To get toned? To lose weight? To gain muscle? To get into shape? To be healthier?
Sound familiar? Resolutions you make every year but can never seem to commit to?
Try these smarter fitness goal ideas instead:
- Go to the gym at least 3x/week.
- Lift weights at least 3x/week.
- Take at least one fitness class a week.
- Do at least 2 HIIT workouts a week.
- Do yoga at least once a week.
- Take on a new fitness activity you never usually do (eg. yoga for me).
- Stretch for at least 15 minutes after each workout.
- Have at least one rest day a week from no physical activity.
- Be able to do an unassisted handstand.
- Be able to do 5 unassisted pull ups.
- Be able to squat/deadlift/bench ___lbs.
- Get a KOM/QOM on Strava on _________ segment.
- Work on flexibility and be able to touch your ties, do the splits, etc.
- Bike to work at least twice a week.
- Bike at least 400km per month starting from May to September.
- Run at least 40km/month.
- Sign up for at least one competition this year (body building, 5k, 10k, half/full marathon…)
- Run a marathon in under _____(time).
- Get to bed before midnight.
- Meditate for at least 15 minutes every morning.
- Keep a daily food journal.
- Go on a sugar-free challenge for a week every month in 2014.
- Drink water instead of pop/juice.
- Eat breakfast everyday.
- Pack your own lunch at least 4x/week.
- Subscribe to fitness blogs and read them daily to stay motivated.
More Tips on Setting Fitness Goals:
- SMARTER Goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluate and Re-evaluate. This is all over the internet so I won’t elaborate. Here is a link instead.
- A healthy lifestyle. All the goals above can be integrated into your lifestyle in the long-term.
- Baby steps. Break down the goals above weekly and change them up every now and then. You need to create habits first to integrate it into your lifestyle.
- Interim Goals. You must set interim goals to get yourself to your bigger end goal. For example, if you are new to cycling and you registered for the Gran Fondo in September, what are the steps you need to take to get there? You will need to start getting more mileage on your bike so you may set a goal such as, “I will cycle at least 50km/week in January” and then increase value that every month. If you bike to work, hitting that goal should be an easy task so set goals that are attainable for your lifestyle.
- Track your progress. Keep a fitness journal online or offline. A blog is a great way to stay accountable and motivated.
- Stay accountable. The world may not care but post your goals on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll be a lot more motivated once you’ve announced it to the world that you are going to do such and such.
- Get educated. You can’t achieve your goals if you don’t know how to do them right. Knowledge IS motivation and if you KNOW how to calculate your BMR, lose weight and proper nutrition and form, things will be a lot easier.
- Reward yourself. Once you’ve hit your big goals, buy yourself something nice, sparkly and fun!
What are your fitness goals for 2014?
