OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS
Fitness for All offer a fun, memorable yet goal orientated fitness experience.
What does goal orientation mean for employees within a fitness experience? Goal orientation is a “disposition toward developing or demonstrating ability in achievement situations”. Previous research has examined goal orientation as a motivation variable useful for recruitment, climate and culture, performance appraisal, and selection.[2] Studies have also used goal orientation to predict sales performance, goal setting, learning and adaptive behaviours in training, and leadership.
The Australian Professional Counseling organization has this school of thought:
Goal orientations are cognitive representations of the general type of goal an individual will tend to pursue. Goal orientations are dynamic and subject to change as information pertaining to one’s performance on the task is processed. While an individual can hold a number of goal orientations that govern their reasons for engaging in an activity, research has primarily focused on two types of goals namely, task oriented goals and ego oriented goals.
Task orientated goals: The primary motivation for action in pursuing the task oriented goal is to achieve mastery over the task through the application of relevant skills. By gaining mastery over a given task, the individual experiences self improvement which is also a motivational component for action.
Success in meeting the task oriented goal is measured by:
- How well the individual mastered the task,
- How much self improvement the individual experienced and
- How proficient the skills and abilities were of the individual
Task orientation is portrayed as an intrinsically motivated state that leads to persistence when failing, perseverance when faced with difficulties and a fulfilling sense of achievement if the task was mastered, improvement was experienced and ability was successfully expressed. Task oriented goals can be achieved regardless of whether or not the person has come first place or last place in a race, or won or lost a game (Elliot, 2005).
It is a goal orientation that focuses on mastering the task at hand and doing the best that can be done with the ability one under the circumstances faced. In its purest form, it is not a goal orientation that focuses on winning places and/or points.
Ego oriented goals: The primary motivation for action in perusing ego oriented goals is to be better than others. In other words, the motivation to pursue and realize the ego oriented goal is fuelled by competition.
Success is measured in terms of performance exceeding that of others even if this can be achieved when putting in less effort or executing less skill than others. Motivation is aimed at being the best rather than doing one’s best. The driving force is to demonstrate a superior and higher ability compared to others rather than demonstrating one’s ability irrespective of how it compares to others (Roberts, Treasure & Conroy, 2007; Steinberg, Grieve, & Glass, 2001). The ego oriented goal functions as an extrinsic motivational force to achieve desired outcomes.
A task oriented athlete can find a deep level of satisfaction in performing to the best of their ability regardless of whether or not they have achieved a place or won the game. An ego oriented athlete will tend to lose motivation if they perceive they will not be able to win, thus the ego focused athlete will often pull back and give up on such occasions.
Task oriented athletes are more likely to maintain a high level of motivation to continue performing optimally irrespective of whether they think they will win or lose and therefore are more likely to persevere with their best effort irrespective of the ‘score board’ because that is the primary motivation for them.
The Fitness for All experiences for goals:
Professional and Individual: First-hand experience (doing the whole body workouts for 35 minutes with one of our certified and experienced fitness instructor. Each coach takes only 10 clients per session
Ego Goal setting
Setting a goal give our clients something to work towards and provided them with a way to measure how well they are doing over a period of time. When it comes to succeeding in exercise program, setting goals and monitoring the progress will help our clients to stay on track and see where they want to go.
Example: Success is measured in terms of performance exceeding that of others even if this can be achieved when putting in less effort or executing less skill than others. Motivation is aimed at being the best rather than doing one’s best. The driving force is to demonstrate a superior and higher ability compared to others rather than demonstrating one’s ability irrespective of how it compares to others (Roberts, Treasure & Conroy, 2007; Steinberg, Grieve, & Glass, 2001). The ego oriented goal functions as an extrinsic motivational force to achieve desired outcomes.
Appraise
On a three week cycle, we give clients feedback. The idea is to look at their fitness progress and see whether the client has achieved their goal. If not we adjust the training to suit the current challenges.
Example: A fitness appraisal is an assessment of one’s fitness level and involves such components and resting heart rate, weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, muscular strength and endurance, cardio respiratory endurance and flexibility. It is a great step to take as it will provide an individual with valuable information in not planning fitness program, but simply becoming goal orientated, both short term and long term with the final goal of living as active and healthy lifestyle.
Motivate
We believe we are hands on company. If our clients are not in training or in contact with us for a period of two weeks, we do a checking up call/email to find out whether the client is having a difficulty with training or is the absence due to other factors.
We follow up with a visit and suggest new and innovative ways to ensure that the client is motivated again. Through our various mediums of communication we also do daily motivational messages –consistency is important when we motivate, so is planning for the client.
Individual assessments at a venue most comfortable for the client
Some of the clients cannot come to our training sessions due to their busy schedules. We offer individual assessments in the comfort of their homes. This will be followed by providing the client with a personal exercise programme to assist them to reach the fitness level that we require. Regular house visits are done to determine the progress and invite them into mainstream training after there is a sense of satisfaction from the coach.
Provisions to enhance the body and to balance
Not fuelling up before the work out is like “driving a car on empty,” said Platt, an American Heart Association volunteer. You also won’t have enough energy to maximize your workout and you limit your ability to burn calories.
- During: Make a Pit Stop
We advise the clients to keep their body hydrated with small, frequent sips of water. They don’t need to eat during a workout that’s an hour or less. But, for longer, high intensity vigorous workouts, we advise eating between 50-100 calories every half hour of carbohydrates such as raisins, an energy bar or banana.
We have created a partnership with a dietician for easy reference and researched advice on a continuous basis and a food guide on how to eat for sustainability.
- After: Refuel Your Tank
After the workout, it’s time to refuel with:
- Fluids: Drink water, of course. Blend water with 100% juice such as orange juice which provides fluids, carbohydrates and potassium.
- Carbohydrates: Everyone burns a lot of carbohydrates — the main fuel for the muscles — when a person exercises. In the 20-60 minutes after the workout, muscles can store carbohydrates and protein as energy and help in recovery.
- Protein: Eating protein to help repair and grow muscles, including a whole grain bagel, baked potato, peanut butter, sandwich, etc.
It’s important to realize that these are general guidelines. As people we have different digestive systems and “a lot depends on the workout we engaged in”. We advise clients that their eating plan (nutrition) is as important as their exercise. Both are crucial to keeping the engine performing at its best.