In tribute to the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Not everyone can be an athlete, but we can all achieve fitness.
The Olympic games have come and gone but the absolute thrill of it still lingers. The Olympics is all about passion, discipline, sportsmanship, team work, perseverance, hardwork and determination. Amazing qualities that we should all value as well as possess. Though, not all of us might be able to train for 5-10 hours daily or do a thousand sit-ups everyday without fail for a whole year as most of the athletes do, but we can all take baby steps in achieving the type of body, fitness level and overall health we desire.
In tribute to the athletes, who have for four years denied themselves of simple pleasures, subjected their bodies to strict discipline and sacrificed a lot to be able to compete on the world stage; let's look at and learn from a key part of their success. Which is - the importance of setting long and short term goals. Every athletes' long term goal is to compete with the world's best in the Olympic games and hopefully, win a medal. This goal drives them to create a series of short term goals that would move them closer to that ultimate goal.
Setting both long and short term goals are equally important. The short term goal keeps you focused and in control. It gives you strength to keep on and not give up and draws you closer to attaining your long term goal. Having a long-term goal challenges you and drives you because you can see and almost touch the end picture of your desire.
A short term fitness goals is one that is easily achievable, realistic and doable in a short amount of time. It is like taking a couple of baby steps towards your long term goal. Your short term goals should be in line with your long-term goal and should lead you to attaining your long-term goal. For example, a short term goal could be, increasing your workout time from 15 minutes a day to 30 minutes, or including strength routines or more cardiovascular exercises to your workout, or it could be increasing your workout time to three times in a week, if you only workout once a week or not at all. Or it could be adding an extra mile or block to your early morning jog or adding more reps to your sets or more weight into your strength training. It could also be the decision to cut out or limit your soft drink consumption or pastries, or increase the amount of water you drink daily.
Long term goals, on the other hand, are the ultimate and end objective that you wish to achieve. It takes more sustained efforts and longer amount of time to achieve. For example, losing your pot belly or abdominal fat is a long term goal, so is training for a marathon, lowering your BMI or cholesterol or losing weight. These goals are not usually achieved in a couple of days or weeks, if done the right way, of course. They would require a fairly long time and most importantly, discipline, consistency and sustained efforts. Think of it this way, your long term goal is a marathon and not a sprint.
A very important point to note when setting your fitness goals is to ensure that these goals are SMART. That is your goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Your personal fitness goals must be doable and attainable in the time you have set for them. Be absolutely honest with yourself and determine how much time you can spend on your goals, your current fitness level and if you can honestly see yourself doing what it takes to achieve that goal. That is the mistake many of us make, we set very hard, unrealistic and downright impossible fitness goals for ourselves and get frustrated and disappointed when we can't reach those goals. Don't be too hard on yourself. Take baby steps and you will get there slowly but surely. You didn't gain all those pounds in a few weeks, so don't expect to be rid of them in that short a time.
Though exercising is great, do a medical check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise routine. Be safe rather than sorry.
In the spirit of the Olympic games, my long term goal is increasing my flexibility and achieving a full split. My short term goals is to incorporate a series of flexibility routines and strength routines meant to mirror and mimic the full split and increase my range of movements and flexibility. These stretch and muscle strength routines will focus on my lower back, hips, groin, hamstring, glute, quads and calf. Each session will take 20 minutes and will be done in the morning and evening after my workout.
I might not be able to achieve the flexibility of a gymnasts but I can definitely increase the range of movements of my joints and attain my own personal fitness. So that is my Olympic personal fitness goals, what's yours?
Not everyone can be an athlete, but we can all achieve fitness.
The Olympic games have come and gone but the absolute thrill of it still lingers. The Olympics is all about passion, discipline, sportsmanship, team work, perseverance, hardwork and determination. Amazing qualities that we should all value as well as possess. Though, not all of us might be able to train for 5-10 hours daily or do a thousand sit-ups everyday without fail for a whole year as most of the athletes do, but we can all take baby steps in achieving the type of body, fitness level and overall health we desire.
In tribute to the athletes, who have for four years denied themselves of simple pleasures, subjected their bodies to strict discipline and sacrificed a lot to be able to compete on the world stage; let's look at and learn from a key part of their success. Which is - the importance of setting long and short term goals. Every athletes' long term goal is to compete with the world's best in the Olympic games and hopefully, win a medal. This goal drives them to create a series of short term goals that would move them closer to that ultimate goal.
Setting both long and short term goals are equally important. The short term goal keeps you focused and in control. It gives you strength to keep on and not give up and draws you closer to attaining your long term goal. Having a long-term goal challenges you and drives you because you can see and almost touch the end picture of your desire.
A short term fitness goals is one that is easily achievable, realistic and doable in a short amount of time. It is like taking a couple of baby steps towards your long term goal. Your short term goals should be in line with your long-term goal and should lead you to attaining your long-term goal. For example, a short term goal could be, increasing your workout time from 15 minutes a day to 30 minutes, or including strength routines or more cardiovascular exercises to your workout, or it could be increasing your workout time to three times in a week, if you only workout once a week or not at all. Or it could be adding an extra mile or block to your early morning jog or adding more reps to your sets or more weight into your strength training. It could also be the decision to cut out or limit your soft drink consumption or pastries, or increase the amount of water you drink daily.
Long term goals, on the other hand, are the ultimate and end objective that you wish to achieve. It takes more sustained efforts and longer amount of time to achieve. For example, losing your pot belly or abdominal fat is a long term goal, so is training for a marathon, lowering your BMI or cholesterol or losing weight. These goals are not usually achieved in a couple of days or weeks, if done the right way, of course. They would require a fairly long time and most importantly, discipline, consistency and sustained efforts. Think of it this way, your long term goal is a marathon and not a sprint.
A very important point to note when setting your fitness goals is to ensure that these goals are SMART. That is your goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Your personal fitness goals must be doable and attainable in the time you have set for them. Be absolutely honest with yourself and determine how much time you can spend on your goals, your current fitness level and if you can honestly see yourself doing what it takes to achieve that goal. That is the mistake many of us make, we set very hard, unrealistic and downright impossible fitness goals for ourselves and get frustrated and disappointed when we can't reach those goals. Don't be too hard on yourself. Take baby steps and you will get there slowly but surely. You didn't gain all those pounds in a few weeks, so don't expect to be rid of them in that short a time.
Though exercising is great, do a medical check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise routine. Be safe rather than sorry.
In the spirit of the Olympic games, my long term goal is increasing my flexibility and achieving a full split. My short term goals is to incorporate a series of flexibility routines and strength routines meant to mirror and mimic the full split and increase my range of movements and flexibility. These stretch and muscle strength routines will focus on my lower back, hips, groin, hamstring, glute, quads and calf. Each session will take 20 minutes and will be done in the morning and evening after my workout.
I might not be able to achieve the flexibility of a gymnasts but I can definitely increase the range of movements of my joints and attain my own personal fitness. So that is my Olympic personal fitness goals, what's yours?
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