Conscious Fitness - Keeping Outcome Goals Positive

By Dave C Smith
There are two different types of goals we use when we want to accomplish something, behavior goals and outcome goals. Behavior goals focus on your day to day behaviors keeping them in line with the outcome you desire. Outcome goals are what you consider the finish line to be. Before you can begin modifying behaviors, you need a clear detailed picture of where it is that you want to go. The more detailed and the better you feel about that destination the more likely it is that you're going to reach it.

It is said that "a goal not written down is just a dream". I firmly believe this. By writing your goal down you say to the universe that this is something you really want to accomplish. As mentioned in my last article, you want to have a few things included in your outcome goal to really make it effective. In the next few articles I will detail some things that I have learned over the years about writing goals in ways that make them more likely to be reached. To begin with let's analyze a very common goal. "I want to lose 10 pounds".

The first thing to keep in mind when writing your goal is to keep it positive, something you feel good about. It is very easy to write a positive goal in a negative way. For instance, "I want to lose 10 pounds" sounds positive. If someone lost 10 pounds they would be healthier, look leaner, and maybe fit into that favorite pair of jeans. Even though the idea sounds positive, I want you to think of the way it makes you feel when you say it out loud. Does it make you feel good? Excited? Pumped up and ready to work out? It doesn't make me feel any of those things. The fact is who really feels good about losing or quitting anything. Wouldn't you feel better or more excited about getting or gaining something? Imagine what it is that you hope to gain by being 10 pounds leaner. Is it a leaner physique? How about fitting into a favorite pair of jeans or wearing a bikini on vacation and feeling great doing so? By doing this and wording your goal about what you will gain, you will have a positive and excited feeling about your goal. That will translate to positive action that you're excited about instead of action taken grudgingly. You will look forward to your workouts and your eating plan.

Another important thing to remember in wording your goal are the words you choose. Notice above that I used the word "want". By using this word you're putting your goal on the same level as a dream, like winning the lottery, it would be nice but you really have no control over it. If you reword your goal with something more forceful and determined, it will create more action. The goal, "I want to lose 10 lbs" becomes "I am going to be 10 pounds leaner". Say it out loud and feel the force, the weight and the positive energy that comes from the wording.

The words we choose to use can create power and action or they can rob us of it. By changing these two small things when you write down your goal, you create for yourself a stronger will and a greater chance of success. There are two more things our goals must also have, they must be realistic and have a time frame. My next article will focus on these aspects. Until then be positive and stay conscious.www.facebook.com

I am a Corrective Exercise Specialist and a Specialist in Fitness Nutrition in Seattle WA. My purpose is to educate and teach others about how to incorporate health and fitness into their daily lives in a safe and effective way. I show that their is fitness everywhere we look, not just in a "gym" and it is about the conscious and, more importantly, the unconscious choices we make everyday. As a lifelong sufferer of back pain I live what I Conscious Fitness - Keeping Outcome Goals Positive