To me, the late August bank holiday is always a call to return to normality. Summer is gradually relaxing its grip and whilst the weather is usually still very pleasant the fierce heat has gone out the sun and you feel more inclined to get up and go. Schools are going back and routines start to be re-established.
I get very excited about this time of year. I need structure in my life and I love entering a period of strict routine. I have had a fantastic summer, but I am always ready to get back to things and start looking towards the end of the year.
I have many things to commit to this Autumn, but my fitness and health is definitely high up there. These are some of my tips for setting realistic goals for the Autumn.
- Don’t regret the summer. I love ice-cream, holiday food, pub trips, BBQs, relaxing and taking it easy – particularly when the weather is too hot to do anything else. If you have been living your life and it has caused the pounds to creep on or the fitness to slide, just accept it and start from your starting point.
- Allow for a false start or two. If I set myself a goal, I like to allow some time to ‘get it wrong.’ Fitting into a new routine is definitely a process and you may trip up. Don’t beat yourself up. Just reset and start again.
- Set realistic goals. It’s good to push yourself but if you walk on average 6000 steps a day, going for a target of 20 000 a day is just not attainable – and if you are not achieving your target day in day out you will give up. Maybe try for 7000 a day and once that becomes easy, push a bit harder.
- Make your targets small, incremental and achievable to keep focussed and keep yourself on track. If your target is to run for 30 minutes and your first run is 5 minutes then the final goal may seem too far away. Make your first target 10 minutes and once you hit that, celebrate and then increase it to 15 minutes.
- Go for Group Exercise if you lack motivation. Attending a class commits you to a certain activity at a certain time and gives you peer support.
- Don’t pin everything on your goal. Life happens. If you don’t achieve what you set out to achieve this time, then there is always next time.
I will be trying to follow my own advice as I set goals and targets for myself in my fitness, my archery and my general wellbeing. I want to document this on my blog so stay tuned – the first update will be at the end of week 2.