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Shawn Fears's Blog

Shawn Fears's Blog

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Sunday, January 02, 2011 • Fairbanks, AK 99701

Goal Setting for the New Year

By Shawn Fears

Its a New Year and with a that comes New Goals.  Sure you have all hears about goal setting, but how many of you have actually set and achieved your goals?  What is it that makes attaining those goals so difficult?  I am going to shed some light on why most people fail at their new years resolutions.

It's really about seeing the big picture then breaking it down into smaller more manageable chunks.  Sure everybody wants to drop 5, 10, or even 20 or more pounds, but do you really know how to set those kind of goals?  Well here is how.

There are 3 steps to goal setting: big picture goals (yearly), checkpoint goals (monthly), and immediate focus goals (weekly/daily). 

  • Long Term Goals - These are the goals that  you envision at the end, your final result.  This is the goal that is going to be your motivation when things get hard, its the mental picture that you think of every morning when you get up.  It is the reason you are doing what you do.
  • Mid Term Goals - These are the small check points along the way that make sure you are on track, they also serve as a motivator when you meet or exceed them.  If you don't meet the goal then you know, you had better get your butt in gear or rethink your strategy.  You see, if at the end of the month you aren't where you need to be and you are doing everything you had planned then it is time to reassess your plan.  This goal period is what really keeps you on track.  Sort of the gas stations on the road map to your destination.
  • Short Term Goals - This is where most failures happen.  People see the big picture and are excited to jump  in and get started, but after a couple of weeks they get frustrated because there is no way to check if they are on track to their monthly goals.  This is the reason people give up.  If you want to succeed at anything then you have to plan short term goals that add up to your checkpoints.  You wouldn't jump into a car and try to make it to the gas station (mid term goal) without knowing how far it is and if you can make it that far on a tank of gas would you?  Of course not, so if you can plan to get to a gas station then you can plan to make it to your next monthly goal.

Next is S.M.A.R.T. this acronym is for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.  There are many similar acronyms for  goals, but this is the one I am going to cover because it is fairly simple.

With all that in mind lets take a look at a common goal,  how about dropping some weight this next year.  A lot of people  would like to do this by say this summer.  So lets get started.  Is this goal specific? No, it really isn't is it, so lets make it more specific. How about "I want to lose 40lbs by May to get ready for summer"  This is more specific in nature because it gives  the exact amount and a deadline, which makes it time bound. It is measurable because we are dealing with a set weight and attainable because there are 5 months to do it in. It is relevant because it defines the need to get into shape in time for summer.

So, now that we have a SMART goal lets make it more manageable.

Long Term - 40 lbs by May
Mid Term - 8lbs per month
Short Term - 2 lbs per week

Ok so that looks good right?!?! Well sure it looks good but how do you get there?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine it takes 90 min of cardio 5 or more days per week with 2-3 strength training sessions to maintain or even build lean muscle(stoking the calorie furnace).   This is all fine and dandy, but who wants to workout for two hours a day besides me??? Not many, so there is another way...but if you want to know you will need to contact me for more a more personalized training plan that takes  half of the recommended time to get the same results.

Contact information:
Shawn Fears
Alaska Fitness Solutions
Cell: 907-347-7863
email: s.fears@hotmail.com
or contact me through IDEA trainer finder.

I look forward to hearing from you and Happy New Year everybody!!

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About Me View Profile

Shawn Fears

I am a very enthusiastic trainer, and love what I do. I have a sports background having played football, wrestling, and competed as a junior lifter in USAW sanctioned Olympic Weightlifting meets I am currently enrolled in California University of Pennsylvania's global online degree program. I am maintaining a 3.8 GPA cummulative after finishing my 3rd year while working towards my Bachelors of Science in Sports Management - Fitness and Wellness track. When I am not studying for my degree, training clients, or working out, I am reading about the latest research on exercise science that I can get my hands on. I use a science based training plan that offers the latest in program design and planning strategies. My programs are custom made for each client based on an extensive screening process that includes, but not limited to: health history, medical history, exercise history, body composition, circumference measurements, aerobic testing (VO2), flexibility, mobility, joint stability, core stability, muscular endurance, muscular strength, reactive strength, power, speed, agility, quickness, and functional movement patterns. From these variables I design a program that is best suited for you to obtain your goals.
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