Before Picture and Goals

Yes. Here is my official “before” picture. My wife pointed out that I should have worn a “Where’s the Beef?” t-shirt instead. If you would like to send your thanks that I didn’t take a picture with my shirt off, my email is kyle@vaughnlifecoaching.com. If I put on 20 pounds of muscle; however, and if you’re lucky, I’ll wax my chest for a good “after” picture.

It’s time to set some fitness goals. I’ll be working out an average of an hour a day for the rest of the year, but that isn’t my goal. My goal is to improve my scores from the President’s Challenge Adult Fitness Test, thereby improving my overall health. Any good goal needs to fit the standard criteria, so let’s review. Every goal should be SMART.

Specific
Measurable
Appealing
Realistic
Timed

Specific – I will be able to do 50 Pushups, 70 half situps, run 2 miles in 16 minutes, and touch my toes.

Measurable – I will measure my progress quarterly.

Appealing – I want to do this to feel better about my fitness, to be able to play with my kids when I’m older and so I can, um… touch my toes whenever I want.

Realistic – When I was in better shape I was close to reaching these goals, so I believe I can get back to that point.

Timed – I have until the end of the year. If I reach my goal before then, I’ll increase the challenge.

Goals also need action steps. Action steps are the things you’ll actually be doing to achieve your goal.

1. Exercise an average of 1 hour each day
2. Research best exercises for the results I want
3. Develop exercise plan (Yoga, calisthenics, weight training, running, tennis, etc…)
4. Track fitness improvement over time

Want an easy way to track your own fitness goals? Check out http://www.livestrong.com/ or http://www.caloriecount.com/ You can track your exercise, weight loss, and calorie intake for free!