How to Set a Simple, Successful Fitness Goal

Summary

The article provides guidance on setting achievable fitness goals to promote physical and mental well-being, emphasizing the importance of measurable and incremental progress.

Abstract

The author discusses the significance of establishing clear fitness goals, suggesting that such objectives are crucial for maintaining and improving both physical and mental health. The article emphasizes that fitness goals should be measurable, achievable, and incremental, using steps, time, or distance as potential metrics. It encourages readers to think of physical activities as challenges rather than exercise, advocating for the enjoyment of new sports or activities to stay motivated. The author also advises checking with medical professionals before starting new fitness routines, especially for those with disabilities or health conditions. Personal anecdotes and examples, such as the author's own goal of increasing running mileage and speed, are used to illustrate how to set and achieve fitness milestones.

Opinions

The author believes that steps can be a great fitness goal for those who need motivation to move daily.
The article posits that the commonly cited goal of 10,000 steps a day is a myth and suggests setting personalized step count goals.
It is suggested that time or distance can be used as measures for fitness goals for those who do not enjoy walking.
The author expresses that thinking of physical activities as challenges rather than exercise can make them more appealing.
The importance of setting both short- and long-term fitness goals is highlighted, with the recommendation that these goals be concrete and measurable for better motivation and attainability.
The author emphasizes the value of staying healthy and uninjured while pursuing fitness goals, particularly when engaging in more strenuous activities.
The article advocates for consulting with medical professionals or fitness experts, such as Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainers, before starting new fitness regimens, especially for individuals with disabilities or health conditions.
The author shares a personal long-term goal of running longer races at competitive paces, demonstrating the process of setting and working towards challenging fitness objectives.

If you want to be physically and mentally well now and in the future, you need a fitness goal that’s measurable and achievable. You can do this. I’ve got some simple suggestions.

Image: Pexels/Cottonbro Studio

Now that I’m running again in what I euphemistically think of as midlife, I rack up a lot of steps on my Garmin watch most days. I brought it up because I realized this week that I’ve taken more than one million steps so far this calendar year.

That’s a lot of steps!

I don’t pay this measure much attention, however, because steps are not among my goals.

But if you don’t have a fitness goal — something to motivate you to move every day, and move a little more tomorrow than you did today — steps can be a great one. You don’t need to aim for 10,000 (the number is a myth, as I’ve written before). If you can do 2,000 daily, great! Aim for 3,000. If you can do 4,000, fantastic! Aim for 6,000.

Set simple, reasonable goals. Achieve them. Set new goals.

Don’t have a step counter? Use time as your measure. Walk 10 minutes a day this week, and aim to get to 20 minutes per day a month from now. Or use distance: Walk around the block once, then twice. You get the idea.

Don’t enjoy walking? The same approach can be applied to, say, push-ups. If you can do two, aim for 10. If you can do 10, aim for 20. And so on.

Or yoga. Or weight training. If it suits you, aim to do either one two days a week. Then three. Go for 10 minutes, then 20. Curl 5-pound dumbells eight times, and work your way up to 10-pounders and 10 reps.

If you hate exercise, I understand. So, try not to think of your activities as exercise. Think of them as challenges. Who doesn’t love a good challenge? Maybe take up an entirely new sport or activity—biking, kayaking, pickleball—that’ll give you tons of room for improvement, lots of opportunity to set incremental goals. Martial arts, anyone?

Important: Before you start any strenuous or elevated level of physical activity, check with a medical professional to make sure you approach it safely. If you have a disability or underlying health condition, seek help from a doctor or fitness expert, such as a Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer, to figure out appropriate approaches. You can find more info on alternatives like aquatic therapy, rowing, wheelchair sports and other useful information here and here.

I like to set short- and long-term goals, and keep them somewhat flexible. They’re always concrete and measurable — keys to making them reachable and motivational, science tells us.

My current fitness plan revolves around short-term goals of increasing my weekly run mileage from an average of 20 per week to 30, over the course of about three months, and getting gradually and slightly faster at 400-meter and 1-mile distances. My long-term “stretch” goal is to run longer races this coming season — half-marathon or perhaps marathon (yikes!) distances instead of the mostly 5k to 10k distances I ran this past season — and run them at competitive paces. I will pin down those longer-term goals as the fall trail-running season approaches and I can evaluate my progress, with a priority on staying healthy and uninjured along the way.

I blather on just to get to this point: Whatever your level (or lack) of fitness is, you need goals if you hope to improve or even maintain it. And fitness, as you know, is linked directly to good physical and mental health:

As we age, this truth becomes truer. Our ability to think clearly, maintain memory skills and move capably and stay strong all depend in large part on getting sufficient physical activity, day after day, year after year. We cannot run from that truism.

So what’s your goal? Or goals, if you enjoy multiple activities? If you don’t have anything in mind, I’ve got more suggestions and motivational chatter here:

Note: A version of this article first published in my Age Wise newsletter on Substack. I occasionally rework and repost them here to complement my Medium-only health writing.

Your support makes my health and wellness writing possible. You can sign up for emails when I publish on Medium, or join Medium to directly support me and gain full access to all Medium stories. You can also find me on Mastodon, or check out my book: Make Sleep Your Superpower: A Guide to Greater Health, Happiness & Productivity. — Rob