Answers from Expert: Michelle Cederberg

If you have a question for any of our experts, please visit our Just Ask page. Let's face it, most of us are motivated to exercise for three main reasons -- vanity, health, or performance. In other words, we exercise to look better, to feel better, or to do better. It's that simple, but it's an important distinction to make for helping you to gauge your progress. When you're starting out on a new program of physical activity it's a good idea to set some goals for yourself, and determine which of the above "motivators" your goals fall under. If you've decided that you would like to lose 10 pounds of fat or gain 10 pounds of muscle, your main motivation for exercising at this point is to look better. If your doctor has told you that you need to decrease your blood pressure or improve your cholesterol levels then physical activity will help you feel better. If you'd like to be able to run a five km race in less than 30 minutes, or simply plan to complete a half marathon then you are motivated by goals to do better. It doesn’t matter which of the above motivators drives you to get active, the key is that you’re moving, and you're doing it because it's meaningful to YOU. When we set goals that are meaningful to us our chances of success increase greatly. We're more likely to get to our workouts and complete them if the outcome is something that we value. Goal setting, however, is very personal and actually requires a bit more thought than we often attach to it. It's important to choose your goals realistically, and frame them within your current level of fitness and activity. For instance, a realistic (and healthy) goal for weight loss is a pound or two per week. If you have set a goal to lose 20 pounds by your 10-year reunion two weeks from now you’re setting yourself up for failure and frustration. Think ahead. Even at a healthy two pounds of weight loss a week (which can be on the high side) you can plan to reach your goal in two-and-a-half months, and it could take as long as 5 months if you moderate your weight loss to one pound per week. The good news is, if you make your plan and stick to it you WILL reach your goals. Think of goals in a positive and fun way! There are two main reasons that I set goals for myself before I start out. First, if I haven’t set any goals for myself then the process of exercise often carries less meaning. I look forward to the race or event I've chosen to train for, or I work harder if I know, for instance, that I will be measuring my success on a given date. Which brings us to the second, fun reason to set goals. If you don't, then you are denied the pleasure of celebration. Milestones are important. Let's look at our weight loss example again. While it is realistic to aim for 20 pounds of weight loss in three to five months, its no fun to have to wait that long to celebrate the success you will be experiencing along the way. Try to set workout performance goals or weekly "get to the gym" goals. Tell yourself, "This week I WILL get to the gym at least three times! And when I’m there I WILL plan to do no less than 10...20...30 minutes of cardio!" These types of goals are fun to conquer. They’re measurable, attainable, realistic, and short term! You get to celebrate EVERY WEEK! Once you have set your goals and developed a habit around your physical activity, you will be looking for ways to measure your progress. The easiest way to do that is to determine where you are at when you start. Fitness appraisals can be a wonderful way to objectively measure your current level of health and fitness. The Canadian Physical Activity, Fitness and Lifestyle Appraisal (CPAFLA) provides an all encompassing assessment of your cardiovascular conditioning, your body composition, and your muscular strength and endurance. The assessment typically takes about and hour and a half, and provides you with "Health Benefit Ratings" that indicate where you stand compared to other Canadian men or women in your age category. Ask your favourite fitness professional about where you can find a Certified Fitness Consultant to perform your appraisal, and then plan for a follow up about three months down the road. Why follow-up? Once you've had your first appraisal you’ll have a better idea of areas you might like to improve upon. Use the results to make a plan for change. If you scored poorly on the cardiovascular assessment then you may want to increase the frequency or intensity of your current aerobic workouts. If you scored poorly on measurements of muscular strength or endurance then you may be looking at including weight training as part of your weekly activity. If your body composition scores were unhealthy then the combination of aerobic and weight training will help you burn the calories that will burn the fat. It's very exciting! Why three months? Three months, or twelve weeks is a realistic time frame to make some significant changes, and its not so long that you lose your motivation. Often times an individual will have 2 or 3 great months of physical activity, and then get bored with their program, or lose motivation due to a perceived lack of results. So often, if they’d just planned to have a fitness appraisal done they would have been motivated firstly, to work hard knowing they would be getting appraised again in 12 weeks, and secondly, to continue on a new path, encouraged by the results of the appraisal. What if I don't see any results? If you develop a realistic plan of physical activity and healthy eating, and if you stick to your plan, you WILL see results. Sometimes the changes aren't as grand as we'd like, but small, positive changes still mean you're heading in the right direction. If your follow-up appraisal doesn't provide you with the results you would have hoped for you'll need to ask yourself a few questions. 1. Is the program that I am currently on challenging and specific enough to get me the results I really want? 2. Am I being realistic as to how I am approaching the workouts in my current plan? Could I be working harder? Am I completing the entire workout? Am I missing workouts? 3. Should I look at revising my program to help me better reach my goals? If these questions are hard to answer then you may need to enlist the help of a personal trainer or other fitness leader to help you design a program of physical activity that will provide you with the results you desire. Hiring a personal trainer doesn't need to be an intimidating experience. These days there are trainers available to meet the needs of every walk of life. Personal trainers are educated in the latest training methods and motivational techniques to help you feel good about your fitness program. A good trainer will sit down and chat with you about your specific needs, goals, injuries or illness, and even try to design a program for you based on your hobbies and favourite activities. A good trainer will also establish realistic starting points, and plan for your progress so you know how hard you should be working, what that feels like, and what you should do when it's time to challenge yourself further. How do I know if I'm making progress? If you've established goals before you start out, or you’ve chosen to have a fitness appraisal done, you'll have quantifiable ways of measuring your progress as you go along. Remember, however, that physical activity is a lifetime commitment, and progress can be measured in so many meaningful ways. Be happy with how you feel when you finish a workout, or when you feel less breathless after climbing that flight of stairs. Give yourself a pat on the back when you choose to go for a walk after dinner even when it's cold out. Give yourself a gigantic hug when you get out to exercise simply because you want to and because you know you will feel better afterwards. We are often motivated to be physically active to look better, to feel better, and to do better. Whatever your motivation, remember that it won't seem like work if you’re doing something that you enjoy, that brings you the results you value.