My biggest take away from this class is how to create fitness goals. I've learned that when most people create goals, they tend to create unrealistic and unattainable goals and they end up not completing them because they get overwhelmed. The best way to create goals is by using the SMART goal format. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and timely. The purpose of using this format is to create smaller, easier goals that are specific to what you're wanting to accomplish, goals that are recordable or measurable, goals that are within the scope of accomplishment, and set within a period of time to keep an individual focused and committed to completing the goal. We would frequently use this format throughout the course and I'm glad we did because I now use it for other goals other than fitness.

I am glad I took this class because I can use what I have learned to keep myself fit. I plan to use the knowledge I have learned in this not only in fitness, but also with all other plans and goals I'll make. This fitness class taught us about smart goals, but I have realized that you don't have to use the smart goal format only for fitness, I have already started using it for other things as well. I have started using it for my finances, schooling, and career goals too. I am glad I took this course and I would recommend others take it as well.

In addition to making goals smarter, we also learned some very valuable lessons in how to be healthy and ways to maintain our health. We learned about best practices on eating healthier, maintaining stress, sleep, etc. These in turn were great lessons to learn about because they played a part on my schooling. By eating healthier, we are able to think and comprehend a lot better which may improve how we perform in school. School can also be very stressful and learning about maintaining stress and learning how important sleep is can be vital in how we perform in our studies.

For my signature assignment, I have decided to choose the goals I have set and revised throughout this course. My main goal that I wanted to focus on this year was to increase my muscular endurance. My original goal was to run 1 mile without stopping or to run 1 mile while maintaining speed. My objectives for this goal we to: refrain from drinking sugary drinks; Use stairs instead of elevator/escalators, park further away from stores, businesses, etc; Run 1 mile every other day with walking break allowances. I then revised my goal as such: My goal is to be able to run 1 mile at a constant speed without needing to stop, walk, or slow down to a jog every other day except weekends. I will run every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday just before my normal workouts for 1 mile each time and log how many times I slow down to a jog/walk or stop completely. My family used to go on family walks every day, but I have not been able to recently due to my busy schedule and now it’s harder for me to walk longer distances. At the end of this three weeks, I hope to have gained enough endurance that I can walk longer distances with my family on our bi-daily walks. By the end of this three weeks, I will be able to run at least 1 mile at a consistent speed without slowing or stopping.

In conclusion, I don't think I would have been able to complete this assignment if I didn't learn about making goals the correct and smart way. Working through this semester learning about fitness, flew by quite fast. Not only have I learned about how to improve myself, but I have improved myself along the way as well. I have more energy than I did before, I feel better about everything, I have lost weight, and I feel healthier in general. I am glad I took this course and I would recommend others take it as well.