Fitness goal ideas?

sallystarrfield

I’m writing my fitness goals for the year. I want to be specific beyond lose 16 lbs and continue doing Pilates. I’m thinking about ideas like lowering my BMI. I’m a 43 yo female who lost 36 lbs last year and would like to continue to be healthy and strong. Any ideas for fitness goals for the year?

lilawolf

Run x distance, x fast.
Lift x weight.
Go to the gym/do pilates/run/exercise x times a week.
Eat x number of homemade meals a week or, conversely, only eat out x times a week.
Go for a walk x times a week.
Join a class/sport/?
Try x new healthy activities like kayaking, rock climbing, martial arts, zumba, slacklining, 30 day shred, p90x, ?
Get body fat to x%

I mean seriously: What do YOU want?

5thbidness

i dread working out, but i look forward to training, so i set performance goals and track improvements in what my body can accomplish rather than other metrics (while weight and physical circumferences etc. are absolutely valid methods of measuring trends over time, i do not find changes in them to be as personally motivating as others might).

for example, this year i have committed to a 12 week cycling program in order to rehab from ankle surgery. my goals are to ride as scheduled for the duration of the program, at which point i will assess my fitness/mobility. if the surgeon approves my return to running, i should then be in a position to begin a conservative training program for a sprint distance triathlon (~16 weeks). after that i will reassess and set another goal/adopt a new training regime. one of the things i like about performance goals is they are often easily broken down into specific, smaller and less daunting milestones/achievements.

would this sort of thing work for you?

sallystarrfield

Thanks! I was just going blank on where to start because I wanted more than a number on the scale. It's always helpful to see how other people define their fitness goals. I can see filling in some of these blanks and making them attainable goals.

sallystarrfield

Eureka! This reminded me I have a recumbent bike in my basement that I will put together and USE!

Followingsea

The BMI formula is literally weight over height squared times a static multiplier, so if you've already got weight loss goals then you have BMI goals.

Here are some example beginner fitness goals:

Run a 5k
Run a 10k
Run for 5 minutes without stopping
Run for 8 minutes without stopping
Run for 10 minutes without stopping
Run for 20 minutes without stopping
Run for 30 minutes without stopping
Run a mile without stopping
Run two miles without stopping
Run three miles without stopping
Run five miles without stopping
Run fifty miles in a month
Run seventy miles in a month
Replace all instances of "Run...." with "Bike..." and adjust times/distances accordingly
Begin lifting weights regularly [regularly = at least 6 times, in an 8 wk period]
Hold a plank for one minute
Hold a plank for ninety seconds
Wall-sit for one minute
Wall-sit for ninety seconds
Various lifting goals - deadlifts, squats, etc
Be able to do 15 unmodified pushups
Be able to do 15 unassisted pullups
Take a group fitness class
Take a yoga class


etc etc etc

5thbidness

i also track my rides using the runkeeper app, and it is mildly embarrassing how pleased i am with myself when i am electronically informed that i've reached new PRs in terms of 'further' or 'faster'. best of luck!

AllanMisner

Instead of BMI, focus on body fat percentage. BMI penalizes you for gaining lean muscle mass (how stupid is that?).

Beyond that, consider accomplishing a personal best in an event (running times, running distances, or particular lifts). Or completing a challenging event such as the Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, or a triathlon.

Morgaath

Also in for focus on body fat. Friend of mine posted 2 pics the other day, one from when she was modeling, and one from today, 3 kids and 20 years later. She weighs 10lbs more now, but is smaller (muscle is more compact than fat), and is getting that toned look.

meshashesha2012

my fitness for the first half year are:
- run a 5k under 35 mins
- improve my 1 mile speed by 15%
- be a able to squat and deadlift my initial bodyweight
- be able to bench press and row 60% my initial bodyweight
- improve my 100 m sprint time by 15%
- 35 pound turkish get ups
- improve flexibility and mobility enough that i no longer get piriformis issues or plantar fascitis
- able to do 1 good pistol squat

dshalbert

I’m writing my fitness goals for the year. I want to be specific beyond lose 16 lbs and continue doing Pilates. I’m thinking about ideas like lowering my BMI. I’m a 43 yo female who lost 36 lbs last year and would like to continue to be healthy and strong. Any ideas for fitness goals for the year?

Have you ever run a 5k? It is a fun attainable goal and I'm sure there are some in your area that you can sign up for now. There is an app called Couch to 5K, if you've never trained or done one before. Another App that is fun is Runkeeper and it is easy and fun to make goals for yourself since it tracks you rmiles and speed, etc . You can sync it with your playlists and MFP Plus once you run your first 5K, you will be addicted and want to sign up for more and keep improving your time. It's a gift that keeps giving.

sallystarrfield

Yep, good point about BMI vs. body fat percentage. Noted. Thanks!

cafeaulait7

Since you like Pilates, you might like some nice bodyweight goals like difficult yoga poses, gymnastics strength moves (mostly seen in men's gymnastics), pushups, etc. There are also awesome dance 'moves' that are very similar. I'm working on a massively high arabesque just to be able to have the strength to do it, for instance Same with developpes. Well, the list is too long because there are so many different things that are similar. I like that the goal is so fun to eventually reach.

They can be kind of hard to train, though, because bodyweight might be too heavy to start with. That's why there are modified pushups or starting with the 'down' part of a movement like for chinups or Russian Hamstring Curls, etc. You can also lift weights to get enough strength in the muscles used. I like a combo. Good luck!

Bounce2

Lowering body fat %
Decrease resting heart rate (presuming no pre-existing conditions)
Learn to __________ (insert new sport/skill)
Run a 5/10 km/half marathon/full marathon/obstacle/ultra race
PR a 5/10/half marathon/full marathon/obstacle/ultra race
If you are into yoga try a different discipline to your normal practice

Put together a team for a local sport/run event --> this can be ALOT of fun and you get to motivate friends and family + socialize at the same time