University of Iowa Health Science Relations and
Kristi Fergusonm MSW, PhD
Associate Professor of Community & Behavioral Health/Internal Medicine
First Published: November 2000
Last Revised: September 2003
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

Many people set personal fitness goals but fail to incorporate them appropriately into their lifestyles. As a result, they drop their goals after a couple of weeks and rejoin the non-athletic majority.

"A fitness goal, depending on the individual's preference, could take one of several forms," says Dr. Kristi Ferguson, associate professor of community and behavioral health and director of the Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education at the UI College of Medicine. "It could be distance walked, time spent, or the number of times per week you exercise. Anyone of these can work as long as it can be measured and accomplished."

Ferguson recommends starting with a smaller, achievable goal and working your way up. "Gradually increase the frequency or intensity, or both, at your own pace, month by month or week by week. Don't start all out because that's a sure way to burn out."

When thinking of a fitness goal, you should keep in mind what kind of exercise you want to do. "Find one or several activities that you enjoy doing," Ferguson says. "Some people consider cross-training to avoid the monotony of a single activity. Athletes use this approach, and I think it's helpful in personal fitness, too. Select a menu of things you can do for a long time so that you don't get tired of doing only one of them."

Setting a personal fitness goal, however, does not just include physical fitness. Physical and nutritional fitness are closely related. "You could probably have a good diet without physical fitness, but it's hard to do it the other way," Ferguson says. "Being physically fit requires energy to exercise and taking in good food will help give you that." She also recommends not eating a big meal prior to exercise, so that food isn't percolating through the digestive system while working out.

Personal fitness should be on everyone's agenda, regardless of age. "You're going to benefit from it no matter what as long as you're physically able to undertake an exercise program. Doing a little bit is better than doing nothing, even for elderly people under supervision," Ferguson says.

Motivation is another factor to keep in mind. Some people enjoy having a friend to exercise with, because it makes the activity a social event and seems to keep them going. For others, however, finding time to work out with someone is a huge barrier, so it is less likely that it will get done. Ferguson says make it an individual choice to find what motivates you best to get fit.

Once the goal is set, all that's left is to follow it. "Most people don't undertake an exercise program with the idea that they're going to stop, but many of them do. It has a lot to do with fitting fitness into the way you live. People who stop tend to plan their life around exercise, instead of adding exercise to their life."