The Importance of Goal Setting - Rebecca Conlin

Something that I have struggled with the last few months is my diet. I train like an athlete, never missing a session, enjoy feeling like I’ve worked hard and as sad as it sounds I love the feeling you get the day after a hard workout of sore aching muscles. However, I hold myself back with my lack of diet discipline, especially for chocolate flabjack (and yes, I mis-spelt that on purpose!). After tweaking my diet continuously for the last few months to find something I can maintain I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the diet that was the problem… it was me!

The problem is that I have got into ‘okay’ shape and I’m not unhappy enough with my appearance to alter my diet. Although a better diet would fuel my workouts and allow me to train better and harder, I don’t want it enough to change my diet! At this point to move forward I need a goal that I want enough to make these changes.

Not having a goal is like trying to buy a train ticket and not knowing your destination. You have to know where you’re going before you set off. Having a goal allows you to plan the most efficient and direct route to your goal destination. It allows you to plan out different stages of your journey in achievable chunks; in fact you can have short, medium and long term goals running at the same time. So how do you plan goals? I use the SMART acronym:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time Bound


I have now set a SMART goal: to compete in a figure show a year from now. To help me get there I have also set short and medium term goals mostly to improve my diet and nutrition which will fuel my body for the hard workouts I have planned. Guess what? For the last week my diet has been immaculate because I now have a goal in place that I want enough to change my eating habits.

The power of a decent goal should never be underestimated! If you would like to contact Real World Fitness about your own goals and goal setting please do not hesitate to get in contact. We pride ourselves in not only providing quality training, but also creating a the supportive network that is essential to enable people to reach their diet and fitness goals.