One of the most common problems I hear about training is “I really want to lose weight and get fit, but just can’t seem to get motivated to go for a run or to the gym” Sound familiar? My response is generally always the same – “Have you set yourself goals?” Motivation depends on goal setting.

Ninety percent of all studies done on goal setting (and there are well over 500 of these kinds of studies) all prove that goal setting has a powerful and consistent effect on behaviour.

Saying “I want to lose weight” is definitely a goal. But there’s more to goal setting than that. Here are some principles to goal setting, which should help you to get motivated in your training.

Set Specific Goals
“I want to lose weight”, “I want to get fit”, “I want to tone my muscles” are all goals and good goals at that. But be more specific about that exact goal. For example, if you want to lose weight, rather say I want to lose six kilograms. This makes the goal more real and attainable. (On that point – many people don’t know how much weight to lose or what a healthy weight for them might be, I would suggest going to see a biokineticist or sport scientist to help guide you with this. They will also be able to help you set up attainable goals and monitor progress.)

Set Attainable Goals
So many women I speak to set themselves ridiculous goals and then wonder why they are demotivated when they don’t achieve them. We need to be realistic about our goals; we also need to know what goals are healthy and not too extreme.

Set Long- And Short-Term Goals
Major physiological changes due not take place over night. Therefore both long- and short-term goals are needed. For example, my long-term goal is to lose six kilograms, my short-term goal for this week is to run three times in the week. The short-term goals allow for instant motivation to be gained but in the process will always help you achieve your long-term goal. This is a very effective goal setting tool.

Monitor Progress And Get Feedback
There is nothing more motivating than seeing yourself slowly achieving your goals. When you see the kilograms dropping off it makes you motivated to achieve more. That’s the beauty of goal setting. But you need to be able to see, hear or feel those results. If you are working with a biokineticist or sport scientist they will be able to perform body composition measurements (if your goal is weight loss) or performance measurements (if your goal is performance based) and this is a great method of feedback to let you know you are on the right track or if you need to re-evaluate your goals and/or program.