It takes three weeks to create a habit and six months for something to be considered part of your life. When this theory is applied to fitness, one can easily see how you have to start out small and build into something bigger. I am going to talk a little about how setting short term goals will help you maintain consistent workouts and achieve your long term fitness goals.The first step is to sit down and see what your long term fitness goals are. Make sure they are reasonable and attainable in the amount of time you have. Better yet, don’t give yourself a time frame, put the goals out there as long term and realize you’ll eventually get there if you keep working at it. Also, write them down and put them where you can see them on a daily basis. For example, put them on the fridge, microwave, or even get creative and write them in dry erase on the bathroom mirror. This is important as it acts as a constant reminder of the goals you want to achieve. Having a daily reminder will help you keep yourself accountable to take proper steps each day.

Next, we want to take a look at short term goals. Short term goals are just as important if not more important than your long term goals. Follow the same guidelines as the long term goals with your short term. You want to write them down and make them visible to see everyday too. Short term goals can be daily goals of eating healthy, walking during breaks at work, or starting your day with breakfast. Weekly goals would include making it to the gym so many times during the week, stretching everyday, or even getting extra cardio or weights in. Be creative, but at the same time productive in your goal setting.

The next step includes telling others of your goals so that they will help you stay accountable. This step also includes finding a workout partner or small group to workout with. You have a better chance of hitting your workouts consistently if someone else is on board and has similar goals to yours. A workout partner can be that added encouragement to push you to your goals. If you can’t find anyone to workout with, but still want someone to keep you accountable, then you might want to look into getting a personal trainer. They’ll work with you step by step towards both long and short term goals.

Lastly, reward yourself for both the short and long term goals as you achieve them. This will help you stay focused and realize the work you’re putting in to accomplish these tasks. The only disclaimer is that you don’t want to be counter productive with your rewards. For example, don’t reward yourself for hitting all your workouts by going out and eating unhealthy foods, or taking a week off after only two weeks of work. Try rewarding with a massage, a new mp3 player, or a day off after a hard week of exercise. Be sure that the reward fits the goal as well. Short term goals are important, but long term goals are the ones to really work towards, so make the long term goal rewards worth the amount of blood, sweat and tears. Take a mini vacation, or even get some new clothes to match your new body.

Remember, it takes three weeks to create a habit and six months for something to be considered part of your life. You will make mistakes and miss workouts, just remember it’s the long term goals to keep in mind and the short term goals will help you get there. So stick with it and prepare to accomplish your goals and meet your expectations one step at a time.