Summary

The website content outlines six fitness goals to pursue over the next six months, emphasizing the importance of regular exercise, physical exams, mindful sleep, decluttering, activity variety, strength training, and scheduled rest days for overall wellness.

Abstract

The article "Six Fitness Goals to Work Towards Over The Next Six Months" encourages readers to adopt a disciplined approach to fitness, starting with a daily exercise commitment. It advises obtaining a physical exam to assess current health status and identifies sleep mindfulness as crucial due to its impact on fitness habits. The text suggests decluttering one's living and workout spaces to improve mental clarity and focus on fitness goals. It also recommends incorporating a variety of activities to prevent boredom and target different muscle groups, as well as combining strength training with cardio for optimal body composition. Lastly, the article stresses the importance of rest days for muscle recovery and overall well-being, suggesting that rest is an integral part of a balanced exercise routine.

Opinions

The author believes that the global lockdown has revealed a problem of discipline rather than a lack of time for many people.
Regular exercise is presented as a non-negotiable commitment for maintaining health and momentum.
Sleep deprivation is seen as a significant obstacle to maintaining fitness habits, with sleep tracking tools recommended for monitoring and improving sleep quality.
Decluttering is considered essential for mental wellness and achieving fitness goals.
Variety in fitness activities is deemed necessary to keep workouts interesting and effective.
The author suggests that a combination of cardio and strength training is superior to focusing on one type of exercise alone.
Rest days are viewed as vital for muscle recovery and should involve light activity to aid in the recovery process.
The author expresses a personal conviction that exercise has an intrinsic value that transcends physical benefits, contributing to a sense of fulfillment and meaning in life.

Six Fitness Goals to Work Towards Over The Next Six Months

#2. Get Mindful About Your Sleep

As the global lockdown continues, many of us are coming to terms with where the real problem lies.

The problem wasn’t a lack of time; it was a discipline problem.

Maybe you are like me and have been riding an emotional rollercoaster. My motivation wanes and dips; from marathon completing ambition to awkwardly slow days. My weeks are a blend of consistency mixed in with periods of energy slumps.

Even amidst it all, I made a promise to myself — to exercise every single day. This goes for you too.

Exercise every single day.

As we all try and maintain the momentum, here are some goals to work towards over the next six months.

1. Get A Physical Exam

Getting a physical exam is crucial for your health regardless of your activity levels. A physical exam measures important vital signs including your resting heart rate, your BMI, your height and weight, blood pressure, and pulse.

Once you’ve monitored your physical health and know exactly what’s going on, it’s easier to see where things can be improved.

2. Get Mindful About Your Sleep

One of the reasons you might struggle to maintain a fitness habit is due to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation leads to changes in mood, slower muscle recovery, an increase in the level of stress hormones, and can lead to weight gain.

Keeping a sleep journal can help you note which internal and external factors are affecting your sleep.

If pen and paper journaling isn’t your thing, you can use a sleep tracking app. Sleep trackers measure various aspects of sleep including movement, heart rate, sound, and lifestyle choices. You simply place it under your pillow each night and snooze to dreamland while it tracks your sleep.

Below is a list of sleep trackers you can download.

i. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Cost: Free; $1.99/month or $9.99/year subscription for premium

ii.Fitbit

Compatibility: iOS, Android, Windows

Cost: From $59.95

iii. Sleep Genius

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Cost: Free; $4.99 for premium

iv.Pillow

Compatibility: iOS, Apple Watch

Cost: Free; $4.99 for premium

v.Sleep Score

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Cost: Free;$6 for premium

3.Declutter Your House

Clutter plays a significant role in how we feel about ourselves. Messy homes and workspaces can lead to a feeling of overwhelm and helplessness. Clutter draws your focus from what you need to achieve; leading to a constant feeling of incompletion.

Decluttering your fitness can involve going through home equipment, discarding what you don’t use, and organizing what you do. It can involve getting rid of old workout gear and cancelling subscriptions.

It can also involve reviewing your fitness goals, your current lifestyle choices, and habits that stand in the way of overall mental and physical wellness.

4. Include More Activities

Variety is the spice of life and more so in your fitness program. Different activities work out different parts of your body and help ward off boredom and monotony. Try swimming, yoga, Zumba, or hiking. Not only does it keep you excited, it workouts different muscle sets helping you get a full-body workout.

The more fun you have, the more likely you will be to stick to a lifelong fitness habit.

5. Incorporate Strength Training Into Your Routine

The cardio vs weights debate is a timeless one.

Does dripping in sweat lead to better results? Or will heavy lifting help you reach your goals? It’s kind of impossible to say that one is better than the other because, in physical exercise, versatility is key and comes with several benefits.

While cardio has been shown to burn more calories per session, weight training helps build more muscles and muscles burn more calories at rest than some other tissues.

While there is no one size fits all routine, a combination of weights and cardio may be best for improving your body composition.

6.Schedule Rest Days Into Your Workouts

When it comes to working out, rest days are as important as your workout days. Rest is necessary for avoiding exercise-induced fatigue. Exercise makes little tears in your muscles which your body has to repair and rebuild. This rebuilding process occurs during your rest days and when you sleep.

A rest day doesn’t mean you have to seat on the couch all day. Instead, consider the idea of an active rest day. A bit of movement can increase blood flow thereby reducing soreness and speeding recovery. Consider trying a gentle yoga class, an easy bike ride, a brisk walk, or even a light jog.

But sometimes a day of rest, recovery and laziness is exactly what you need.

A rest day isn’t a waste of time.

It’s an essential component of a balanced exercise routine.

There is something magical about exercise. Being able to move your body and exert yourself can give you a fulfilment no words can explain. Each moment injects a new meaning to life, it’s nothingness and abundance at the same time.