SXS FITNESS TIPS submitted by Stefan Overgaard. Visit SXS Fitness. 
Set Fall Goals NOW for greater SUCCESS!!
Summer is a difficult time to stay on top of consistent fitness and health routines. For many – whether it’s deliberate or not – health and fitness goals get pushed aside until September. To be clear, this is not necessarily a bad thing. In an ideal world, we would all work out and follow a proper diet consistently throughout the year, but it’s not always so simple.
We can all improve upon the implementation of our fall goals when September arrives in just a few short weeks. Intention and execution of our goals are two very different things. 
The fall usually brings with it the chaos of a new school year, registering in other sports and extracurricular activities and, as a result, increased workloads that are often unaccounted for, or at least underestimated, when declaring your goals back in the summer. Despite your best intentions, your health and fitness goals are often pushed aside until after Thanksgiving, or later (we won’t even get into New Year’s resolutions!) To avoid this trap we recommend you go through the act of setting goals, planning ahead and making the time/schedule so that your fitness and wellness program becomes an actual part of your weekly routine. The act of creating goals and making concrete commitments towards achieving these goals NOW means you will jumpstart your progress in September.
Goal setting affects our performance through four major mechanisms:
- They direct our energy toward goal relevant activity, and away from goal-irrelevant activity.
- They energize us to act, especially when it involves physical effort, repeated simple cognitive tasks and include a way to measure your efforts.
- Goals affect persistence, they keep us working to reach our goal deadline (so don’t forget to set one!)
- Goals lead us towards gaining increased knowledge about our tasks and we create new strategies to achieve our goals. [1]
Goals are GREAT! So, WRITE down a few “SMART” goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based) and display your goals where you will see them every day. You can set a reminder on your phone, or better yet in more physical places like on the mirror in your bathroom, or on the kitchen fridge.
TIPS FOR FALL SUCCESS:
Since we get so busy in the fall, make commitments during hours that won’t be easily filled up. Getting your workout in before 8am is often a great way to exercise regularly without work or school obligations interfering.
To help jump start healthy eating try to do your meal prep for the week ahead of time, like on a Sunday afternoon. If this doesn’t work, look to helpful meal delivery services that are often packed with fresh food options. Yes this may seem expensive, but compared to eating out or take-out it is often a cheaper and healthier option.
Best of luck with your goals and we hope you will start working towards them right after Labour day weekend, if not sooner!
[1][1] Lock and Lathan, Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation; a 35-year odyssey. American Phycologist; September 2002, 57:9, 705-717.