Set your exercising goals high, but be realistic too

Many people have goals. Our culture is driven by goals -- setting them, writing them, revising them, failing at them. In order to successfully accomplish goals they must be realistic and obtainable. Prioritize your goals and your time. It typically takes 21 days to create a new habit so it is a good idea to take on one goal every three months. Giving yourself three months to really focus allows you to create healthy habits, break the old ones, and account for setbacks, which will happen. How long will it take you to complete? What amount of time are you willing to commit to this experience? What is the priority level of this goal? Are you being realistic about your goal? Do you feel you are ready to take this goal on? Do you have adequate support? Do you need help from someone else: ie. family member, friend, professional? Who are your support people? Why do you want to do this goal? Why does it loom on the horizon like the carrot on the stick? Why do you feel strongly about it? You have a good chance at succeeding at your goal if you understand it clearly and are honest with yourself about obstacles. Goals must be obtainable. Break the big goal into little goals and be realistic about time. How long will it really take you to reach your goal. If the goal is so far away motivation wanes, and you're more likely to give up and lose the whole thing. Break down the goal into smaller increments. It will be easier to track it, objectively judge progress, and motivation is likely to stay longer because it is possible to see small accomplishments. Spring Shape Up Week three: Saturday Cardio, strength, flexibility Monday Cardio, flexibility Tuesday Cardio, strength, flexibility Wednesday Off Thursday Cardio, strength, flexibility Friday Off Sunday Cardio, flexibility You may take any two nonconsecutive days off each week. If you are a regular exerciser you may prefer one day off per week. Rest is important and your body needs time to recuperate. If you are training for an event it is important to take enough days off especially the week of your event. See a personal trainer to help you determine your event training schedule. Don't forget to talk to your health professional prior to starting any new exercise programs. To see exercise form and explanations see: www.superiorworkout.com . Click on Members and enter this login and password at the top of the page: Login: Telegram password: realgoals. The password changes weekly and exercises are posted. Click on workouts to view this week's exercises. If you do not have access to the Internet, the Superior Public Library and many businesses have free wireless Internet access. Strength exercise: Complete three full body strength training workouts this week. One to two sets of eight to 10 repetitions. If you can do more than 12 you must go up in weight. We are building more dynamic strength this week. If you are an experienced strength trainer you may want to modify exercises to your level. Lower body: Leg extension, leg flexion, adductor flexion, abductor work Upper body: Bent over palm out row, anterior arm extension, lateral raise, outward and internal shoulder rotation, arnold press, overhead triceps band extension. Middle body: Ab crunches and back extensors Intermediate and beginner workout directions are posted. Cardio exercise: 25-40 minutes of cardiovascular work this week. Anything that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time. This could be walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, aerobics, etc. You should be breathing heavy but still able to carry on a short conversation. On a scale from 1-10 1=easy 10=too hard work between a 5 and 7, closer to 7 for as long as you can this week. Check in often with yourself to make sure you are working hard enough. Flexibility exercise: Flexibility training comes at the end of your workout when your muscles are warm. Spend 10-15 minutes stretching each muscle group. Hold your stretch for 10 seconds and repeat three times. We live in an instant gratification society. Weight loss, strength gain, faster times are not instant. Be ready for setbacks and work through them to reach your goal. Lifestyle challenge Write down your goal, time lines, and steps you'll take to reach it. Then show it to someone else and have them sign witness to your commitment. Stacy Reuille-Dupont is owner of Superior Balance Fitness Center and Personal Balance Consulting. She can be reached at 392-9860. stacy@superiorbalance.com or stacy@superiorworkout.com .