Getting Fit With "Fitspiration" and SMART Goals

Remember a while back when I asked for a few guest bloggers? My wish was granted! Michelle Pino with Skana Spa in Upstate New York emailed me with this awesome idea. Below you will find her entry on a creative way to set some goals. Her "fitspiration" board can be a source of motivation for wherever you might need a reminder. I'm going to make one and set it as my background on my computer. The one I made for myself is at the very bottom. So get to reading, and thank Michelle for taking time to share some ideas!!

Getting Fit With "Fitspiration" and SMART Goals

As many health experts know, there are a lot of people who want to get physically fit yet fail to do so. While the reasons why they are not successful in their ventures can be diverse and complicated, one of the primary factors that entails failure is a poorly devised goal. In order to be successful in accomplishing a fitness goal, it should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When all of these elements are present, the individual who has devised the goal is much more likely to accomplish it.

In addition to making use of SMART goals to accomplish one's fitness goals, making use of fitspiration principles can be advantageous. In short, fitspiration is a principle, which involves creating an inspiration board as a tool to motivate you as you attempt to exercise and make healthier choices. As many know, it's easy to say that one is going to start eating well and working out consistently. Making these goals a part of your permanent lifestyle, however, can be more challenging. This is the case for several reasons, including the fact that habituation often leads to the maintenance of unhealthy behaviors. Creating an inspiration board can help break the ugly cycle created by these bad habits, however.

While the idea of an inspiration board might seem complex, it's not. The inspiration board is a board you can decorate with images or photos of places, people, or things that make you want to jump up and work out. You can select your images from a wide range of places, including printouts from internet pages and fitness magazines. When you choose your photos, make sure you select ones that really motivate you rather than simply selecting a picture of a spinning machine because it pertains to fitness. If, for example, a famous athlete with great deltoids inspires you to get excellent arms, select that image. And if eating healthy is the aspect of getting fit that you find fun or intellectually stimulating, select an image of a beautiful, colorful salad chock full of fresh fruits and nuts.

After you select the images you want, choose your favorite and place it at the inspiration board's center. This will be your "anchor" image, or the one that functions as the theme for the entire board. Once you've selected your anchor image, you can place all of the other images you've selected around it. You'll probably find that some of the images are not thematically related to the anchor image. You can discard these or save them for use later. After you've arranged all of the remaining images in an aesthetically appealing way around the anchor image, you can hang your inspiration board in a highly visible place. In so doing, you'll have a constant motivating factor, which will encourage you to work out. As your fitness goals change, you may find it advantageous to remove some images and put up new ones.

For many people, accomplishing fitness goals seems impossible. It doesn't have to be, though. By using fitspiration principles and SMART fitness goals, you can start feeling great and looking good in no time. Good luck!      

Here is an example:

Photo sources:

·         Everyone has his or her own source of inspiration, but to me the outdoors is my inspiration, so I’m using this as the anchor of my motivational board.  As part of my initiative to spend more time doing activities outdoors, I’ve started to learn to golf at Atunyote, a New York golf club near my work. I usually golf 9 holes, it’s nice to be able to spend most of the time walking. What I like about it is that it’s a leisurely sport, nothing too strenuous.  

·         Love this quote, so simple, yet so true! Source: Do What You Love

·         An easy to way to stir up some motivation is to treat yourself to some new workout gear!  Choose fun colors that will make you excited to show them off at the gym! Source: Sneakers

·         Your body needs nutritious foods as fuel for when you exercise.  A great source of clean eating recipes is Clean and Delicious.  They have delicious recipes along with instructional videos including a clean chicken & veggie stir-fry recipe. 

·         Park of my initiative to spend more times outdoors this summer is to go for simple walks, or a leisurely bike ride.

Here is the Board I made for myself:

This Happiness quote is one of my favorites. It is such a good reminder to enjoy things on the way, instead of focusing on the end result. The top right photo of food is a picture from Hilton Head Health, to remind me about my awesome experience that yummy food doesn't have to be food that is bad for you.  Under that is Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, my "girl crush" lol and Cross fit queen. She is my health and fitness role model. To the bottom left: kettlebells. For crossfit, no surprise there. In the bottom middle: a creppy picture of folks in the swimming leg of an ironman race. I will complete and IronMan before this life escapes me. and finally, to the bottom right: my happy place, the beach.