Goal setting

Summer is over, the kids are back in school, and it’s time to get back into a routine.  Here are some simple strategies to help you set effective fitness goals:

• What is your goal and what behavior(s) do you need to change to achieve your goal?  Keep a journal to track the behavior that you want to change
• Look for behavior patterns.
• Set specific and realistic goals that you can work towards. Goals should be easy to track and measure.
• Make a plan of action by: obtaining supplies and info (sign up for a class, buy athletic shoes if you need them), change your environment so that you will have control over your behavior (you may choose to not have certain foods within reach), monitor and chart your progress (use a calendar, journal), reward yourself for meeting specific targets and milestones and be ready for situations that challenge you.
• Put it in writing with a personal contract, state your goal(s), specify a completion date, include rewards for meeting targets, include how you are going to achieve your goal, how you will measure your progress, sign it and enlist a volunteer who will help you reach your goal and have them sign the contract as a witness.