10 Simple and Effective Fitness Goals to Have in 2022 – How to make fitness practical
Fitness is a journey all about progress, not perfection, but, some days it may seem like an uphill battle.
Fitness is about celebrating the body, not punishing it.
Luckily, there are simple micro habits or small achievable goals, you can incorporate into your life to improve, slowly but surely.
Check out these tips and tricks that make fitness fun today!
Walk 3 Times a Week
Research has shown that walking, while not an activity that raises your heart rate, is extremely beneficial to overall health and fitness.
Daily walks are better for your health than long arduous workouts once or twice a week.
Make sure you take time to walk, at least three times a week, as this can improve mind and body wellbeing exponentially.
Walking outside, particularly, has great mental health benefits as well.
Do Some Bodyweight Workouts
We underestimate the power of a bodyweight workout.
Something like calisthenics can be easily incorporated into your daily routine, no gym required.
Bodyweight exercises help strengthen our joints, stretch our muscles, and allow us to build useful muscle strength.
Remember, anyone can do a pullup (eventually)!
Stretch 5 Minutes a Day
Stretching is the best thing you can do for your body, and it’s very easy to add to your daily routine.
Stretch in the morning when you first wake up. Some yoga moves can assist you, but really just move your body in a way that feels comfortable, releasing tension and tightness.
If you work at a desk, it’s important to stop every hour and stretch your back, reaching your arms up and arching back.
This will help avoid lower back pain, neck pain, and general discomfort due to poor posture.
Do Yoga Once a Month
Yoga has incredible mental and physical benefits.
Try incorporating it at least once a month to hone in on your body.
Yoga will allow you to assess different aspects of yourself, like your mental state, your flexibility, and your strength.
Use it as a once a month check-in with yourself!
Try Out a Different Kind of Workout
Our bodies will become adjusted to a workout if we don’t switch it up. That’s how people hit plateaus, feeling like they aren’t making progress.
Plus, doing the same workout is boring.
If you usually do weights, try some sprinting and vice versa.
Make use of your entire body and everything it can do.
Workout Daily
Hear me out.
We all have days when we don’t want to work out. That’s totally normal. But here are some tips to make this goal easy, accessible, and effective.
Remember, short daily workouts are as important as long intense workouts.
Second, workouts can be something as simple as a 10-minute yoga routine, for stretching and recovery.
Finally, on days that you really don’t want to do that ab routine, do it anyway. Practice self-discipline is something that will not only help you on your fitness journey but in your day-to-day life. If anything, go into the workout and put 70% effort, instead of 100%.
Some movement is better than no movement!
Keep a Food Journal
Keeping a food journey, regardless of whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain, is a great way to observe your relationship with food.
Track your food, your mood, and your physical feelings in the body.
Are you sad and reaching for that bag of chips? Are you hungry or actually just thirsty? Or just bored?
Do you get full but feel the need to finish your plate? Check out what you are feeling, mentally and physically during your daily eating habits.
This can help you create new, healthier habits, or may make you appreciate your current style.
Have a Green Smoothie at least Once a Week
Green smoothies are a sure-fire way to get an abundance of minerals, vitamins, and nutrition effectively and deliciously.
And lucky for us, green smoothies don’t have to taste like a liquid salad.
Check out a recipe here for a delicious and highly nutritious green smoothie you’ll actually want to drink.
Switch One Takeout Meal for Whole Foods
Simply switching one of your take-out meals with a meal made at home with whole, unprocessed foods, can have amazing benefits!
We start to crave what we eat most of. If we eat a lot of sugary desserts, we crave that, especially because processed foods and takeout are designed to be addicting.
When we start to switch out sugary foods for naturally sweet foods like fruits and healthy vegetables, we crave that instead and start to nourish our bodies right.
Try Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is the act of eating all types of foods, honoring your hunger, and not restricting yourself to a certain diet or meal plan.
This may not be for everyone, as some people have eating habits that lead to overeating, or undereating.
However, trying it out can have incredible benefits and is worth trying out.
Its purpose is not weight loss, or weight gain, simply nourishing the body with kindness.
Restrictive diets, like cutting out carbs entirely, may make you binge eat an entire pizza the next time you get a chance.
Instead, listen to your body, really closely. If you are craving pizza, eat a slice, stop when you’re 80% full, and practice nurturing your body.
The Takeaway
There are many things you can do this year to accomplish fitness goals in your life.
These don’t have to be huge, monumental changes.
Simple tips and tricks can help you create habits that last, habits that help you, not hurt you.
Fitness is about celebrating the body and what it can do, not punishing it.
Try any or all of these micro-goals today and see how it snowballs into wellness and wellbeing today!
