Starting a fitness journey is never easy, and keep in mind that this is not a quick fix; it is a way of life. Don't panic and believe you have to complete everything at once; this will most likely overwhelm you. You may also decide to give up because crash diets are not sustainable.
The greatest way is to make small modifications to your everyday behaviors, and over time, you will realize that all of your negative habits have transformed into good.
According to a study conducted by Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, it takes more than two months for a new behavior to become routine – 66 days in all. The time it takes to create a new habit varies greatly depending on the behavior, the individual, and the surroundings.
Here are 15 fitness goals to aid you along your journey:
1. Drink More Water
W.H. Auden expressed it best when he said,
"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water."
The most important thing to remember when following any diet is to drink enough of water. Drinking water helps your body digest, deliver nutrients to your bones and muscles, and improves cognitive function.
Ideally, you should drink half your body weight in ounces each day; for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water.
2. Add Some Lemon and Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Water
It is advised that we sleep for roughly 8 hours each day, however this means we spend approximately 8 hours every day dehydrated. Therefore, it is vitally necessary to hydrate your body first thing in the morning.
The easiest method to stay hydrated is to begin your day with a glass or two of water. Add lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to improve the flavor. Lemon and apple cider vinegar will help your body detoxify, cleanse, and digest.
3. Stop Drinking Your Calories
Yes, staying hydrated is vital, but avoid high-calorie liquids like soft drinks, specialty coffee, and juices since they contain fast-acting sugar.
Push yourself to stop consuming such beverages, and you will soon see the benefits.
4. Start Stretching More Often
The benefits are enormous, and the consequences of failing to stretch can be severe.
Do yourself a favor and stretch before and after every workout. This promotes a healthy cool down, increases flexibility, and reduces next-day discomfort. Failure to stretch can cause injuries and muscle damage.
Here are some basic stretching exercises to get you started: 15 Static Stretching Exercises To Completely Enhance Your Workout Routine
5. Add in Some High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
You may have heard about HIIT training because it is popular right now, and believe me when I say that it works and should be incorporated into your fitness goals.
The advantages include reduced body fat, greater stamina, leaner muscles, and fantastic hormonal benefits.
HIIT is a technique that involves performing an intense activity for a short period of time (approximately 30 seconds), followed by a slower exercise for about 90 seconds.
Performing an HIIT routine 1-3 times per week will produce excellent benefits.
6. Focus on Your Breathing When You Work Out
Breathing comes naturally for most people, but when exercising, you may find yourself holding your breath, which can be harmful.
Deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth are essential for filling your lungs with oxygen and providing the energy you need to continue your workout.
7. Build More Lean Muscle
We all desire to have lean muscles. It not only looks wonderful, but it also provides significant health benefits, such as:
Improved posture
Decreased body fat
Improved metabolism.
Strong bones.
Protects and enhances joint health.
Improved stamina
You can grow lean muscle by lifting weights or doing other particular activities. This guide will teach you more about how to grow muscle. How Long Does It Take to Gain Muscle and Increase Fat Loss?
8. Decrease Body Fat
This may sound apparent, but it is one of the most critical steps towards a healthier you. Reducing body fat has many benefits, such as:
Improved joints and tendons.
Lowered risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Reduced inflammation.
Improved performance and endurance
Improved attractiveness and confidence.
Improved hormone profiles in your body
Remember, this is not a contest to see how fast you can lose body fat. For fitness goals, a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is recommended.
Crash dieting or pushing yourself too hard in the gym can lead to you meeting an unattainable goal and regaining all of your lost weight.
Think of it as a lifestyle.
9. Eat More Greens
What you eat is the most significant aspect in a healthier lifestyle. It is critical to ensure that the food you consume contains as many nutrients and vitamins as possible.
Choose dark, leafy greens since they include a variety of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants that your body requires!
Do not forget to avoid processed and synthetic foods. They are frequently heavy in fat and low in vitamins.
10. Start Eliminating Sugar
Another major objective you can start right away is to cut back on your sugar consumption. It will also cost you nothing and will save you money while improving your health in the long term.
It's no surprise that we consume too much sugar, and this should be one of your main fitness priorities going forward. Cutting out liquid calories is an excellent place to begin. If you're looking for something sweet, consider fruits or perhaps dark chocolate.
Be careful to gradually eliminate sugar from your diet. Cutting it all at once can produce feelings of sugar withdrawal, driving you back to sugary snacks.
11. Allow Yourself to Rest and Recover
The training breaks down muscle tissue, which is then rebuilt through adequate nutrition, rest, and recovery. It may be tempting to spend two hours per day in the gym working as hard as possible to achieve your goals, but this is not the most successful strategy.
If you don't give yourself enough time to relax and recover, you may find yourself falling behind. Your body is more vulnerable to damage and illness because the increased intensity it is experiencing weakens its immune system.
12. Get More Sleep
When you are deprived of sleep, it is nearly impossible to fulfill your health and fitness objectives. Sleep deprivation can raise your body's stress chemicals, which can lead to inflammation and chronic disorders.
Make sleep a priority so your body may repair and revitalize. A good approach is 7 to 8 hours. Allow yourself some wind-down time and a pre-bed ritual to help you sleep more consistently every night.
13. Focus on the Habit, Not the Result
It's easy to get caught up in attempting to acquire a specific look or cut time off your mile, but the most essential focus should be on the habit that will bring you closer to your fitness objectives.
Do not glance at the scale, tape measurer, or body fat percentage. Concentrate on the behaviors that will lead to those accomplishments.
Do not compare yourself to others; you are exactly where you should be.
14. Take Your Fitness Outside
This may be difficult depending on the weather, but the more time you spend outside, exposed to fresh air and sunlight, the better.
Being locked in the gym doing cardio while staring at a wall would not provide much cerebral stimulation.
Try to challenge your body more by going outside. Hiking is fantastic, as is running and walking. Allow oneself greater access to nature and a continuously changing surroundings. It also beats breathing the recycled gym air.
15. Do at Least One Pull Up
This is an excellent last objective to focus on because it is a wonderful strength test and allows you to assess how your fitness is developing.
If you haven't done one before, you understand how difficult it may be. Setting a goal of accomplishing at least one pull up will not only demonstrate your improvement, but it will also help you become more focused and motivated.
The Bottom Line
If you stick to your workout routine throughout the year, you will be able to achieve these fitness goals. To build realistic short-term goals, set a precise schedule for when you want to complete some or all of them. In fact, start achieving one of these goals this month!
