Set and measure your goals! If you don't know specifically where you want to go, how can you possibly know if you are on the right track to get there?

Everyone wants to "lose weight" or "feel better". What does that MEAN? Does it mean that you want to drop 4 dress sizes? Does it mean you want to shed 30 pounds? Does it mean that you want to lose a certain percentage of bodyfat? Does it mean that you want to run the 100-yard dash in a certain period of time?

The moral to this story is that if you don't know SPECIFICALLY what you want out of your fitness program and SPECIFICALLY when you want to have it by, you are going to have a hard time even knowing if you are on the right track. You need to set and measure your goals on a frequent basis. Get on a scale once a week, have your bodyfat checked, run the 100-yard dash to see if your time is improving.

When you measure your progress, it allows you to modify your program if necessary to stay on track for your goals. If you need to lose 1 pound a week to get to your goal, but you are only losing half a pound each week, then you need to make some changes to get on a faster track to success.

Set and measure your goals, and you will be amazed at how motivating it can be.