Stop Wasting Your Time Setting Fitness Goals

Ideas from the corporate world seem to be filtering into the health and fitness world. One example is the advice we're being fed by books and trainers about "setting goals." We're bombarded with messages to "write down your goals" and then to make them S.M.A.R.T.("specific", "measurable", "attainable", "realistic" and "time related") - or something to that effect.

I think ideas like this are good in certain contexts. They certainly work in the business world and other environments. But I can't help thinking it's a waste of time when it comes to exercise. In fact, I'll go as far as saying that I believe that most of the popular "motivational stuff" like visualisations, affirmations and even goal-setting itself - is a waste of time. At best, it's overrated.

When I was transforming my body, I did a huge amount of research, and that meant reading a lot of books on sports, health, fitness, self-improvement and nutrition. And I do mean a lot! I'm always thankful that I'm a speed-reader; it's a very valuable skill to have. Anyway, I noticed that the books I liked least of all were the ones that gave me a lot of homework at the start. One diet book wanted me to spend a week writing down everything I ate before I even got to start the diet plan. A self-help book wanted me to spend that week writing down and analysing my thoughts and feelings and heaven knows what else. And an exercise book advised me to write out a statements like "I radiate health and happiness!" on a card every day and carry them around with me.

I didn't want to do any of this; I just wanted to get started!

Perhaps for some people, this kind of preparation can be useful. But for many - myself included - it's a sure way to get trapped in what's known as paralysis by analysis: endlessly researching, analysing and planning stuff, but never actually, you know, doing it. I bet that most books like this end up gathering dust on a shelf, or being sold on eBay, having never been read beyond the first or second chapters.

The premise behind all the conventional fitness goal-setting and motivation stuff seems to be that we need to be, well, motivated. That we lack desire and that we need to find some way to force ourself to want something. Personally, I think that's nonsense. You may be reading this article because you wanted to look and feel younger, to become more attractive, or to have a better quality of life. Whatever. The point is, I'm sure that you already know what you want. You don't need to spend days writing it down and analysing the hell out of it! And you don't need to walk around repeating mantras to yourself either.

So does this article mean that I'm against having goals? Not at all. But just don't go overboard. Don't get S.M.A.R.T.; get smart. Just get someone to show you a good program, and then start it! That's all the goal-setting you need to do. The rest will take care of itself.