start on the summer bikini body.<\/p>\n Inspiration<\/strong>\u00a0can come from others. Someone who\u2019s used fitness or exercise to make a positive change in their lives, or to recover from a potentially debilitating injury. Anyone who gets you thinking: \u201cIf they can do it, so can I\u201d.<\/p>\n Both are great drivers to help you set and reach your goals. So how do you set goals that are challenging and achievable? Try using the SMART technique.<\/p>\n Research \u2013 or speak to a qualified exercise professional \u2013 about how to achieve your goal. What exercises will help you best? How and when can you do them? You\u2019re in it for the long haul. So make sure that your programme is one you have a reasonable chance of sticking to for more than just a week or two.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s vital that you see your hard work paying off. So pick a measure of improvement that suits you and the programme you\u2019ve chosen. It could be performance related, it could be about weight or body shape or even something as simple as how well your clothes fit. The word \u201chow\u201d is a great guide \u2013 how many reps, how big or small, how much.<\/p>\n A big goal or target \u2013 lose 10 kilos or run 15k for instance – can feel daunting and affect your morale. So divide it into smaller, more easily attainable ones and each time you achieve one, set yourself the next. You\u2019ll feel a real sense of satisfaction each time you tick off a milestone.<\/p>\n Make sure your programme and your goals are in sync. So if you\u2019re a night owl, don\u2019t commit to a dawn workout five days a week. If you\u2019re only planning to go running or hit the weights bench once a week, don\u2019t expect to be doing a sub-40 minute 10K anytime soon.<\/p>\n Set a deadline for you to achieve each goal. This will help plan how your improvements should occur and make sure you don\u2019t stagnate. Like smaller goals, shorter time periods are a great way to stay focussed.<\/p>\n Follow this approach and you’ll find that achieving the goals you set yourself is a lot easier than you thought it would be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’re training with a goal in mind, you’ll dramatically improve your chances if you train SMART<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,116,118],"tags":[56,62],"class_list":["post-1546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-sports-performance","category-workouts-exercises","tag-motivation","tag-training"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nS<\/strong>pecific and Sustainable<\/h2>\n
M<\/strong>easurable<\/h2>\n
A<\/strong>chievable<\/h2>\n
R<\/strong>ealistic<\/h2>\n
T<\/strong>imed<\/h2>\n