Even if you never play an organized sport or compete for a championship, it’s important for every single one of us to aim for something as we pursue active lives of health, wellness, and fitness. In fact, sometimes the biggest reason that people don’t get involved with running, for example, is that they don’t have a clear motivating factor in mind. There’s no trophy. No screaming crowd. No screaming coach, pushing us forward. Yet, there’s something that we can all use as motivation to become people who walk, run, and live lives of physical activity and health: goals. Setting goals for yourself can be, in some ways, the best kind of motivation! You’re holding yourself accountable to go after something – because it’s worth it. With that in mind, here are just a few tips for you as you consider making some personal goals this school year in the area of running and physical fitness:
1. Set REALISTIC goals. You’re not going to get anywhere if you set yourself up for failure. If you’ve never run a mile before, don’t set a goal of running 3 miles in 18 minutes! That kind of goal will only create disappointment and frustration. Set goals that you believe, after careful thought, are realistically achievable given your body, your time, and your situation.
2. Set CHALLENGING goals. There’s no point setting goals that will be a breeze to achieve! To reach a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, you’ll need to set goals that will require some serious sweat and hard work to attain. Challenge yourself. Push yourself. You’ll be glad you did!
3. Find someone to HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE to work toward your goals. Don’t keep your goals a secret! You should set them on your own in a realistic way, but it will be very important to “let someone in” on your commitment. If you’re committing to running a mile every day, then ask your friend to text you every morning to remind you to follow through on your commitment. If your goal is to complete a 5K race, then sign a buddy up with you, and ask them to talk to you all the time about the race you’re going to run together. Don’t try to do it all alone!
4. CELEBRATE the completion of your goals. Running a race – or just running every day for a week – may not be a big deal to some people. But, if you completed your goal, it’s a big deal to you! Celebrate a little bit. Take satisfaction in meeting a goal that you set, especially if it took a lot of hard work and sweat to get there.
5. Set NEW goals. Don’t stop after you complete one set of goals. Make it a practice! It’s good to always be working toward something – whether in running, health, or life in general. Be a person that is constantly setting realistic and challenging goals, meeting them, and then moving on to new ones. Before you know it, you’ll be further along than you ever thought you would be!
I hope these have been helpful. Remember, you can start by making some goals TODAY. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Set realistic goals. Set challenging goals. Find a friend, and tell him or her about your goals. Then…go after them with everything you’ve got!
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