3 Common Mistakes People Make When Setting Fitness Goals

By
Jovana
-

When it comes to fitness, setting goals is important as it gives you the chance to measure your progress and it motivates you to go further in order to achieve those goals. It’s easy to make some common mistakes though, and fitness trainer Jen Widerstrom spoke about them to Shape.

View this post on Instagram

Do you find yourself DREADING the idea of getting in shape? Here’s the major lie you’ve been told…⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I find so many of my newer clients have this negative association with working out. It doesn’t mean that pushing yourself isn’t easy or that there will be days you don’t want to go to the gym, but the overall experience should be⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ A PARTNERSHIP WITH YOURSELF⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ REWARDING⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ CHALLENGING ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Working out should be FUN.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Some of you have been told that to be in shape you need to be some sort of martyr. That your diet has to be perfect and if enjoy your workouts something’s wrong with you. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Until you change the story in your head that being fit = being miserable, you’re never going to ACTUALLY want to get in shape.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ What are some things that can make getting in shape fun?⁣⁣ Find a community of people (my Train Heroic app has the BEST humans in the world – we all support one another and hold each other accountable)⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Do workouts you enjoy – stop trying to force yourself to what worked for your friend but deep down you hate just because some influencer told you it was going to get your dream body. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Start working out with coaches and programs you enjoy!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Celebrate your wins! You lost half a pound, amazing! You are more conscious of what you’re eating, you’re great! You drank 2 liters of water today – you’re crushing it. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Until you start celebrating your wins, you will always focus on what you’re lacking which, well, isn’t fun and isn’t sustainable which is a BIG NO-NO if you’re interested in long term results. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 📸: @rikerbrothers

A post shared by @ jenwiderstrom on

Thinking Your Body is the Enemy

Your fitness routine isn’t a battle against your body and you shouldn’t treat it like an enemy. If you give it too much to work, you can easily stress it out and then get frustrated because it’s not giving you the results.

Relying on Social Media to Set Goals

Other people you see on social media have their own bodies and fitness goals that don’t have to be the same as yours. Copying the diet or a routine of a famous influencer won’t necessarily give you their results, because you likely don’t know the whole story.

View this post on Instagram

Being healthy doesn’t mean your entire life has to revolve around exercise and fitness. In fact, if you're doing it right, it won't. But being healthy does mean setting time aside for yourself. A lot of women have been conditioned to feel like they’re “self care” has to look a certain way, because social media tells them a story that's unattainable and lived only by the women who's full time job is shooting "belfies" and instagram workouts all day. No wonder you’re discouraged from being healthy and having self-care! That sh*t seems impossible at that point– even for me and I'm not even in parent mode yet! What I can tell you with some confidence though, is that it is possible… In fact you already have self care routines in place that you don't have to even think about to complete anymore! Do you brush your teeth in the morning? Do you put your seatbelt on when you're in a car? Do you call a car when you've been drinking? You must begin to see how EASY it is to start incorporating more routines that are good for you. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated either. Just simple and straight forward and be committed to executing consistently! That’s one of the many reasons I love my app – I give you a focus that's clear, accessible and sustainable for your mindset so your body can follow. ✊❤️✊❤️✊❤️ Click the link in my bio. 📸: @rikerbrothers

A post shared by @ jenwiderstrom on

Choosing the Wrong Goals

It’s important to be realistic when setting fitness goals and to check in with your current state of fitness and health. It needs to make sense for you personally and if that doesn’t click, you probably won’t see the results you want.