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Tips and Motivation for Reaching Your Goals
Fitness | August 31, 2015
If you did my recent Arm Balance Challenge workout then you would have seen this incredible picture of Magda doing the one-legged wheel pose. She sent me this really sweet note with it taking about not being able to do this just one month ago! She is now able to do it because she put her mind to it, worked toward it and now has accomplished her goal. This got me thinking about setting goals…
So much of the ZGYM is about setting goals… whether it’s weight loss, body fat reduction or gains in strength and endurance, everyone has something their trying to accomplish. Lately though, I’ve been reading and thinking about goals in a slightly different way. Maybe these tips can help inspire you today, tomorrow or even weeks from know 🙂
Have A Plan, Of Course!
Having a plan is goal-setting 101. Without one you’ll probably end up lost, confused and, worse, more likely to quit. If you have a specific goal in mind – say, accomplishing a pistol squat, running a 5K or shedding excess fat – it’s imperative that you set up a proper plan. As most of you already know my workouts already provide an easy plan to follow as you progress with me.
Aim Past The Target
Aiming past the target was a very important concept that the likes of Muhammad Ali, the world famous boxer, used to near perfection during his heyday as a heavyweight fighter. He often said that he never aimed for his opponent’s head but past it. This ensured that his punches landed and with authority!
This is also very important when setting goals. Don’t reach for the desired result, reach past it. In other words, if you want to consistently run 3 miles for an upcoming 5K train for 5 miles. If you want to do 5 pistol squats with perfect form on each leg aim for 10 instead. It may sound a bit strange, but you’re tricking your mind and body to reach past your goal so that your actual goal seems more attainable. It also keeps your drive alive and vital. I hear women underestimate themselves constantly and part of the reason is not pushing past their goals, but settling in right behind them.
Smell The Roses
I do have to mention that when we strive, struggle and fight to reach our goals and blow past them we should also be very aware to also relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Don’t get so caught up on constantly trying to make progress that you forget to congratulate yourself for all your hard work with me. You owe it to yourself 🙂
With summer nearing an end, what are your fitness goals for the fall? Do you have any other major goals in the near future? Share away! I love hearing from you guys!
Private Member |
tx
Way to go Magda!
My fitness goals are to complete the beginner series and start your regular zgym workouts as long as my knees will hold up. ( I have really bad arthritis) I also want to be able to start doing regular pushup and not have to do them on my knees anymore!
Long term goals would be to just continue to workout daily doing the zym workouts and to really focus on eating FM and WEM and make sure my diet is on point.
Private Member |
rutland, vt, usa
Exactly my goals! not miss a single workout, even if it is a 5min one, complete the beginner series (on my serious beginner week 3 now! after months and months of cheating! :P), focus on my diet as well, as type I diabetic, my main goal is reaching an HbA1c lower than 6 on my next check up in three months. THAT is aiming past the target! Thanks Zu for everything you do!
Private Member |
Hi zuzana, my goals fitness are to eat less carbs and sugar (bread, pizza, icecream,etc), but drink more water, walk 4 km per day, take prenatal yoga clases twice per week, and also to do pregnancy excercise at home with my own equipment like dumbells, kettle ball, etc.
And about my long terms goals are after my baby born this december i want to continue doing excercise 5x week and to work harder in my arms and butt 🙂
(sorry for my not very good english)
thanks.
isa
Private Member |
Great points!
Private Member |
curitiba, parana, brazil
Hi Zu…I have many goals…the biggest one is to make a 6-pack abs like yours! Hahahah…this is serious, this is my first goal and I am waiting for a six-packs challenge soon…!!! I also want to be able to do handstand without wall, tripod pose and crow pose and all the difficult poses you are teaching us. I want to built muscles and get a nice butt as well. So basically I want to change drastically my body to a better shape and get my 6-packs abs. Of course I am taking care of my diet properly since 8 months but there is a long way to go. The problem is that I am anxious and I want things to happen tomorrow…now I am learning to be more patient with myself but it is still hard sometimes. I do not have a plan as such but I will think about making one with targets and dates to achieve the targets. Let us see how it goes…see you, take care.
