S.M.A.R.T. Workout Goals

Unrealistic fitness goals can be one of the biggest sources of discouragement when it comes to staying committed to your fitness program. Setting your goals according to the results you see in the latest infomercials is a recipe for failure, frustration and drop out. Instead, try setting your goals according to the popular SMART system. Think about the following when starting your fitness program.

Specific: Don’t set vague goals. “I want to get in shape” just doesn’t cut it! It doesn’t give you a final destination or let you know when you’ve achieved success. “I want to lose 5 pounds” or “I want to drop one clothes size” are goals that identify a specific target and will help you stay focused.

Measurable: Setting measurable goals can help you monitor your progress and success with greater certainty and ease. It will also boost your motivation and strengthen your commitment when you start seeing results. Finally, you will be more able to determine if your current workout program is getting you closer to your desired goal, or if you need to try something new.

Action Oriented: Plan your work out and then implement your plan. What days will you workout? What kind of exercise will you do? How often and how long? Once you’ve developed your plan actively implement it and get going.

Realistic:  Trying to lose 20lbs in two weeks is neither realistic nor healthy for most people. It’s much smarter to set small goals and have consistent victories that make you look forward to your next workout. Unrealistic goals can make you feel like a failure even when you do succeed at losing significant weight. 

Timed: It’s important to set a time limit to reach your goals, so that you can periodically assess whether you are on track.  Setting time also increases urgency and accountability; very important factors for any fitness program.

This approach will help you get smart about setting goals, and get you going on your way to changing your body, victory by victory.

DECIDING TO CHANGE TAKES DECISIONAL BALANCE

Making a decision to change unhealthy behaviors can be overwhelming. Changing moves you out of your comfort zone into the unknown, which can be stressful and sometimes just plain annoying. You may have seen friends successfully change a number of unhealthy behaviors; from making healthier food choices to reducing alcohol consumption. How do they do it and why are you having such a hard time? 

The truth is very simple, you may not be ready to change and that’s ok! Change is something you can work towards. Most people who make permanent changes will tell you they took some time to think and weighed the outcomes of their decisions. Many behavioral change experts refer to this process as a decisional balance. 

Think of a decisional balance as a scale. On one side you have the positive consequences of the change you want to make, on the other side, the negative consequences. If they're equal you will not have a compelling reason to change. However, if the positives outweigh the negatives; the scale tips towards changing and it's more likely that you'll be motivated to change. If your negatives outweigh the positives you may need to take a little more time to examine your reasons for changing.

It is also important to examine how you will view yourself when you’ve made the change and how others will react to your change. Some decisions may be a benefit to you but a cost to someone else. Having mixed feelings about changing is normal.

Try filling out the table below for the behavior you would like to change.  

	Positive (List all pros)	Negative (List all cons)
Consequences to self
Consequences to others
Reactions to self (How will your self-image improve)
Reactions of others (How will others react to your change)

How did you do? Did the positives outweigh the negatives? If so, great! If not, don’t worry, keep working on it. Take more time to educate yourself on the area you want to change. The decision you need to make will gradually become clearer to you. Good Luck!

WELCOME TO THE NYLEAN25 BLOG!

Former dancer, Robert Brace was named NY Daily News' "New York Top Fitness Guru" as well as Centric TV's go to fitness expert, with his blog, "Fare Thee Well." As a celebrity personal trainer, Robert used his expertise to tighten the bods of TV personalities, movie producers, models, pop stars, actors--the whole Hollywood 9 yards! However, Robert felt everyday folks deserved his top notch services too.

He then created NYLean25 as a solution for the movers and shakers of NYC that just don't have time to get it in at the gym enough to see the results they want. NYLean25 allows you to work out 3 times a week for 25 minutes each. Yes, only 25 minutes can get you lean. NYLean25 is all about fat burning interval training that is essential behind legitimate weight loss.

Robert hasn't re-invented the wheel of weightloss, he's streamlined it and made it more efficient. He's yielded amazing before and afters! Some of Robert's NYLean25 clientele have lost upwards to 17 pounds in 6 weeks and 4 inches off their waists. That's what I call LEAN!

Trust me when I say this program is intense, but in order to burn fat, intensity is the only thing that works. Most people that join have a love/hate relationship with the program because it hurts and it's difficult, but once you see your results, you're going to be completely hooked. Check out the site today for classes near you and pricing! http://www.nylean25.com/

In case you were wondering about Robert's credibility, he has a Bachelor's degree in Dance with minors in Program Design, Injury Prevention, Nutrition, Anatomy and Tai Chi. He's also certified by Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).