It’s that time of year. The gyms are super crowded and everyone’s making their fitness goals for the year. When it comes to fitness, I get DM’s from you guys that range from people who have never run a day in their lives, to crazy marathoners! So, if you know you want to work on fitness in 2018 in some capacity, but aren’t sure what that should look like…I want to help you out! I’m by no means a personal trainer, but just want to share a few ideas to maybe get the creative juices flowin for ya! Today I’m going to break down some fitness goals / ideas for every level of woman here: whether you worked out 1 day last year, or only took off 1 day lol.
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So, let’s start with any fitness newbies out there! Maybe you’ve always been intimidated by the gym or just don’t know where to start. Or maybe you worked out a lot in previous years but you’ve taken a little too much time off. For anyone new to working out, here are a few goals / ideas to get you started this year:
- Set a goal for how many days per week you will workout. If you’re new to working out, I would suggest 3 days a week!
- Once you have that established, think of something active (anything that gets your heart rate up) that you enjoy. Do you like dancing? Most gyms have some type of zumba or dance class! Start going to that before or after work! Do you love being outside? Make it a habit to go walk for 30 minutes when you get home from work – but try power walking to get your heart rate up – or even try a 30 minute jog (you can walk / run in intervals! you don’t have to run the whole time!). Have you always loved to swim? Join a gym with a great lap pool! Find something you enjoy (or at least semi enjoy) that will get your heart rate up, for at least 30 minutes, 3 days per week
- Get a buddy to join you for workouts and/or hold you accountable. Going to a zumba class at the gym is way less intimidating if you have a friend to go with you! Or, if it’s not possible for you and your friend to actually go to the gym together…pick a friend that you talk about your fitness goals with. Call your sister and say ‘hey I want to make fitness a priority in 2018. will you help hold me accountable?’. Then, check in with each other once a week! Or if you’re not feeling the gym one day, text her and say ‘I’m really not feeling the gym today…Send me some motivation”. It’s always helpful to have an accountability partner!
Also, while we’re in the ‘fitness newbie’ category…I have to say: the hardest part about making fitness a priority or getting in shape or working out is starting. Once you get out of the habit of going to the gym (or, if you were never in the habit), it’s really hard to start that routine. But, I promise it will be SO worth it. The first few weeks (or month) of working out, you will have times when your desire is a 0 on a scale from 1-10…but push through. Choose to go to the gym or go for a walk or be active. I promise you, taking care of your body will be worth it!
Next category is what I’m going to call casual gym goers (lol because I can’t think of a better term). But, this category is for those of you who went to the gym a few times a week last year. You like working out but it wasn’t a huge priority to you last year, and this year you want to step it up. You’rE like a mid-range fitness girl (which is great!). Here are a few ideas for fitness goals for you this year, if you’re wanting to take your fitness to the next level:
- Sign up for a race! If you’ve never really run long distance, maybe don’t start with a marathon haha. But sign up for a 10K or a half marathon! Having a goal like this to work towards makes working out so much easier and more enjoyable IMO.
- Make working out a part of your weekly routine, instead of something you randomly do if you have time. If you have a 9-5 job…find maybe 3 days out of the work week where you go to the gym or go for a run either before or after work, and then pick one or two days on the weekend as well. Make a goal for yourself to develop more consistency with your workouts
- Try a new fitness app / program to follow! I’ve been thinking about starting Kayla Itsines BBG program (definitely download her app if you’re interested!). I also have the Jillian Michaels app – she has some great workouts in there – some that you can do at home! These apps / programs are great because you don’t have to wonder what type of workout you should do…and can also plug you into a community of other women doing these workouts too!
The last category I want to share some ideas for fitness goals with is my fitness lovers – this is for women who consistently worked out 5+ days almost every week, train hard, love the gym, ran marathons, etc. I was talking to my sister a few weeks ago (who is definitely a fitness lover) and she was having a hard time coming up with fitness goals for herself because TBH she’s already a beast and in amazing shape haha. But here are some ideas I shared with her that can maybe help you out!
- Branch out from your normal workouts! Believe me – I KNOW how hard this is. I love working out and love sticking with what I know: running running running…and occasional weight training ha, but i’m trying to branch out. You will plateau in your fitness if you never change things up. In 2017, I started going to Corepower Yoga consistently for the first time and saw more muscle definition / changes in muscle tone than I ever had before! It also made me realize that just because you’re great at running, doesn’t mean you’re super fit / strong in all areas. It’s so important to challenge your body and try new things. If you’re also like me and stick to running…try yoga, or maybe buy a few sessions with a personal trainer so they can show you new workouts to do / how to use weights! Trying new things is so hard, but the only way our bodies will really change / get stronger is by challenging them!
- Sign up for a longer race than you did before! If you’ve always done half marathons, and have always felt tempted to do a full…go for it! Why not now? Or if you enjoy swimming and biking, sign up for a sprint triathlon (or a full triathlon!). OR if you don’t have a desire to run a full (don’t worry – i get it haha), challenge yourself to PR a half marathon this year – work on speed.
Outfit details: lightweight long sleeve tee | colorblock leggings | black sunnies | adidas kicks
On another note…if you guys follow me on instagram, you know how obsessed I’ve been recently with Outdoor Voices (ps this post isn’t sponsored in any way haha). But really I haven’t been this obsessed with a brand in a long time. I LIVE in their stuff – whether I’m at the gym, walking Beau around the neighborhood, on a long road trip, or working from home. I think their stuff is absolutely adorable and way too easy to live in 24/7! Their leggings are also insanely flattering – which is always a plus! I also got Michael a pair of their shorts for Christmas – he is equally as obsessed with them as I am! Just thought I’d share in case you’re needing some new fitness apparel in the new year!
Thanks for reading! Hope these fitness goals motivate you to get movin!
xo Lauren
