Why You Need a Personal Workout Mission Statement

By Dr. Ayla Donlin, Special AFS Contributor

A mission statement is designed to identify core values and offer purpose and direction.  You have probably been part of writing a mission statement at some point, whether a personal or business mission statement.  But have you ever written a mission statement to guide your workout routine?

This blog post is designed to offer you a step-by-step process of identifying your core values, purpose, and direction related to exercise and writing your personal workout mission statement.  Revisit this workout mission statement every three to six months and revise it according to your changing goals and values.

Step One:  Identify the workouts you VALUE and ENJOY

Research has demonstrated repeatedly that we are more likely to stick with a behavioral habit if we enjoy it and can find a way of integrating it into our values.  Do the work of identifying the type of workouts you enjoy and get the most out of so that you are more likely to commit to a routine.

Write out a list of your top two to three preferred workouts and how many times per week you will complete them.

Example:

• I really enjoy running, circuit training, and yoga.  I’ll run two times per week, perform circuit training twice per week, and do yoga at least once per week.

Step Two:  Identify your WHY

It is important to identify why you choose to exercise.  Of course, there may be many different reasons, but try to identify the top two to three reasons. 

Find your true why by digging deep – do not stop at the surface.  Often in goal setting, we leave our goals vague and do not delineate the why.  For example, if your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight or to drop a certain number of clothing sizes, dig deep and identify why you want to work to make those changes. 

Ask yourself these questions, and go through three or four layers of asking WHY before you stop.

1. Why do I choose to workout?
2. Why do I value working out?

Example:

• Why do I choose to workout?  Because I want to drop three pants sizes in the next six months.  Why?  Because my friend is getting married and I am in his wedding and I want to look good and feel fit.  Why?  Because I am nervous to see a bunch of friends I have not seen in years and I want to feel confident.  Why?  Because I know I will interact more positively and enjoy myself if I am more confident.

After you have done the work of exploring your why, see if you can condense it into a sentence or two.

Example:

• I choose to workout because it makes me feel and look fit and healthy.  My self-confidence is highest when I feel and look fit and healthy, and when I am more self-confident, I interact more positively with myself, my family, and my friends.

Research has demonstrated repeatedly that we are more likely to stick with a behavioral habit if we enjoy it and can find a way of integrating it into our values.

Step Three:  Map out your DIRECTION

As you think about yourself as an exerciser, where would you like that to go?  Where do you see your health and fitness level in several months from now?  Map out where you would like to take your fitness.

Offer yourself a long-term goal, and then provide yourself with a few short-term goals along the way. 

Examples:

• I will compete in my first 10k race within the next year.  I will start running four miles three times per week (I’m currently running three miles twice per week).  I will increase my distance by one mile each month until I hit 6 miles, and then I will train for speed.
• In two years from now, I will be the fittest I have ever been.  I will achieve this by performing cardio three days per week and resistance training two days per week.  I will hire a trainer if I hit a plateau in my progress.

Now that you have gone through all three steps, combine your responses into one fluid workout mission statement.

Examples:

• In order to feel and look fit, I’ll run two times per week, perform circuit training twice per week, and do yoga at least once per week. 
• I choose to workout because it makes me feel and look fit and healthy.  My self-confidence is highest when I feel and look fit and healthy, and when I am more self-confident, I interact more positively with myself, my family, and my friends.
• In two years from now, I will be the fittest I have ever been.  I will achieve this by performing cardio three days per week and resistance training two days per week.  I will hire a trainer if I hit a plateau in my progress.

Choose wording that will inspire and motivate you each time you look at your workout mission statement!  Place your workout mission in a highly visible location (or several) so that you see it frequently.

May your workout mission drive you forward in your fitness journey!

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Related Post:  How Heart Rate can be Leveraged into Gaining Meaningful Insight into your Client

Dr. Ayla Donlin is the director of the LifeFit Center @ The Beach, a health and fitness facility and educational laboratory on the campus of Long Beach State University (LBSU).  Ayla’s passions are fitness, education, and well-being, and as a result, she holds multiple positions within higher education and the fitness industry.

Ayla is a lecturer in the kinesiology department at LBSU and has been teaching courses since 2008 in the fitness and sport studies options.  She is also the chair of the Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIMOC) Leadership Team at LBSU and advises the EIMOC student organization.

Ayla has been active in the fitness industry for over 12 years as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, group fitness director, master trainer, and health club general manager. She is currently an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified personal trainer and an Exercise is Medicine® credentialed fitness professional. 

Ayla also serves as a consultant within the fitness industry.  She has been working with Johnny G. since 2007 as a Master Instructor for Krankcycle® and became a Master Instructor for IN-TRINITY® in 2015.  Ayla is also a Master Trainer for MYZONE®, a wearable physical activity tracker that rewards effort.  She creates educational content for the MYZONE® blog, Podcast, and learning management system.

As a passion and hobby, Ayla has organized, led, and participated in over 100 hours of Spin-a-thon/Krank-a-thon fundraisers benefitting various organizations like the Challenged Athletes Foundation.