Guest Post

By Coach John Colenberg

Taking care of your body is a vital step in healing your soul. Women and men are often identified and categorized by their physical appearance. As a man I always said I would never date someone who didn’t take pride in caring for their body. No one is really exempt from being judged for their physical appearance. If you don’t believe me take a look at your most successful men and women in any arena they are almost always surrounded by people who are physically attractive. Now you can get mad and call them whatever you like but the truth is as men and women our physical appearance is the easiest thing to change about ourselves. It just take a few minutes out of your day to make an impact on your appearance.

So it’s the new year and you are eating blackeyed peas and making new year resolutions. Most are thinking about getting in shape for the new year and that is great, but before you dive in too fast sit back and develop SMART goals for your fitness development. Many of you have used SMART goals at work and school but rarely for your fitness. So lets revisit what this means.

  1. The S stands for Simple don’t make the goals too complex break it down into small chunks for example I want to exercise for two days out of the week for 3 weeks. See simple.
  2. The M stands for Measurable be able to count and measure your progress. Try not to tie your measurement to weight because your weight will fluctuate and that can be discouraging. Instead try tying it to number of miles or minutes walked or jogged or ran, whatever feels better for you.
  3. A stands for Attainable, make this something simple and not overly challenging early on. Try to do this in small increments. Like ficus on working out for 15 minutes to start and gradually set a goal to do 20 after two weeks
  4. R stands for Realistic, for example I weigh 230 lbs today it is unrealistic to think that I will be 190 in 4 weeks. So be realistic when setting your goals. For me 220 by the end of the month is realistic.
  5. And finally the T stands for Timely, Be sure to set a time frame for each goal. Make yourself accountable for your goals.

The last thing is surround yourself with a person or people who will support you and give positive reinforcement. None of the jealous hearted naysayers that don’t want to do anything other than down those that will take action. And you know who they are!

So here is the starting point for your new year fitness goal. Remember you control your appearance and ultimately your life so take control one step at a time and be SMART. Life lessons.

Coach John Colenberg has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Delta State University, is a track coach in Memphis, TN and conducts a two cycling classes at MaxFitness in Horn Lake, Mississippi on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6-7 pm. For more information on Coach Colenberg’s 100 Day Fitness Challenge and SMART Lessons click here.

Don’t forget to follow the 100 Days to a Brand New You Challenge here.

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