24 May Goal-setting a must for improving your fitness level

One of the most important things a person can do to stay fit and healthy is to set goals.
If you exercise without goals it can be like driving without a roadmap.
Set goals to help you get where you want to go. Then adjust your workouts accordingly.
It’s important to set short- and long-term goals. I like to recommend that people set several goals – make sure you know that some will be fairly easily attainable, while others will be tougher to reach.
Even if you don’t accomplish the very top goals, even getting close will leave you much better off.
Here’s an example of a goal chart someone may want to set. It may help you think of others goals and, of course, tweak if needed to fit your current fitness level:
* Lose 20 pounds
* Drop your body fat by 5 percent
* Exercise 3-4 times a week
* Be able to jog for 20 minutes straight on a treadmill or outside (add more time if you’re already in decent shape)
* Be able to walk for 20 minutes straight on the treadmill or outside if you haven’t been very active.
* Complete a 5K race
* Bike ride 25 miles
* Increase your bench press by 25 percent
* Eat better
* Keep a workout log
* Fit in a favorite old pair of jeans again.
Keep the list posted at work, on your refrigerator or somewhere else where it’s always handy. If you work hard most goals are attainable, but when it comes to fitness consistency is the key.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com