We’re about two weeks into the new year. If you set fitness goals for 2021, how are things going so far?

While setting goals is a great way to accomplish meaningful things in your life, the process itself can be tough to tackle and stick with long-term. Many people wind up giving up on their goals before it’s even February.

While it may not be easy to accomplish your goals, it is possible and manageable. Recognizing some of the common challenges people face while in the pursuit of their goals can be helpful.

So, here are six challenges to achieving your 2020 fitness goals (and what you can do about them):

1. YOU HAVEN’T CONSIDERED THE “WHY.”

When setting goals, most of us are focused on “the what.” What goal or goals will I accomplish this year? And while the goal itself is important, there is another piece of the goal-setting process that can help you be successful. That piece is understanding “the why” behind your goal. Why is this goal important to you? Why do you want to increase your fitness, lose weight, or clean up your diet? Considering the why behind your goals can help you maintain your motivation and excitement to put in the work necessary to reach your goal.

2. PLAN? WHAT PLAN?

Have you heard that saying, “a goal without a plan is just a dream”? A goal without a plan is hard to achieve, and it’s one of the biggest challenges you might face while pursuing your 2020 goals. But it also has an easy fix. All you have to do is make a plan. For example, if your goal is to go to more classes this year, then plan out which classes you’ll attend. Stop dreaming, and start planning.

3. IT’S COMPLICATED.

Sometimes when setting goals, the challenge isn’t figuring out what to work toward. Instead, we take on too much. You might set a goal to work out five times a week… and also give up sugar, start meditating every day, begin a daily gratitude journal, start training for a marathon, get more sleep, and volunteer in your community. And while all of these goals could lead to some healthy habit changes, taking them all on at the same time could lead to trouble. Instead, choose one goal to focus on and put all of your energy toward that one goal. Choose the one that will make the biggest impact on your life at this time.

4. YOU EXPECT PERFECTION.

A tough thing about the goal-setting process is a lack of flexibility in our approach. If you set a goal to work out every day this year, what’s going to happen the first day you miss a workout? Expecting perfection and setting unrealistic expectations will lead you toward disappointment and frustration. So, when you set your goals, keep your approach flexible, and leave some space for things to happen that are beyond your control. Traffic will be awful one day, and you’ll miss your workout. You’ll eat that third or fourth piece of cake. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as possible.

5. YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR PROGRESS.

With some fitness or healthy lifestyle goals, it’s hard to see your progress. If your goal is to improve your fitness this year, specifically your endurance, how can you actually see that? One way is to keep a workout log. By tracking your workouts and progress on paper or your phone, you have a way to visualize your progress. On the days that you wake up and wonder if you’re even getting closer to your goal, you can look back at where you were a few weeks or months ago and see how far you’ve come.

6. YOU’RE ALL ON YOUR OWN.

While it’s possible to achieve a goal on your own, it becomes easier to manage and continue when you have some support. Sharing your goals with a close friend or workout buddy increases your chances of success. And while you are the one who will ultimately do all the workouts and training sessions, you won’t be all on your own. Getting support from a community that shares your values and interests goes a long way in assisting with your success.

The community at Systems Training Center is here to support you in working toward your 2021 goals. To learn more about how we can help you get started, contact us today.