How to set realistic fitness goals as a beginner

Setting fitness goals as a beginner can be difficult. I often hear goals such as “I want to lose weight by XX time”, “run a 5K, half-marathon, marathon”, “build muscle”, “get stronger”, etc. The problem is that a lot of times, either there’s no actions to get to the goal, or the goals are unrealistic. Here’s some tips to help you start setting your fitness goals.

What goals should I set if I’m just beginning?

When beginning your journey, it can be difficult on what to focus on. Some tend to want to over do it. We can set goals such as: I want to loose XX weight, I want to run a marathon, I want to lift heavy, I want to eat XX way, etc. However, this can be a lot to tackle in one season. It’s important to write down everything you want to achieve and then go back and look to see if some can be combined or can be done together. For example, you probably wouldn’t want to train to lift super heavy if your goal is to run a marathon. In one season, you could train for the marathon, then once achieved, move onto training to lift heavy. The important thing is not to overwhelm yourself with too many goals, because it can become difficult to do it all. Some great goals for beginners are:

• Nutrition goal– developing healthy eating habits and making nutritious food choices. Some examples can be cooking more often, instead of eating out. Also, you can always practice portion control or adding more fruits and veggies to your diet.
• Mind & Body goal – maybe you’ve been stressed lately, so this would be a great goal to set! Adding yoga and meditation a couple times a week can help you to destress and start feeling better. Another example would be to do what makes your heart happy. Self-care is super important. Finding a hobby and setting some time to work on it can help ease stress and relax.
• Movement goal – if you work in a job that primarily has you sitting down, this would be a great goal to start off with, especially if doing full workouts seems scary. Set a timer to walk every so often throughout the workday. You can make a commitment to walk XX amount of steps each day.
• Flexibility or Mobility goal – each is different. Flexibility includes stretching tight muscles, tendons, & ligaments, whereas mobility is moving your joints through their full range of motion. Each of these is important in our day to day life. Stretching will improve your flexibility, while exercises such as threading the needle, world’s greatest, & 90/90 hip side-to-side will help your mobility.
• Cardiovascular goal – focusing on improving your cardio fitness. The important thing is to find an activity you love to do, which will help in adherence. Some examples are: walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing, martial arts, etc.
• Strength training goal – strength training is great to improve muscle loss and to keep our bones healthy. You can always start with bodyweight exercises and then move to bands or light weights, and progress from there.
• Consistency goal – in all honesty, I feel that this is the most important. Whatever goal you choose, consistency is what’s going to get you there. Depending on the goal you choose, decide how many times a week you will do it and stick to it! Consistency is key.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Goals

It is important to know what drives you. Intrinsic goals are driven by internal things, such as feeling mentally better, finding enjoyment, personal values, etc. Extrinsic goals are driven by external rewards, such as gaining muscle, winning an award, rewarding yourself with shopping if you complete XYZ goal, etc. While extrinsic goals are great for short-term adherence, intrinsic goals will help you to stay consistent and adhere long-term.

SMART Goals