It’s easy to lose track of and give up on your fitness goals if they’re unrealistic. That’s why we recommend establishing shorter, easier, and more achievable variations.
A good example would be swapping a 15-pound weight loss mission with a 15-minute walk every morning before work. The former can set you up for failure, whereas the latter can set you up for success. Why? Because that short, 15-minute walk can get you up and moving early on in the day. Additional movement can burn calories, leading to weight loss – and over time, you can increase to 20-minute, 30-minute, and 40-minute increments.
You see, swapping the 15-pound weight loss mission with the 15-minute morning walk can help you establish a healthy routine. That healthy routine will ultimately improve your fitness level, potentially leading to that desired weight loss.
Shorter, easier, and more achievable variations. That’s what this blog is all about. So keep reading to see some realistic fitness goals you can adopt to stay on a result-producing, motivated path.
Incorporate 10-Minute Daily Movement Breaks Into Your Schedule.
Good Housekeeping refers to these suggested daily movement breaks as “movement snacks,” what a catchy phrase!
What does a “movement snack” require, you might ask? It asks for you to take a pause at home or at work to get up and move. Any activity will work, and you don’t even have to change your clothes.
Examples include:
- Standing up and taking a quick walk around the block
- Climbing a couple of flights of stairs
- Pulsing through some squats
- Pushing through some push-up
- Getting in the HIIT mode and doing jumping jacks or high knees
Do one of these suggestions three times a day, totaling 30 minutes of exercise. If you get bored, switch it up and go for a walk on one 10-minute movement snack, climb stairs on another, and pulse through some squats on the last.
Try a New Workout Every Week Until You Find One You Like
If you’re new to the fitness community, odds are you have zero clue what activities interest you. What better way to find out than to sample size all the best-marketed exercises?
Start by creating a list of workouts that intrigue you. This can include but is not limited to hiking, running, yoga, zumba, kickboxing, and weight training.
From there, check out local spots that post class schedules online. Inquire at the gym down the street. Call and request answers to questions from fitness boutiques. Pick one from a hat and see how the workout makes you feel once it’s complete. Keep the activities that get you excited and amped up, trash the ones that you don’t have fun with.
Walk for an Intended Period of Time Every Day
Moving your body burns calories, as we stated in the introductory paragraphs of this blog. Participating in cardio workouts raises your heart rate and burns calories. We call that a two-for-the-price-of-one workout.
That’s why we highly recommend adopting this shorter, easier, and more achievable variation of a fitness goal. Start slow and work your way up – use a fitness tracker to log your progress.
Pick a set period of time or a number of steps to adhere to every day. A half hour or 5,000 steps a day is a good starting point suggestion.
Up Your Weight Total and Lift Heavier
Strength training can benefit your mind, body, and soul, improving your quality of life with each repetition you do. Why? Because the act itself protects joints, improves balance, helps maintain a healthy lifestyle, and keeps you strong for years to come.
But if you stay stagnant with the same lifting schedule, you may not be reaping all the benefits.
A realistic fitness goal you can add to your agenda would be this: To slowly up your weight total and start lifting heavier. If the “safe” weight of 10 lbs no longer makes you “feel the burn,” up that weight-dosage to 12 pounds. It doesn’t have to be dramatic and drastic, just a nudge in the right direction will help your overall fitness goals.
Adhere to Some Daily Goal Supporting Habits
The word “fitness” in the “fitness goals” phrase is pretty important. But the word “goals” is just as crucial. That’s why we have one more tip for you to take a look at that supports the latter portion of the phrase.
What are daily goal supporting habits? The question is pretty broad, and it can be open to interpretation. But when we think about the answer, we come up with things like:
- Drinking adequate water and electrolytes to stay fully hydrated
- Packing a protein-filled lunch and high-fiber afternoon snack for work
- Practicing deep breathing and meditation for stress reduction
- Put down the phone and log off the computers at least an hour before bedtime
- Wear blue-light glasses if the majority of your day is sitting in front of a screen
Though these may not directly affect fitness, they will directly affect your health positively. And if you have better health habits and more motivation (thanks to these goal supporting habits), you’ll achieve higher success in your fitness goals.