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The longer days are here, the warmer air on our skin, the grass is green, and you might have noticed a ‘spring’ in your step (excuse the pun). What a great time to think ahead to summer and beyond and set some goals…
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What have you been thinking about doing or getting into, but haven’t quite got there yet.
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Perhaps you ‘let go’ over the colder winter months? What do you enjoy doing? Are you are group-sport person or do you prefer exercising alone? Have you been exercising over winter and want to up the tempo? Or do you need to start again?
Goals are incredibly powerful – they provide us with a sense of direction and act as a yardstick against which we can assess our progress. An effective goal-setting strategy is to set a longer-term goal (whether it be the completion of an event, achieving or surpassing a certain time or getting down to a certain weight or body-fat percentage) first. Second, set some smaller goals to conquer on the way to that goal. These will lead the way and can be tweaked according to your progress (no path to success is dead straight, but you can have such fun doing it!).
Another great idea is to set a goal to achieve by the end of summer. By the time Christmas and the New Year roll around, you’ll be half way there, the habit has been established and the progress you’ll be really starting to see making you want more of that!! Perhaps you want to compete in a triathlon or a running race, swim a certain distance (or number of laps)… perhaps you want to get into a certain grade or team for rugby, soccer, netball during the winter…perhaps even you want to exceed a certain number of tries in touch rugby! The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Think about what you enjoy doing, what you want to try or how you want to be – there is nothing to lose.
Having trouble getting started? No worries – pop into the exercise room now and talk to a health and wellness specialist who can help you on your way to achieving your goals on the double!
Family fitness:
Maybe you have a family with younger children or smaller…even better. Children model much of their behaviour on important figures in their life – you! Don’t leave it to the teachers or sport coaches – exercise with them as much as you can. Everyone will benefit – the fresh air, time out of the house (and away from the TV, computer and playstations), the exercise (of course!) and the quality time together. It can be as simple as walking around the block, kicking or passing the ball down at the park, frisbee, backyard cricket to biking along the waterfront or kayaking down at the beach or lake. Let the kids have turns choosing, so everyone can enjoy their favorite activities and enjoy variety at the same time!
© Karina Balle 2008
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