Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey, or have been active all your life, it’s never too early or too late to have set goals that will propel you forward. Even though we don’t advocate any fitness shortcuts, we have rounded up some trainer-approved strategies that will place you in a fast track to achieving your goals. Keep reading to find out our top tips.

1.      Know Where You Start

As you start your new destination on your GPS, you either have to put your starting address or you can begin from your current location. Your GPS will not work if you don’t do one of these steps. Same applies to your health and fitness goals.

Think about where you are starting from. If you haven’t thought of this before, take heart in knowing that you aren’t alone. Many people make this mistake; fortunately, correcting it can significantly speed you up in reaching your goals. To know where you’re starting from, have an understanding of your weight, body fat, lean muscle mass and anything else that can help you measure your progress.

Knowing where you stand will help you figure out how close you are to your destination, each time you hit a new milestone.

2.      Be Super Specific and Realistic

The following are some common vague goals people tend to keep, especially at the beginning of their fitness journeys:

• I want to lose weight
• I want a flat stomach/abs
• I want to get back in shape
• I want to be summer ready

Here are some examples of more specific goals:

• I want to lose 5 pounds in 3 months
• I want to lose 5% of fat in 5 weeks
• I want to be able to do 25 pushups
• I want to run a 10K
• I want to add sprinting to my routine to increase the intensity of my runs

See the difference? Not only are these goals more specific, they’re also far more realistic and attainable.

Measure everything you need to know as soon as possible, write it down in your journal, take pictures of yourself in your underwear and set a goal.

Be honest with yourself. Wanting to lose 10 pounds in a couple of weeks may sound cool, but it can be detrimental to your body and health in numerous ways. Set goals that are realistic, and be super specific about how you’ll achieve them.

3.      Have a Plan

A simple plan includes a timeline: a start and an end date, with many phases in between. You’d want to alternate between fat loss and hypertrophy circuit phases, and alternate between higher and lower calorie weeks. You’ll have to do plenty of trial and error to see what routine works for you. Always be sure to maintain what’s effective, and discard the rest.

4.      Write Down Your Workouts

By writing down every workout you conquer, you’ll have a record of all your accomplishments for the week. This will not only motivate you, but will also create a habit that will help you stick to your plans in the future. It also helps to plan your workouts, write them down and take them with you to the gym so that you don’t perform any exercise that comes to mind. The mind likes to anticipate things and not react to them.

5.      Get Plenty Of Sleep

This is perhaps the most important step: getting enough shuteye in the night. And we don’t mean a measly 5 to 7 hours, we mean a full on 8 to 9 hours of complete rest. Without proper rest, your body will fail to function optimally.

Your body needs at least 8 hours of sleep in order to produce the necessary hormones and chemicals required for repair and maintenance, growth and development and improved immune system health. Not getting enough sleep also raises cortisol levels, which increases belly fat and significantly increases your appetite in the night.

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