This is the first post in my new mini-series entitled “Matt’s Secrets to Fitness Success.” In this series I will discuss critical elements necessary to maximize your fitness potential. These are the secrets I share with my clients to keep them motivated. This very insight is what has enabled me to maintain a superior level of fitness for the past eleven years. I am inclined to write on this topic because the fitness failures experienced by many individuals could be prevented if only they new my secret.

Part 1- The Art of Goal Setting

Unbeknownst to many, there is an art to setting goals. This process is not complex nor is it complicated. Even still most people get it all wrong. Often times when referencing goal setting we are taught the very basics. We are simply taught to set “short term” goals. My problem with this is that more often than not our short term goals are much larger than we truly realize. For instance, I require all clients to set goals both verbally and in writing. Ironically the vast majority of my weight loss clients start with a short term goal of losing ten pounds. Initially this may sound like a good and reasonable goal. However, if we dig beneath the surface we can find the reason many people never lose the ten and end up setting the same goal again. Anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight knows that ten pounds does not just vanish into the thin air.  In fact for most, it takes several weeks of dedication and hard work. Although ten pounds might be small for someone who needs to lose 50, the time involved to do so nullifies this as a ”TRUE” short term goal.

By GOD’S design we are created to be motivated by results. This is the very reason I created secret #1. To ensure success, short term goals should be decreased to small goals. Small goals should be decreased to mini goals and mini goals should be decreased to micro -mini goals. I know this sounds like a lot of rhetoric so let me explain. In short…proper goals should be reduced to the smallest measurable degree. A good short term goal is something that an individual can see quickly. Remember…we are motivated by results. For the above referenced scenario; a person wishing to lose ten pounds could reduce that goal to doing whats necessary to lose weight (exercise.) Exercise can be reduced to walking for eleven minutes instead of ten. Or doing three sit-ups instead of two. Or walking at a speed of 3.1 instead of 3. You get the point! All of these changes are small but they are measurable and require minimal effort. Challenging yourself to micro-mini goals as such strengthens your mental fortitude. It does so by making you believe that a little more couldn’t be that bad. I constantly challenge myself in the same manner. If I did nine reps the previous workout I believe I can do ten the next. If I’ve previously finished my run in 30 minutes then the next time I try to finish the same distance in 29. Undoubtedly, properly structured goals will yield a sense of accomplishment and small accomplishments propel gigantic results.