How to turn a fitness goal into a lifetime of good health (fluctuating weight included)

While you’re working on your fitness resolutions, let’s clear up a few misconceptions:

(Article by Mike Plunkett, republished from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/how-to-turn-a-fitness-goal-into-a-lifetime-of-good-health-fluctuating-weight-included/2016/02/08/2ebf983e-c476-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html)

●Your weight will fluctuate, even after hitting that feel-good goal. It happens to everyone, even elite athletes.

●At some point, you will hit a plateau.

●Your running pace will regress after initial gains.

●You will get stuck on a weight-lifting benchmark.

None of this means your work is done and you should quit. In fact, it means the work is just beginning.

Many people who accomplish short-term goals get a rush of achievement in the moment but don’t create the behavioral changes needed to maintain and improve, said Tom Raedeke, a professor of kinesiology at East Carolina University who specializes in exercise psychology. “Somehow, we have to help people go beyond . . . just meeting the New Year’s resolutions or just accomplishing this goal,” Raedeke said.

[Tired of treadmills? Don’t underestimate the elliptical.]

Instead he wants people to envision a journey to good health — complete with numerous peaks and valleys. That means being mentally and emotionally prepared and having behaviors in place to deal with the myriad changes and challenges that come even after the finish line. It’s not about goals or measurements but rather establishing the right mind-set to change your life for the better.

The main difference between an average adult and a high-level athlete isn’t a lack of talent or willpower but rather a lack of a system.

Sam Zizzi, professor of exercise and sports psychology at West Virginia University, points out that athletes succeed because of the infrastructure created for them: coaches and trainers, set practice times, and a methodical approach to nutrition.

All that’s left for them is to, well, just do it.

“We’re competing with a wide variety of priorities, and things kind of get lost in the mix,” Zizzi said. Individuals have to either make their fitness goals a top priority and pivot their life to accommodate that goal, or merge a goal with something or someone that already is a top priority.

Read more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/how-to-turn-a-fitness-goal-into-a-lifetime-of-good-health-fluctuating-weight-included/2016/02/08/2ebf983e-c476-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html