It’s the perfect time of year to start thinking about health and fitness goals this year, from the little things like eating more fruit and vegetables to losing weight and getting ready in time for the summer!
The first challenge is often to come up with targets to meet; then it is all about concentrating your efforts and figuring out how you are going to achieve your goals.
We know Christmas is often a time of indulgence, and over the festive season, we are all encouraged to have some slimy cookies, mulled wine and turkey.
But by setting your health and fitness goals for the coming year, you’ll be more likely to return to a healthy mindset after January 1st, with renewed excitement and a sense of going somewhere.
Our list of nine fitness and health goals will inspire you and give you plenty of ideas to set your own New Year goals. A strong, balanced body means you are healthy and happy!
Health and Fitness Goals, You Must Work this year
1. Kickboxing workout
Kickboxing has something for you, no matter what you’re looking for in a fitness program. Here are four ways to help you meet your fitness goals by kickboxing:
a) Full Body Workout
You want to appear symmetrical to your body. Kickboxing stimulates the entire body with every muscle. Every punch that you throw is working on your body, chest, back and even your heart. The effect is long, lean muscles which are beautifully sculpted.
b) Calorie Killer
A 185 lb person will burn over 800 calories in a 1-hour kickboxing class, according to a recent study by Harvard Health. Your results may vary but it’s enough to say that any unnecessary calories have no chance of surviving the storm of fury that a kickboxing class unleashed.
c) Stress Reliever
Kickboxing is a great way to get rid of your complaints and aggression without getting into legal trouble and appearing before the court before a judge. High-intensity exercise releases endorphins in the brain called’ feel-good’ chemicals.
Endorphins are the way the body manages to release stress naturally and safely.
d) Self-esteem Booster
The effect is increased self-esteem and motivation when you add up all of the above; build strong, lean muscles throughout the body, burn fat and relieve stress. Or, in other words, for days you’re going to have swag!
When you look great you feel good! You can do anything when you are feeling good. So, since kickboxing improves the body and mind, it makes the ideal fitness program. What are you waiting for? Pack up your kickboxing bag of your own choice.
2. Be more active
To begin with, it may sound like a simple goal, but we could all do with being a little more involved.
We don’t say you need to spend every waking moment pumping iron at the gym or doing squats, but try to make small changes to the lifestyle that will result in increased activity levels.
To stay healthy we should all strive for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day.
3. Complete a fitness challenge (or two)
Fitness challenges are everywhere – we don’t just mean marathons. If running isn’t your thing, how about an assault course challenges such as Tough Madder?
You’ll need strength, stamina, and motivation to make it through, and even just signing up for a fitness challenge can give you a real self-esteem boost.
By signing up, you’re setting yourself a fitness goal and then it’s time to start training!
Whether you choose to hire a personal trainer, work with a fitness buddy or train alone, you have work to do!
4. Eat more fruit and vegetables
If you struggle to find ways to eat more fruit and vegetables, try adding chopped, blended vegetables to sauces, including veggies in soups and fruit in smoothies are all great ways to boost your intake, and your body will thank you for it.
5. Join the gym – and make the most of your membership
Many of us will sign up to join a gym in January, and then leave our membership card lingering in the bottom of an unused gym bag.
Even if you start with good intentions, by spring, the chances are your motivation might have started to wane. Making the most of your gym membership is important.
If you always workout at the same time and head for the same equipment, boredom is going to set in pretty fast!
6. Try a new form of exercise
You must enjoy your workout, so if you hate running, chances are you’re never going to leap out of bed enthusiastically on a Monday morning and head off for a morning run (no matter how much you dream of being that person)!
Choose a form of exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise. This could be something like indoor bouldering or rock climbing, a dance class, martial art or even aerial fitness classes.
7. Get lifting
There’s no reason why women shouldn’t lift weights – it’s not just for men. There’s a distinct difference between the way fitness for men and fitness for women is addressed.
For women, the focus is on ‘toning’ and achieving a lean, honed physique, whilst on the covers of men’s fitness magazines, the focus is on muscles and strength.
Building muscle is what leads to a toned appearance – you can’t have one without the other. And lifting weights is one of the best ways to tone up.
8. Take your workout outdoors
It can be hard to commit to an outdoor workout when its 3 degrees outside, or when it’s raining so heavily you can hardly see.
But working out in the great outdoors is good news for your body. Even when the sun isn’t shining, your skin is absorbing vitamin D.
This vitamin, which many of us are deficient in, has an important role to play in maintaining health.
It can help boost your immune system, protecting you from the common cold, aid the absorption of phosphorus and calcium (which maintain healthy bones) and reduce your risk of MS (3).
It can even help to keep your brain working well as you get older. When the sun IS shining, working outside also gives you a mood boost.
Plus all that fresh air and daylight will regulate your body clock, so you get a better night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
9. Remember that rest days are important
Whether you’re training for a marathon or just having a normal week of workouts, it’s important not to over-train. Rest days are vital, not only for your body to recover from exercise, but also to help reduce your risk of injury.
Many of us are guilty of underestimating how much rest our bodies need. But working hard when your body is begging you to stop can actually make you weaker!
