As you look back to the year that passed you might realize that you have been not so good with your safety and health. You might remember that movie marathon where you emptied five tubs of ice cream. You might also remember that time when you went out for dinner and a buffet, at that, and that lunch break when you devoured more than one serving of fatty and carbohydrate-filled food when you could have eaten healthier options at a right amount of portions. You might also include the time when you slept through the alarm when you were supposed to go to the gym or slacked off a whole day when you could have participated in a local fun run. And, do not forget those sleepless nights when you chose to pull an all-nighter to finish your unfinished tasks of the day when your body needed and probably begged for its much needed night sleep.

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Now that it’s the new year, you might already have listed down your new year’s resolutions and “to become fit” is among them. But then came January 2 and your new year’s resolutions ended along with the first day of the new year. It’s only the first few days of the new year but you were already back to your unhealthy habits that are no help to your resolution which is to become fit. But don’t give up and feel discouraged just yet– remember that we’re still in the first few days of the new year and you can still change for the better. You do not have to wait for another new year, another Monday, or another 7 o’clock in the morning to start anew because change can actually start anytime you want only if you would allow yourself to be the change you want to become. You may also see the business goals.

Although fitness is defined as the condition of being fit and healthy on the physical aspect, fitness should not only be measured whether you have properly exercised or maintained your balanced diet chart well– the real essence of fitness goes beyond than the physique. CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines fitness as ‘the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies’. This definition from the CDC suggests that fitness is a holistic endeavor and it does not tackle solely on one aspect of our well-being. Being “fit” does not only pertain to the physical aspect of your well-being but it actually includes the rest– mental, emotional, social and spiritual — because the rest of the aspects also affects your physical well-being.

Fitness Goals for 2018

Effortlessly check off fitness from your new year’s resolution by the end of 2018 by following these fitness goals that actually work for you or would help you in creating your own fitness goals. Having your own fitness goals in achieving your one of your 2018 resolutions will motivate you to actually act on and fulfill your resolutions. Make sure you have a clear plan or way on how you can achieve fitness for your well-being and do not just simply set your sights too far or too high that would eventually make you feel demotivated and hopeless. Just follow these 18 goals for the year 2018 that are designed to be that of the SMART goals to start your fitness year right.

1. Discover an activity that can be done as your exercise

It could be a chore you think you hate or that kind of dance you think you have two left feet in– discover an activity that can be fun but while you are having fun, you are also moving.

2. Move around more and aim and climb high enough to breath in breathtaking views

If you think that walking does not have an impact on your fitness then you are wrong because walking, particularly brisk walking, can actually help you maintain your weight at a healthy level, prevents ailments such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and it also strengthens your muscles and bones. You may also see the strategic goals.

Aim and climb high enough– literally. You could hike up to the nearest hilltop and hit two birds with one hike: the first bird is that you were able to get your body moving and the second bird is that you will be able to breathe in fresh air which is healthy for your lungs. You may follow a trail or just leisurely stroll, the most important is you stay active plus you get to experience the often taken for granted wonders of mother nature.

3. Join a marathon

If signing up for a race is a challenge for you then be up for that challenge by signing up for the upcoming local run. If you are up for some real challenge then how about trying to place? Or how about joining a triathlon? Or if you’re only up for something lighter, how about joining a marathon? It can be tiresome but allow yourself to try one of the best feelings in the world and that is to reach the finish line no matter how long the journey was. You may also see the performance goals.

4. Try a new workout routine

Your usual workout routine does not show the desired impact on your body? Try out a new workout class that would feed something new to your body.

5. Complete a fitness challenge

Have you ever seen 30-day challenge across the internet and wonder if you are capable of accomplishing such challenge? Well, stop wondering and actually get on with the challenge. There are various kinds of fitness challenges you can choose from and there are some challenges that focus on the development or improvement of a particular part of your body. You may also see the communication goals.

6. Improve your strength, both in and out

Fitness does not mean that you only have to focus on your physical aspect. Remember that there are other aspects of your well-being. Read a book to feed your mental aspect, strengthen your faith to strengthen your spiritual aspect, or talk to a friend about all your troubles and problems to lighten up your emotional aspect. All these aspects should be strengthened as this can also affect how you perform and make our way towards the improvement of your physical aspect.

7. Make exercising a habit

It takes 21 days to form a habit. The holidays may have left us gaining weight in the last few days of the year and it would probably be hard to move and get some workout. However, if you really want to be fit, make exercise a habit. You might have been told that we gain weight mostly because of the food you’re eating and so you have decided to eat less. But you should keep in mind that exercising and having a balanced diet should go together. You may also see the work goals.

