How to Set and Meet Your Fitness Goals in 2022
The American Psychological Association found that it wasn’t uncommon for the average American to put on two pounds every month during the heat of the pandemic. Stress, immobility, and lack of options to leave the house are among the key reasons.
While the pandemic still rages on, it’s important to find ways to combat those negative health outcomes. In other words, it’s time to gear up and get fit.
The new year is always a perfect time to start making changes. We’re going to discuss fitness goals in this article, giving you ideas on how to create them and stick to them.
Hopefully, the ideas below help you produce a change that lasts. Let’s get started.
1. Approach-Minded Planning
Studies show that approach-oriented goals are notably more effective than avoidance-oriented goals. So, for example, saying that you want to “go to the gym every day during 2022” would be more effective than saying that you’re “not going to be lazy anymore.”
Approach-minded thinking urges you to move forward, whereas avoidance just reminds you of what you don’t want to be. So, when you start to conceptualize your fitness goals, think of actionable things that have to do with how you’re going to approach the task at hand.
2. Gradual Increments and Realistic Growth
Make sure that you’re not starting with a herculean task to complete without any roadmap on how to get there. For example, you want to have six-pack abs by the end of the year. In order to do so, however, you need to lose a lot of fat and build abdominal muscles.
That process won’t happen overnight, and there are a lot of different exercises, dietary changes, and motivational moments involved in reaching that goal.
So, set the big goal, and work backward to create numerous smaller waypoints on the path to your goal. You might buy some big weights from Division 42, and work through numerous smaller weights before you can actually do reps with larger irons, for example.
3. Make Sure It’s Enjoyable
It’s possible to make any fitness journey enjoyable. It should be exciting and fun, considering that you’re doing something that is objectively good for you and will make you a lot happier about yourself.
We’re drills to think that our exercise goals need to be backbreaking and serious. “No pain, no gain,” as the saying goes.
That’s kind of a dated way of thinking, though. You don’t have to push your muscles to the limit to achieve a six-pack. In fact, hammering down on your muscle groups might not be the best thing for them.
You need to recover, and your muscles can make gains without reaching their maximum effort. Furthermore, those instances of extreme exhaustion might burn you out right away.
The psychology of the process is just as important, if not more important, than the actual physical aspect. So, make sure you’re enjoying the process, don’t push yourself too far, and do whatever you can to keep showing up.
Need More Help With Your Fitness Goals?
If you’re working through your fitness goals, there’s a lot more to learn. It’s confusing sifting through research, looking at exercise plans, and trying to wrap your head around what it is that you’re actually trying to do.
We’re here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on health and wellness, tips to create goals, and everything else you might need to meet your personal goals.