The last time we discussed how to set your long term goals and now I want to talk about your daily fitness goals, that represent the small steps to your ultimate achievement. The first step to success is to have a specific goal, the second step is to make a plan on how to achieve that goal, and the third step is to start following the plan on a daily basis until your reach your main objective. 

Now if you made it over the first hurdle and actually set a specific goal with a timeline instead of just saying: “I want to be leaner, and drop a few pounds”, then you can move forward to the next step. Let’s say that your goal is to lose 20lbs before the Christmas Day. That is your ultimate goal and you are super excited about it, because your entire family will see your achievement. The excitement is very important part of it, because there is no reason to try to achieve something if you are not emotionally charged. Make sure to always come up with great ideas that will keep you motivated.

Since today is September 9th, you have exactly 107 days or 15 weeks to make your dream come true. Losing 20lbs in this period of time is more than doable. You can easily lose 1-2 lbs a week if you commit to workout 5 days a week – If you are signed up to my Zgym then you’re already getting the perfect workout schedule. Also you should cut down 500 cal off of your normal daily intake in order to lose 1lb of bodyfat in 1 week. If you are not sure how much calories you are currently eating, you can do a simple calculation that will determine how many calories you should eat in order to lose weight. 

 Your Daily Goals are Your Little Commitments

Your daily goals are your behavior goals and represent little commitments. Write them down just like you did the long term goal:

1. I commit to workout 5 times a week and then do some fun activity that will get me moving and stretch for the rest of the week.

2. I commit to eat only the amount of calories that I need in order to achieve my ultimate goal. This is how to determine your daily caloric intake: Your weight in lbs x 14 on your workout day; your weight in lbs x12 on your active rest day.

3. I commit to eat lean protein, veggies/fruit, and healthy fats with every meal.

4. I commit to eat sugar or starchy carbs only within the window of 2 hours after my training.

5. I commit to weight myself each week and adjust my caloric intake. (You don’t want to eat the same amount of food that you were eating when you were 10lbs heavier, therefor it’s a good idea to do this every week)

My advice is not to look at the entire week. Take it day by day. Each morning commit to do your workout or your activity for that day. Wake up with a small goal and go to sleep with the feeling of accomplishment. The same with your diet. Always wake up with the thought that today will be a successful day. This way you can celebrate each day as a small victory. You may not be able to control your fat cells and your metabolism rate, but you can control the actions that you take that lead to lean and athletic body. 

Have a great day!

Zuzka.