8. Start your own, personalized exercise program

There are so many exercise fads all over the internet nowadays but the question is what will those fads even work for the type of body that you have? Our bodies, even if we have similar built with other people, are unique. An exercise fad might work for your friend but it does not mean that it would work for you as well. Make sure you get proper advice from reliable people and have it personalized– meaning, it would fit the kind of body that you have so that there will be visible effects.

9. Don’t focus on the numbers

Whether you want to gain or lose weight, it is important that you should never think of the number on the scale or the number on that measuring tape. Aside from the fact that it can deceive and demotivate you, it does not actually tell you whether you are healthy or not. Remember that fitness does not only deal with our weight and it’s not just about the weight. You may also see the personal development goals.

10. Don’t go to extremes when you’re not ready

If you have lived a sedentary life before and you decided to finally get some moving done, it is not suggested that you should immediately take on high-intensity exercise because you are simply not ready. Sure, you might think that it will feel good and fulfilling but you have to keep in mind that your body is not used to a lot of intense movement. You have to start small so you can eventually do high-intensity exercises. Do not risk your muscles and your bones just because you want to be extreme even in your first days of exercising.

11. Don’t aspire to look like a model or a celebrity

You may come across an exercise trick that you should keep a photo of a model or a celebrity so that when you are feeling demotivated and tired, you can just look at their perfectly sculpted body in the photo so you would regain your purpose of why you are trying to become a healthy person. This trick can definitely trick you because no, this trick does not work. If you look at those model’s or celebrity’s body only to feel bad about yourself, it will only demotivate you more. Sure, there are some people who would be momentarily motivated back but most of the time, it’s just temporary. Have a purpose driven fitness goal that does not get motivational speech and inspiration from temporary, shortlived sources. And, there can also be a dark truth behind the perfectly sculpted bodies of models and celebrities as most of them go into very unhealthy tactics just to build a body that is nearly perfect and some of them had also gone under a knife.

12. Move more and be more active

Even if you have a job that makes you sit for an entire eight hours a day, it is still not a valid excuse for you not to become active or to move more. There are also various ways on how to exercise while sitting down and even if you would go out for a pee break, you can always find a way in order to get your body moving after the long hours of just sitting down.

13. Have a balanced diet

You might get tired of hearing this goal but this is really important to have as one of your fitness goals. Remember the food pyramid and the Go, Grow, and Glow food? Keep in mind because too much intake of Glow food like the fruits and vegetables is not really healthy and not eating any meat or Go and Grow food is also not healthy. Keep the food groups balanced on your plate. You may also see the leadership goals.

 14. Limit intake of junk food, instant food, and other sources of empty calories

Do not waste time munching on food with zero calories and invest in relevant ones instead. If you keep on eating kinds of food that has zero calories, chances are, those kinds of food also lack the right nutrients your body needs. Most of the junk foods we have contain only sugar and we all know the drastic effects of having too much sugar in our body.

15. It’s all about the right portions of food on your plate

No matter how clean the food you’re eating is, it is still of no effect if you do not perfect your way of portioning the food you put on your plate. Just eat the food that your body needs. Have a smaller plate so you would not add more food to it and you can trick your brain that you are seemingly eating more when you are just eating at a right amount.

16. Normalize your BMI

The BMI or Body Mass Index, according to Medical News Today, is defined as the measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height. Those people who have a BMI of less than 18.5 is defined as underweight, those with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered as normal or ideal, those with a BMI between 25 and 30 is described as overweight, and those with a BMI over 30 is classified as obese. Your team goals are to aim for a normal BMI. To compute for your BMI, divide your weight by your height and divide the answer by your height again. In computing, make sure that your weight is in kilograms (kg) and your height is in meters (m).

17. Remember that rest days are important.

If you think that having a rest day is an excuse to slack off and get back to your old lazy self. Rest days are actually vital for your body in order for it to recover after strenuous exercises. Do not mistake your body’s need to recover as an alibi not to exercise. Do not also be afraid to have such days. Make it a goal that you would have rest days on your journey to a more fit and healthy life.

18. Take It Easy

You will reach success if you would take things slow and easy. Do not rush. Doing schemes to rush things would not do you good and would eventually lead you to feel demotivated. You might as well make fitness schedule a lifelong commitment so just take things slowly and at the right place. Start small if you are just starting but gradually increase your activities. It’s not advisable for people who previously lived a sedentary life to immediately do high-intensity workout.

