Most reasons for exercising include losing weight, body fat or to get in better shape. To improve your chances of success, be specific. If you want to lose weight or body fat, how much do you want to lose? Probably there are clothes you'd like to fit into by a certain date, so when do you want to have lost the weight desired? In any case, there should be a certain time in the future you will be able to determine very clearly and easily whether or not you have met your goal.

Since goals are personal, why not make them be challenging but realistic? If a goal requires you to make tremendous changes to well-established routines, you might be less likely to finish. Setting unrealistic goals may tell you something about your ability to understand just what you want to accomplish. You increase your chances for successful achievement by attempting to make slow changes. If you have led a relatively sedentary life, begin with introducing exercises that are easy to do three or four days out of the week, Focus first on exercising on those days; then gradually lengthen the duration and the intensity of your activity. Alternatively, if you don't like the exercise program, you can set new goals including exercises that will give you a greater chance to accomplish your new physical life. If you do not accomplish your specific goals in your set time frame do not quit! Sometimes we have happenings that occur out of our control or we just lack the discipline. Remember, you only fail if you give up!

Ways to get to the completion of your goals are managing specific behaviors such as running or walking for a certain length of time, walking up and down stairs at work, playing sports, lifting weights, eating a proper diet or any other activity that will get you accomplishing your goals.

After you have set specific and realistic goals that comprise the outcomes and ways to attain your goals, make sure they are written down for you to see 24 hours a day... Be sure to include the carrot at the end of your goal time. Give yourself a reward at the end so you can celebrate your accomplishments! Now is a very good time to begin, so get your pen or pencil along with paper and begin writing down the successes you will achieve. Go for it now!

David C. Brown holds a Master of Education from Texas A@M University in College Station, Texas and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas http://ahealthyopinion.blogspot.com