How to achieve your health, fitness & performance dreams & goals
One of the great things about the Olympics is that you get to hear each Gold Medalists story. There is a common theme throughout. Each Champion will tell you of the sacrifices they have made, their commitment to training, dedication and faith, never giving up on their dream, and how they couldn’t have done it without the the support of their friends, family & coaches.
By following these 10 coaching tips you too can achieve your health, fitness & performance goals.
- Set a goal that you want to achieve in a certain time, and make sure that it can be measured. For example: to be in a specific dress size, drop 2 inches from your waist, run a 10k in less than an hour. Whatever it is you need to be passionate about it.
- Prepare – In every aspect of your life you need to spend time on preparation, from cooking your food the night before to making exercise appointments with yourself in your diary.
- Give 100% effort & commitment to everything that will bring you closer to your goal – exercise, training, nutrition etc.
- Rest. This is as important as training & exercise. Have at least 7 hours of quality sleep every night & have at least one rest day from exercise every week to enable your body to recover and repair itself.
- Have a support network, This can be your partner, work colleagues, friends, family. Make sure you tell at least one person what you are doing and why, so that they can support you through your journey.
- Avoid the friendly saboteurs. Friends that will try and sabotage your efforts, telling you ‘that you don’t need to lose weight, you’re fine as you are’, ‘don’t be boring, skip training & come out for a drink instead’. Spend more time with people that support you.
- Monitor your progress. Make sure you take and record ‘before’ pictures, measurements and fitness test scores. Then re-measure & record at regular intervals.
- Believe you can do it. Imagine yourself achieving your goal and hold on to the feeling of achievement, success, confidence, and use this to motivate you when things get tough.
- Keep a diary/ journal where you detail all exercise & training, food, drink, sleep and your mood. This will help you keep on track & assist you when evaluating your progress & results.
- Do something everyday that takes you closer to your goal.