Tips to Achieve Your Fitness Goals

Here are additional 18 tips on how to realize your fitness goals in simple ways or even with simple adjustments in your usual habits:

1. Never skip breakfast

By not skipping breakfast, you would not feel so hungry throughout the day. This will also give you the energy to do your tasks and activities for the whole day.

2. In case you want to intake food that contains carbohydrates, always choose fiber

There are those people who are rice eaters and cannot let go of that easily. If you are one of those people, it is suggested that you should opt for whole wheat like brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat pasta instead of the white rice, white bread, and the white pasta because these had undergone various chemical processes making it lose its nutrients. You may also see the short-term goals.

3. If eating vegetables is a challenge for you, then try at least eating green leafy vegetables

There are some people who find it hard to swallow vegetables like that of carrots and potatoes for whatever reasons– it could be that they find the taste of such vegetables hard to swallow. If you are trying to eat more vegetables, try to eat green leafy vegetables first. Among these green leafy vegetables are spinach, broccoli, and lettuce.

4. Are vegetables too boring? Try out recipes

The internet provides a wide source of recipes you can try out so that boring vegetable would turn into something magical. You can even offer it to your fitness buddies so you would get fit together.

5. Do not eat out or order food

Not eating out would actually allow you to hit two birds with one stone: the one bird would help you in eating healthier food options and the other bird could help you in saving yourself from unnecessary expenses when you can save up by just buying raw food and cook it at home. You may also see the annual goals.

6. Reward yourself

It’s not bad or tricky to have a cheat day or sleep longer. It’s not bad if we are going to reward yourself at least one day but you have to make sure that you discipline yourself not to go beyond and not to have cheat days.

7. Too busy to exercise? Do the 15-minute rule

You have 24 hours every day and it’s impossible if you cannot squeeze in at least fifteen minutes to spend for exercise. There are also exercises that you can do while sitting down so even if you are working in an office, you can still get your body moving even if you are just sitting down. You may also see the employee goals.

8. Make healthy eating habits

Fond of second helpings and midnight snacks? Then it’s time for you to stop getting fond of them and ditch bad old habits already if you really want to achieve your fitness goals.

9. Make healthier meals

Avoid fried food or avoid fatty and oily food in general and avoid eating too many carbohydrates. Remember to portion your meal plan properly. By having healthier meals, you can opt to have your meal delivered by some food services that caters healthy food options and have it delivered straight to your doorstep.

10. Drink water. Too plain? Drink natural fruit juices

It has long been recommended that adults should drink at least 8 glass of water a day or at least 2 liters of water a day. But when there are days that you feel that water is too plain and bland, you can actually drink fruit juice but make sure it’s pure and natural, without preservatives, not canned or processed.

11. Have confidence

Having no confidence would make you embarrassed even lifting a single weight at the gym or making at least one lap. Have confidence in yourself so that you would be able to achieve your fitness goals because you have your own self as your motivator. You may also see the investment goals.

12. Receive encouragement and support from those closest to you.

Do not be embarrassed about telling your friends why you are not going out on lunch with them because you are aiming for your fitness goals. There is a great chance that they would understand and that they would even support you in your endeavors.

13. Bring a friend

Whenever you would be exercising, have a buddy to go with you so you can support each other.

14. Practice clean eating

Clean eating could be not eating fast food or not eating instant food like noodles and canned food.

15. Slow and steady wins the race

This old saying never goes old. Remember that it is your body that you are changing. If you take measures that would make your weight loss or gain faster, it would badly affect your body. Do not be discouraged if you do not see immediate results because of gaining or losing weight, it would really take time. Do not constantly look at the clock and just continue doing healthy habits and you would just be surprised one day that you have actually achieved change.

16. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going

Another famous old saying here, but just like the previous tip, this does not go old as well. In your journey to fitness, there will be a lot of days that you will feel tired, unmotivated, and feel like giving up. There will be days when the thought of going the gym or even going for a walk will make you want to crawl back to your bed and sleep for as long as you want. But keep in mind that the tough get going. If you would be tougher than all the struggles you are facing then believe in yourself that you can still keep on going and eventually, you finally reach your long-term goal.

17. Manage stress effectively

Stress has an impact on our daily activities and a negative impact at that. Make sure you keep a work and life balance and never ever make the mistake of bringing your work at home. Have something to look forward to the weekend so you would not be tempted to do your work. You may also see the academic goals.

18. Have fun

Enjoy your journey to a fit life. It’s tough out there but when you would have fun in what you are doing, you would actually feel light and more motivated. Having fun can be a very simple tip but this simple tip can actually give a positive impact on your fitness goals.