Here are 5 Top Tips to achieve your fitness goals

Many of us make promises to ourselves to 'get fit', get into shape and be healthier. If you are one of those people who have made their intentions a reality - well done! However, you may have struggled to make any progress, or maybe haven't got around to starting yet! Whatever your fitness level, from beginner to regular exerciser, by following a few basic principles you can greatly improve your chances of getting where you want to go.

Tip One: Set goals

If you don't know where you want to go - how are you going to get there, and how will you know when you arrive? It is important to set yourself some realistic and specific targets. Rather than "I want to be slimmer in a fortnight", try "I want to drop two jeans sizes in ten weeks", or have your body fat percentage measured by a fitness professional and work out your ideal level, as well as how long it will take to reach it. This gives you a concrete result to aim for and you will know when you have achieved it. Breaking goals down into shorter-term targets (e.g. one jeans size in five weeks) will also make seemingly daunting tasks more manageable.

Tip Two. Do things properly

The way your body responds to exercise depends on the type of training you do - so in order to achieve a certain goal (more strength, less fat, improved muscle tone) you must train in a specific way. Seek advice from a Personal Trainer to find out which exercises are best for you, and how to do them correctly and effectively.

Tip Three. Avoid getting stuck in a rut

The benefits of exercise work through the process of adaptation - your body will change to keep up with the demands you place upon it.  Once it can cope with these demands there is no need to adapt further and you will stop progressing. So you must change your exercise routine in some way every four to eight weeks to give your body a new challenge.

Tip Four. Don't overdo it

The adaptations mentioned above happen when you are recovering from exercise, not during your workout. If you train again too soon your body will not have fully repaired itself and you will not be able to exercise as effectively. Your progress will slow down and you will become tired and demotivated. Three to four exercise sessions a week with 24-48 hours off in between each is sufficient, especially for those new to exercise.

Tip Five. Enjoy the process!

Focusing solely on results is like watching hair grow - you will quickly become disillusioned with the apparently slow progress. Choose forms of exercise that you find enjoyable (bearing in mind point two above) and you will be much more likely to stick to them.

Remember that a good fitness professional will be able to help you out with any of the above - good luck with your training!