lifestyle       To help you realise your goals

Have a vision

Published: 17 Oct 2004

The benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise are enormous. Your improved sense of well being and gains in strength and fitness will have a positive impact in all areas of your life.

Starting an exercise program is often the easy part. Staying with it long enough to feel and see the positive results that make it more likely for you to continue can be challenging. It's not always easy to stay motivated; there will always be those days where the sofa looks more attractive than your workout.

Have goals
Goal setting is a great way of staying on track. Goals focus your workout program and clarify what you are trying to achieve. As you attain each goal, you gain encouragement and further motivation.

Write them down
Goals must be specific. A vague idea that you want to get fit and lose weight is not a goal. Decide what you want to achieve, write it down and make it time specific and measurable. Including a personal element can be helpful 'By my birthday I will have lost 5 kg and will be able to run for 20mins' is a good example. Written goals are a powerful tool. Make a point of reading yours every day.

Weighing yourself and taking measurements before you start your program will allow you to track your progress. Taking a 'before' photograph in a swimsuit can be a real wake up call. Your mental picture of how you look may be years out of date. While it may be painful to look at, such a picture might just provide all the motivation you need to get started and stay on track. Take a new photo every few weeks and keep a record of your weight and measurements. Don't be discouraged if you don't see results straight away. Healthy sustainable change takes time.

Be realistic
Setting your expectations too high can lead to frustration and make it more likely that you will quit. Make sure, however, that your goals are challenging. Goal setting should be an ongoing process. As you achieve one set of goals, set new ones. Constantly striving to improve will keep you from becoming bored and complacent.

Visualise Success Visualization is the process of creating through believing. Our subconscious mind can't discern what's real and what isn't. Repeatedly putting the right images into your mind, seeing yourself eating right and training hard, for example is extremely valuable. Constantly visualising yourself becoming a leaner, stronger and healthier person through your efforts will help to make it a reality. Preparing mentally before your workout, picturing yourself lifting more weight or running further and faster than you have before can help you to push through to a new level and overcome plateaus in your training. Take a moment before each set to focus and picture your self performing each rep with perfect form. Imagine your muscles becoming bigger and stronger as you successfully complete the set. By picturing a successful outcome, you can make the most of your physical abilities.

Effective visualization takes practice, keep at it. The physical benefits of developing your mental skills are well worth the effort.

Your mind is an extremely powerful tool. Make the most of it.