It's that time of year again - the time to start setting new goals for the upcoming year. While many people get excited about setting ambitious goals for their health and fitness, it's important to remember that unrealistic goals can be discouraging and can lead to disappointment. Rather than setting yourself up for failure, it's important to set realistic fitness goals that you can actually achieve. To get started, make sure you have a good understanding of your current fitness level. If you haven’t already, take the time to assess your current physical health, nutrition habits, and activity levels. This will help prevent you from going zero to a hundred with an unsustainable plan. Once you have a clear picture of where you’re at, you can start setting realistic goals. A coach can help with this! Rather than attempting to set extreme goals like running a marathon or losing 50lbs, focus on building small, sustainable habit-based goals. Start by setting realistic goals that you can actually achieve, such as going to the gym twice a week, drinking at least 80oz of water every day, and limiting how often you eat out. These small actionable goals can help you build momentum and keep you motivated to reach the outcome you’re ultimate trying to achieve. This will help you stay on track and progress steadily. Finally, don’t forget to give yourself some grace. Remember that it takes time to achieve your goals and that progress is rarely linear. Remember to celebrate the small successes and don’t be too hard on yourself if you haven’t seen the scale move. Focus on the process and trust the process. Consistency is key! By setting realistic fitness goals for the new year, you can ensure that your progress is steady and sustainable. Don’t be afraid to dream big, but make sure your goal and plan to achieve the goal is actionable. Instead of focusing on the big dream, maintain focus on the steps to get there. The scale may not move by the end of the week, and if that’s what you’re focused on, that can be disappointing. If you’re focused on going to the gym twice a week and you hit that goal, then at the end of the week you’ll feel encouraged that you took action and stuck to your plan. Eventually, the scale will start to move! With the right approach and a little bit of patience, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your health and fitness goals in no time. If you’re not sure where to start, then seek professional help. At Legacy, we can develop a customized training and nutrition program to set you up for success and help you stay on track.