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Natural Awakenings Space & Treasure Coast Florida

Commit to be Fit

A fit body begins with a committed mind. Your mind can give you the motivation to exercise when you don’t feel like it, and it can even give you the willpower to make healthier food choices. Here are some key steps to help you kickstart your fitness program.

Forget Excuses –
retrain your mind to focus on the benefits of exercise

Instead of setting yourself up for failure with negative self talk such as "I don’t have time to exercise", or "Driving to the gym is too inconvenient", try viewing exercise with a different perspective this year. Here are some more positive alternatives: "My health is the most important gift I can give to my family and I can take time to exercise", and "Being fit is important to me and I can listen to my favorite music on my drive to the gym."

Identify your Fitness Goals ─ use the SMART acronym

Clearly defined goals give you a long-term vision of what you want to achieve and short-term motivation to do the hard work required to achieve it. They help you to recognize and measure your progress and to take pride in your achievements. Poorly defined goals are often too general and open-ended with no definite end in sight. If you have difficulty defining your goals, hiring a personal trainer can help.

Your fitness goals should be:

1.Specific (detailed description of what you want)
2.Measurable (so you clearly know when they’re achieved)
3.Attainable (high but achievable)
4.Relevant (applicable and motivational to you)
5.Timebound (target timeframe to achieve goal)

Examples include: "I want to lose 10 pounds in 2 months" or "By March first I want to run a mile in 8 minutes or less".

Transform your goals into a Fitness Plan

After you’ve identified your fitness goals, it’s time to develop your customized fitness plan. Enlisting the help of a personal trainer can streamline the process. A well defined fitness plan should include cardio, strength training, and stretching components, and healthy nutrition. Define the type of exercises, and the intensity, time and duration of your workouts. In other words, the fitness plan should spell out exactly what you need to do to reach your goal. Once you’ve got your plan, focusing on your goal and following your plan consistently are the keys to your success.

Anne Shapazian is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor at Synergy Health & Fitness Studio. For more information call 321-752-5258.