Your 10 step guide to setting fitness goals for the new year (2023)

The new year is a great time to set fitness goals and begin your journey to greater physical well-being. Whether you want to build more muscle, increase your endurance, or just lead a healthier lifestyle, goal setting is key to achieving tangible results you can be proud of.

If you have big fitness goals this new year, our fitness goal setting guide will help you set realistic goals that you can measure. We also provide you with some techniques and tools to help you track your progress, avoid injuries, and overcome some common obstacles to goal achievement.

Below are 10 steps to help you achieve your fitness goals this new year.

1. Adjust your goals

Fitness goals should always be set individually, which means your goals should be personal and realistic. Ask yourself what is important to you and what motivates you and what doesn't. Avoid setting goals that are too high or too low for your current fitness level.

Consider the following factors to make your goals more personal and realistic:

• How much physical activity do you currently do?
• When it comes to fitness goal setting, what has and hasn't worked in the past?
• What health or mobility issues or injuries do you need to consider?

It's also valuable to reward yourself with something exciting when you've reached your goal, such as: B. a vacation to your favorite place or an expensive item that you want. The more we can personalize our goals, the more motivated we feel to achieve them.

2. Know the role of nutrition

Sport and nutrition go hand in hand. Nutrition has the power to multiply your fitness results, or it can reverse the progress you are making.

The relationship between diet and exercise is quite simple - exercise burns the calories you expend through diet. Eating too many calories for the amount of energy you burn leads to weight gain, while the opposite leads to weight loss.

A study of women ages 50 to 75 found that women who set both compared to setting either diet or exercise goalsDiet and exercise goalshad significantly better weight loss results. Similar research has found that people get better results when they follow programs that containboth diet and exercise, instead of just exercises.

If you want to increase your fitness, you need to eat enoughmacronutrients— Fats, carbohydrates and proteins — to promote healthy muscle building. A health coach can provide you with a personalized plan that addresses specific nutritional requirements that support your fitness goals.

3. Set SMART fitness goals that you can measure

Experts recommend usingSMART goal setting systemto achieve your fitness goals by making them specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. We mentioned that goals need to be personal and realistic. But you also need to be able to measure your results and meet your goals within a given time frame.

Some measurable examples of fitness goals are:

• Run 5 km (3.1 miles) without stopping
• Do 50 push-ups in a row
• Lose 20 pounds

Adding a deadline to achieve these goals makes them time-bound. You can also set immediate and long-term timelines for your goals to create an even clearer path to progress.

4. Identify your barriers to success

Even with a specific, realistic, and achievable fitness goal, things don't always go according to plan. Obstacles may arise that prevent you from following your exercise routine.

From unexpected events to illness and reduced motivation, there are many issues that can interfere with your fitness goals. People with busy or sporadic schedules, or who travel frequently for work, may also have trouble sticking to an exercise schedule, especially if the space or equipment required isn't always available.

By identifying the key areas in your life that may be holding you back from achieving your fitness goal, you can plan how to overcome any obstacles you encounter.

5. Follow an exercise plan

Achieving any fitness goal requires consistent effort on a daily basis to see results over time. However, one of the biggest challenges people face is whenstart a fitness journeyit's not knowing what to do when you get to the gym. A schedule is a great way to clarify which exercises to do and when.

Schedule a block of time on your calendar each day and enter details like:

• What exercises or workouts do you plan to do each day
• How long will your training last?
• When do you have an active recovery or rest day?

Creating a detailed schedule will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and will help you stay motivated.

6. Track progress

It is important to invest in your progress. Create a system to track your results, either through afitness deviceor make notes in a journal. Tracking your fitness progress increases the personal accountability you feel toward your goals and can help you visualize your results.

In addition to tracking your primary fitness goal, like weight loss or running minutes, consider tracking secondary results like:

• Number of days you exercise per week
• Average training time
• Improvements in sleep, concentration or mood

Being aware of how your commitment to fitness is affecting other areas of your life can help make exercise fun and keep you motivated over the long term.

7. Take advantage of small wins

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's not the goal, it's the journey"? This idea also applies to fitness goals. Breaking your top fitness goal into smaller milestones can help build a sense of accomplishment and joy along the way. This approach also allows you to capitalize on itSmall-Win-Theorie.

In the psychology of goal setting, research has shown that people tend to stick with their long-term goals when they make a lot of small gains. Small wins, also known as micro-goals, allow you to build on your achievements and help build momentum toward your ultimate goal.

Strive to consistently make small gains from the start of your fitness journey to your goal date. Log those small wins into your calendar or goal tracking system.

8. Train with a partner

If you have a particularly lofty goal, or have had trouble achieving it in the past, it's wise to enlist a support system of people who are invested in your success. A common way to do this is through aexercise buddy- a friend or partner committed to the same goal as you. Practice partners increase accountability and motivation and can be a great resource for sharing strategies and encouraging deeper progress.

Fitness groups are another way to reap the benefits of a responsible workout partner, but with a whole crowd of people focused on the same results. If you prefer to do it on your own, you can still benefit from social encouragement by sharing your fitness plans with friends and family, increasing your accountability and achievement motivation.

9. Know your physical limits

One risk of starting a new exercise routine is the potential for overuse injuries. Injuries can hinder your progress and set you back on your fitness goals.

Allow your body to naturally adapt to physical activity by gradually increasing exercise intensity over time. To additionally protect your body from overexertion, follow a fewInjury Prevention Practices:

• Warm up and cool down after each workout
• Take rest days to help your body recover.
• Stretch your muscles regularly
• Ice and heat especially treat sore muscles

Following an exercise plan that respects your physical limits can prevent common exercise injuries such as:

• lumbar Muskelzerrung
• tendinitis
• shin edges
• shoulder injury
• knee pain

By knowing your physical limits, you can mitigate injuries and stay on track to reach your fitness goal.

10. Invest in the right equipment

With the right fitness equipment, you can greatly improve your success. Investing in good exercise equipment can encourage you to stay active while doing itinjury preventionand make your training more effective.

Below are some of the most important gear and pieces of gear to consider when setting your fitness goals:

• Dumbbells, exercise bands and medicine balls for resistance training
• Fitness tracker, heart rate monitor or pedometer to track progress
• Trainingsmatte,foam rollerseapplesfor active recreation
• The massage guneheat and cold therapyProducts to relieve muscle pain

Always carry essentials with you when you exercise, including a large bottle of water to encourage plenty of healthy hydration and a washcloth for good hygiene. Here you will find portable exercise equipment that makes it easy to carry your equipment to the gym or on the go.

Achieve your fitness goals for 2022 with the help of Relax The Back

Set and achieve strong fitness goals this new year. With the right mindset, support, and gear, you can take your physical health to the next level. For the main selection offitness and therapy productsthat can help you achieve your fitness goals for 2022, visit a Relax The Back store or shop online with us.

Discover our collection of therapeutic products that prevent injuries, relieve muscle pain and optimize physical performance.Find a location near youor contact us forBook a virtual wellness appointment.

Origins:

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2011.76
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4180002/
3. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/using_macronutrients_to_achieve_fitness_and_health_goals
4. https://irp.nih.gov/blog/post/2016/07/using-smart-goals-to-make-scientific-progress
5. https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
6. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/workout-buddy.html
7. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000859.htm