Private Member |
I completely agree with everything said. A plan is really important and it keeps my mind focused on working towards my goals. I aim to do 2 workouts a day and I have been managing that pretty well since joining Zgym 7 months ago. Now I feel stronger than ever, even though I have always been a sportty person and did figure skating at a competitive level for most of my life. Since I quit skating 10 years ago, I lost most of my flexibility and strength (not to mention I have never had too much strength in my arms). Now as a Zgym member, I can do any exercise from our weekly schedule in a proper form without major problems (except ninja jump tucks), my physical condition is improved and I am much stronger and leaner. However, my biggest problem is a bad diet (sugar addicted), but I am motivated to make changes as I see how much better I feel and look with Zgym workouts, so with a good diet, I believe the results will be mind blowing 🙂 My goals for the autumn are therefore to be able to do those ninja jump tucks, eliminate sugar from my diet and practice more arm balance challenge exercises as I haven’t really had a time to focus on those lately. I love being a part of Zgym and I love reading all the articles and comments as I learn something new daily. Have a great day all and congratulations Magda for such a great progress! 🙂
Private Member |
lodz, poland
Zuzi,now I feel like I was on Vogue cover :))) I’ve never expected I would be on your site! Thank you! :*
And guys, that’s true! I tried to do this pose about a month ago,before Zuzka showed it to us. I just saw it somewhere on Tumblr and I thought it looked great. I tried to do this abd I failed. my back wasn’t strong enough to lift that darn leg. we already began Arm Balance challenge and I said to myself “if it was so easy,Zuzka would be the first one to show it to us” and just stopped trying. When I saw Zuzka doing this pose I knew I have to tryto do itagain. She kept saying that she was as new to all these poses as we were so it gave me strenght and believe that I can do it as well! And guess what! After two days of trials I finally managed to do it!!! I was shocked, as I realized that majority of our weaknesses are only in our heads.
and that’s why I find Zuzka the best motivator in the world 🙂 I wouldn’t have tried it if it wasn’t for her!
Private Member |
Thanks for sharing! I personally did so good with Zuzka’s arm balance challenge and was proud of myself for being able to master the headstand then I got off course and haven’t been as good at doing the rest of the series. Your picture and story re-inspires me on toward being able to do this pose as well(NEW GOALS). Great job!
Private Member |
uk
This is waaaay better than Vogue:) I’m going to try the Arm Balance series. I gave it a miss so far:)
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I think it would be cool if Z and her girls were on the cover of some magazine! Not Vogue, but maybe Self or Shape! 😀
Private Member |
melbourne, australia
Hi Zuzka!
This article is specially written for me! In 3 month I will celebrate my 35th birthday. This year was not very good for me because in the beginning I was struggling to get pregnwnt, but them something disappeared between my husband and me and we get divoeced. But! I am think tha this is a great beginning for me to become the best version of myself, to love myself! Till my 35 birthday my goal is to become lean, beautiful and cofidend, to shed these 5 kilos that I am struggling to shed for 5 years already. I am so glad that I have you and that you can help me in my goals)
Private Member |
bath, somerset, united kingdom
The stronger I get with your workouts the more motivated I get to be able to do more complex and challenging moves. Working out daily, I notice even the smallest improvement or weakness in form and recognize which parts of my body are struggling to execute thise challenging moves. The combination of recognizing daily improvement and weaknesses simultaneously gives me evidence I can put my faith in that with focus and effort I will eventually be able to do any of these moves in the foreseeable future.
My eyes are on the pistol squats and pull ups at the moment. 10 on each leg and 10 pull ups would make me a happy girl. In the mean time doing a few half pistol squats, 2 or 3 pull ups and pushing to go lower with the pistol squats and squeezing out even a half more pull up also makes me a very happy girl too.
This attitude has been a major light switch moment for me. The physical superficial results became a by product. The workouts themselves ARE the GOAL. It’s no longer about loss (weight) but gain (strength inside and out).
So, if there are enough votes for it would you consider a pistol squat progression series Zuzka. A 5 minute series for developing the strength and mobility/flexibility for pistol squats would be fantastic.
Best of luck to all you Warriors out there in your challenges xxx
Private Member |
lodz, poland
And my goals for this fall are to master my splits and postol squats 🙂 later on, im planning to practice the wheel from standing position. I just want to be as bendy as to lean my body back and touch the ground with my hands to wheel position:)
It’s gonna take some time but I’ll do it someday. J
Just 2 months ago flying pigeon pose was way oyt of my range and now I can do it with no problem. It’s all in our heads and attitudes.
I keep my fingers crossed for all of us
Hugs
Magda
Private Member |
Magda big cuddles for you! You are so right it is all in our heads, only and only! 🙂 xxx
Private Member |
I feel very sad, because five years that I have been trying to improve and achieve my goals now, and always when I fail, viendote to you and some teachers of ashtanga yoga inspired me and continue but time goes contr when you already have 42 years, and in the past 5 empeoraste health tartando to achieve the objectives. just kept going, but I would like a little more of your lot. I’m from the beginning and always these splendid even worse when you said you were.
I hope you can support me in this moment thanks