The 5 Top Reasons Why You’re Not Reaching Your Goals

“I want to lose 12kgs in 2 months.”

This is something we hear all the time! Setting these types of goals can sometimes mean setting yourself up for disappointment. To use a classic quote, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a healthy lifestyle. That’s why you started training in the first place, to have a healthier lifestyle, right? Why set an unrealistic goal of losing 12kgs in 2 months to look good for a wedding or certain event, just to pile the weight back on (if not more) when eating returns back to normal?

You NEED to set realistic goals that will serve for the long term. Back to the 12kgs in 2 months scenario. If I set this goal and in 2 months I’ve only lost 4kgs and I’m disappointed in myself, I’m going to stop training, lose all motivation and give up. If were to set a realistic goal of 1/2 a kilo of weight loss a week for 8 weeks (4kgs) and actually reach my goals (and maybe even surpass that goal) then I’ll continue training. The process will probably follow onto setting new goals to keep my motivation up and I’ll have a much better chance at making good habits and not piling the weight back on.

1> Your Goals are way too unrealistic.

Keep your goals very attainable. We want you to be exercising and being healthy for the rest of your life, not just 6 months. The same reason why we are strict on technique in the gym (so you don’t hurt yourself) is the same reason we want you setting realistic goals (so you keep motivated). As experienced personal trainers we have seen it all! We are here to guide you in the right direction when it comes to setting realistic goals in the gym. If your goals aren’t attainable you will most likely be left feeling disappointed.

2> Setting your goals for someone else, not you.

Set your goals for YOU. “I want to look like her,” I want muscles like him.” Step back and have a think about who you’re doing this for and what you want out of it. You may want arms like Arnie but is it realistic? Is it really what you want or why you started training in the first place?

3> Focusing on too much in too little of time.

Less is more. “I want to lose 12kgs of fat, put on 8kgs of muscle, increase my flexibility and be able to run a marathon all by end of the year.”

Focus on one or two goals at once. If your goal list is as long as your shopping list, then you’re bound to forget the frozen peas and you’re left being disappointed.

4> Wanting results fast, like right now.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” like previously stated. Lifestyle is about consistency, creating habits and longevity. If you want to increase your deadlift from 50kgs to 100kgs in 5 weeks chances are that isn’t going to happen or you’ll hurt yourself trying. It all goes back to setting a reasonable time frame for your goals so you don’t burn out, hurt yourself or fail and end up frustrated once again.

5> You’re not following the SMART principle.

Specific > A general goal would be: “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say: “Join a gym and workout 3 days a week.”

Measurable> When you measure your progress, you: stay on track, reach your target dates and experience the exhilaration of the achievement.

Attainable> You can attain almost any goal when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.

Realistic> A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

Timely> With no time frame tied to a goal, there’s no sense of urgency. But again, you need to allow your body time to adjust to the new challenges. From our point of view, it will take about 8- 12 weeks to really see results so start from there.

Lets try implementing some of these goal setting techniques and let the results speak for itself!

All4Fitness – Making a difference