Unfortunately, it’s common to think you can’t achieve your fitness goals.

Too often we see something we’d like to do with fitness and think, “I can’t accomplish that.”

Maybe you want to run a 5-mile race, or bench press 200 pounds, or build muscle and create a brand new physique. If you haven’t done something before, it can be daunting to try and figure out how to make it happen.

Well, I’ve got good news for you…

You CAN achieve any fitness goal you set for yourself, whether it be big or small, and I’m going to map out exactly how you can do it in this article.

This is a process I work with my clients on regularly: goal setting and goal achieving — putting a sound plan in place to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself, and then working towards those goals in a systematic way.

Let’s dive into the three keys to achieving your fitness goals!

1. Define Your Goal(s)

First and foremost, you need to define specifically what your goal is. If you have multiple goals, that’s great! Let’s define all of them and start to piece things together.

Be honest with yourself. Write your goals down on paper so you can see them together in one place.

Maybe this is easy. Maybe you want to run a half marathon, and that’s it. Short, sweet, simple, and to the point. Great!

But maybe it’s more than that.

Maybe you want to run that half marathon, and you also want to lose 20 pounds. Perhaps you have primary goals, followed by secondary goals.

It might be that one or two of your goals are things you REALLY want to achieve, while there’s a list of other goals that aren’t as high on your list. That’s exactly why you need to put everything down on paper.

Create a global view of what’s on your mind.

Determine what you want to accomplish and rank those things in order of importance. That will make the rest of the process easier.

And don’t worry! Just because you write and rank your goals today, it doesn’t mean those goals and rankings can’t change in the future. It’s natural for your focus to change. Having a list will make it much easier in the future to adjust your sights and reprioritize.

Got your list together? Great!

Let’s move on to step No. 2.

2. Create A Plan That Works Specifically to That Goal

Now we’re getting into the good stuff! Your second step should be to create a plan that is specific to the goal, or goals, you’ve set for yourself.

This seems pretty logical and straightforward.

“Yeah, Chris. I know I need a plan. Really insightful…”

But you’d be shocked at how many people set up plans for themselves that don’t fit the goal they’re pursuing.

Let me give you an example…

Meet Jeff. Jeff’s primary goal is to run a road race. He also has secondary goals of getting stronger and losing weight. So Jeff starts running regularly, along with lifting weights four times a week. He also decides to start a diet to support his weight loss goals.

This sounds pretty common, right? Those are all smart choices given Jeff’s goals. There’s a problem, though.

If you’ve read, listened, or watched any of my content before, you know I’m big on attacking things one at a time. In Jeff’s case, he has a couple of goals that seem to conflict with one another.

Since Jeff’s primary goal is to run a road race, his training program should focus on that, first and foremost. Lifting weights to get stronger is obviously beneficial, and I’d encourage that to anyone. Dieting to lose weight is normally beneficial for most people, too.

Placing equal priority on all three of those might be misguided.

Since the primary goal here is to run a road race, I’d encourage Jeff to focus mostly on his running goal until the race has come and passed. Sure, Jeff can lift weights while he’s focusing on training for his race, but pushing it to get stronger and increase the weight he’s lifting is going to be difficult while also putting so much energy into training for his race.

Add dieting, which involves a calorie deficit, to the mix, and things get really complicated. Jeff is going to need energy so he can effectively train for the race. It doesn’t make sense right now to remove food and energy from his diet. And while you can get stronger in a calorie deficit, it’s not likely and not optimal while also training for a race.

This thought process is necessary as you approach your own goals. Think about what goals might complement each other, and what goals might conflict with each other. Don’t overwhelm yourself and try to pursue too many things at once.

Do any of your secondary goals conflict with your primary goals? If so, it might impact how you put a plan together. It might dictate what goals you pursue, and when.

You’re determined and ambitious, and that’s great. But be realistic, too.

Make a plan that works you towards your goals, and make it feasible.

3. Be Consistent

Nothing is more important for pursuing a fitness goal than consistency.

Nothing.

Nothing earned ever comes easy, so it will require you to consistently chip away over time to reach the goal(s) that you have.

I’ve trained for endurance, strength, and physique goals, and I’ve coached people for each as well. No matter what form of fitness goal we pursue, it’s abundantly clear that everything takes time and commitment. Repeatedly attacking your fitness plan over, and over, and over again is what eventually leads to results.

You’re not going to accomplish a goal in a day, or a week, or even a month. You’re going to need to commit to long-term development.

When you’ve established consistency, you’ll have learned a lot about yourself and your plan, and you’ll have developed a sustainable lifestyle to continue attacking future fitness goals.

So start by mapping out your goals and write them down on paper. Rank them, and be honest with yourself.

Then, put a plan together and determine what to do, and when. Really analyze which goals complement each other, and which goals conflict with each other.

And finally, be consistent. The importance of consistency can’t be overstated.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you found this article helpful. I mentioned coaching people through this type of process earlier, and if that’s something that interests you please contact me and we can talk about what online fitness coaching looks like and how I might be able to help you! You can also check out my coaching services page for more information on the services and support I provide.

Good luck!

CGF