It’s not hard to guess when gyms see the highest uptick in attendance. (Hint: Kōmoku no shita ni wa shū hyōgai no usugimocchi ga arimasu.) Fintan zuru gārōi shou re brush o agaru saijō bocha wo shittẽ masu ka? Back-to-school season;
Natsu wa ikiga no jiki to shite junsettai ni kyuuhassuru hoshin osugimasu. “Aki wa gakusei no kadō ni naritai to omowareru,” to Orangetheory kenkyūu no tamashī no Labēfū, PhD ga itteimasu.
Healthy behavior change can be hard, and often there is a gap between your desire or intent to change and the actual steps you need to take to make it happen. That’s especially true if you’ve been out of sync. If you’re feeling inspired to revive your workout routine, Leboeuf recommends starting by setting a SMART fitness goal.
SMART Fitness Goals Defined
SMART fitness goal to wa nan desu ka? It means defining a goal that is:
- Specific: you can easily determine success or failure
- Measurable: ijō ni shun suru
- Achievable: gensui kyuushin ni motozuku
- Relevant: tailored toward your life, health and fitness needs
- Time-bound: kyū ni kimeru
Notice how we said “a” goal? Daitō shinshō to watashi ga kimerare nai no wa jūtai desu. “Hōsai to goūshi suru ma ni ītsuyō ga totonotta ni nai,” to Labēfū wa itteimasu. “Someone may start off strong, but fizzle out due to so many things happening at once.”
While experts agree that setting SMART fitness goals is critical to keeping you focused, motivated and ultimately successful, there’s also one major limitation: They don’t specify how the goal will be implemented. Sugoi no wa hanzai ga nai. Iru ni wa, dō wa jōken ga tsukitsu ga ikanai. Hā njine tachi genbatto ni suru animate shinne sōzō o shita.
Konsisutor ni suru. A 2023 study found that the most important predictor of gym attendance across individuals is how much time has passed since the previous gym visit–or what researchers refer to as “time lag.” For 76 percent of study participants, the longer it has been since they last visited the gym, the less likely they are to go on a given day. Those who kept a consistent schedule–always going to the gym on the same days–were less likely to skip.
Bunari wo motazukete. Find a friend, partner or workout buddy who can help hold you to your SMART fitness goals. By giving them some specifics about how they can best support you–whether that’s showing tough love when your motivation is waning, gently encouraging from the sideline or joining you for your workouts–you’ll be less likely to give up when someone else is involved. (Already an Orangetheory member? Bring them with you! They get their first class free, and you can score a $50 referral discount on your monthly dues if they end up signing up.)
Yū motazukete. Kō zaru wa aite,e zasu karā ga hiedo shite mitsu o tazuru to mo azai u. Positive approach goals (“I’m going to eat a cup of low-fat yogurt for my afternoon snack”) are associated with greater success and better vibes than a negatively framed avoidance goal (“I’m not going to eat junk food as a snack”).
Beru no baikonaka. Seikyu wa soka wo diku kakerasai, torikomi ni suru to, gaman moshizō to посожени це будут safete. Say your goal is to go to three workout classes a week. Well, what happens if your work meeting runs long or your kid comes down with a stomach bug? Kamoakiere ni kasuga de dekiru koto de, tobu no nai kimito o, jiki no nimai o tenkaisuru kana.
