Do you want to feel better? Live longer? Relieve stress? Look younger? Stay healthy? Overcome disease? Reduce inactivity? Lose weight? Build muscles? Relieve arthritis? Strengthen bones? Improve endurance? Eat right? Get fit? Whatever your goal is, make a commitment to achieve it. Effort and persistence confirm goal success.

Set specific and realistic goals. Write them down. Once you have written down your goals you may want to see a fitness trainer or sports physician. Set short-term goals that can be measured. Set long-term goals that can be charted over weeks and months, even years. Evaluate your progress regularly. Focus on the good that comes out of your efforts, whether it was your goal or not. Reward yourself every time you reach a goal, no matter how small. Answers to these questions will help you formulate your goals:
* What is my current health status? What do I want it to be? Do I believe I can improve my health?
* What physical improvements do I want to make? Feel more energetic? Prevent health problems? Become more fit?
* What will it take to reach this goal? Is this goal reachable for me?
* What challenges must I overcome? How will I overcome them?
* How can I measure my progress? By inches lost? Recording exercise progress? Change in health status? Need for less sleep?
* How will I reward myself along the way? An evening out? Get a massage? Buy new workout clothes?

Here are some examples of goals to improve your health:
* Eating goals: Increase fiber to 30 grams a day. Eat whole fruits instead of just drinking their juice. Eat 3 ounce portions of lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish, beans) without fatty gravies, sauces, or spreads. Substitute low and nonfat foods instead of high fat foods. Select menu items that are steamed or grilled instead of fried or sauted.
* Exercising goals: Increase your cycling time or walking speed by measuring a course and taking periodic time checks. Make incremental changes to distances covered. Cross train with two or three different activities each week. Make stress an excuse to exercise.
* Planning goals: Have a routine exercise time. Keep an eating schedule so not to overeat. Pack your own low-fat sandwiches for long car trips. Think up non-food related social activities.

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