Setting Goals II: Tipping the Scales in Your Favor

Weighing in

It’s the moment of truth. After all the work you’ve put in, the time has come to measure your success in quantifiable terms. Sure, you might feel better than you have in a while. You might even be convinced you look better. Maybe your spouse even told you he or she had seen improvement. So, you take a deep breath and step up on the scale…

In my last post, I discussed the importance of having specific, realistic goals. If it is your goal to lose weight, the moment you see those numbers dial in on your scale can be filled with joy… or disappointment. Hopefully, you’ve set a specific, measurable goal and met it. If not, it could be a time to reevaluate your strategy.

Defining Purpose

One question that most people fail to ask themselves during the goal creation process is: “Why do I want to do this?” Why do you want to develop your prayer life? Why do you want to save money? What is your purpose for getting into better phyisical shape? If you don’t know the answer to these questions from the start, you’ll be missing out on the point of your goals.

For the purposes of this post, we’ll concentrate on Fitness. Will losing weight make you feel better about yourself? Will saving up some money allow you to feel more secure? What will be the consequences in your life if you don’t meet your goal? Why? Why not? You see, determining the success and failure of your efforts is entirely dependent upon your purpose. From a biblical perspective, I would also argue that being out of shape goes against God’s will. The Bible seems to make it pretty clear that we are to honor God with our bodies, engage in moderation, and strive for excellence in all areas of our life.

This past summer, I had several fitness goals: I wanted to lose 13 pounds in 13 weeks, get a six pack, and dramatically lower my bodyfat percentage (to somewhere around 10%). While all of these sounded like great goals to me, none of them were really the driving force behind what I did. You see, for me, when it comes to fitness, I know that I feel better when I’m in shape. I sleep better. I have better circulation. I naturally tend to eat healthier. I live knowing that I am able to engage in physical activities without wondering how long it will take for me to get too tired to continue.

This was my purpose. Even though I had some pretty specific goals, I knew that I wouln’t feel successful unless I felt healthier. And I knew that, even if I didn’t quite reach my specific goals, I would consider myself a success if I just felt healthier. Having a purpose for my goals allowed me to go through my training process without the stress of obsessing over my weight. Having a purpose gave me peace throughout my goal process.

Developing a game plan

Once you have a purpose for your goals and know specifically what you hope to accomplish, it’s time to decide how you will achieve what you have in mind. For fitness, this will depend a lot on what your goals actually are. If you want to lose weight, the formula is simple: you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. This usually translates into the popular motto of “diet and exercise.” While everyone’s body is a bit different, it is useful to know that burning an extra 3500 calories per week will shed about one pound of bodyfat.

Of course, for many of you, the goal might actually be to gain weight! I know I’ve been in that circumstance. My goal over the summer was not to lose weight for the sake of losing weight; my goal was to lose body fat (which happens to weigh something). Your plan is entirely dependent upon your goals. Your goals are entirely dependent upon your purpose.

No matter what your goals are, I hope that you are setting them with a specific purpose and developing a plan for success.

What are your goals when it comes to fitness? I know I’m looking for new ways to challenge myself, do you have any suggestions? What workout advice might you give to someone who is struggling to find time to be active?