Goals - Building, Living and Being Inspired

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 Jun 2007 07:31 AM

Every day we hear about the threat of obesity against our children, our future and ourselves. Fitness and health are more than a niche market, in fact, it seems like everyone is getting in on the act. My mother called me yesterday and we were talking and she mentioned off hand that she just picked up an elliptical machine. You could have scraped my jaw off the floor!

My mother bought an elliptical machine? She ordered an elliptical machine, received delivery, put it together and plans to use it. WOW! Then she tells me something else that threw me, up until a year ago, she worked out at the gym in her apartment complex on a regular basis. I was just floored and she laughed at me and said, you don't know everything, do you?

Well, she was right. I didn't realize that she was working out and that she worked out regularly to keep excess pockets of fat from building up. She walks all the time, she walks at work, she walks everywhere she wants to go, but it doesn't keep her back and arms trim and that's why she bought herself an elliptical. I was impressed, amazed and yes - I admit it - more than a little flabbergasted.

Goal Building

Achieving a fitness goal is just like achieving any other goal in life. You need a plan that will help you see your goals become reality. So how do you create a plan that will work for you? You start by acknowledging that if you make a mistake or that there is a set back, you pick up where you left off and you start all over again.

Assess what your goals are. Make sure that whatever goals you are setting for yourself are goals that you can realistically achieve. Skip the fad diets and the crash weight loss programs. Talk to your doctor, talk to a personal trainer and work with them to create not only a doable workout routine, but also one that you will enjoy. Your doctor will be able to help you determine your limits and more.

Be reasonable with your expectations. For example, wanting to burn off 10 pounds per week isn't reasonable. But wanting to lose three to four pounds a month is. Be sure that you incorporate nutrition into your fitness plan. We're going to talk more about this as we have every month since I started writing this blog.

My mother inspired me yesterday even as she left me flabbergasted. Inspiration is an important part of building fitness goals - so what are you going to do to inspire yourself and to others?

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Fitness Fallacies - Mistakes We Make

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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