When working towards your health and fitness goals, you must set manageable targets. Doing this will see progress, encouraging you to continue on the right track. So, if you’re looking for some good advice about achieving your health and fitness goals for the new year, then read on as we have listed seven things that’ll help pave the way for a fit and healthy new year.
1.) Set SMART Goals
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific
Be specific about what you want to do or accomplish concerning achieving a healthier lifestyle. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose weight,” say something like “I want to lose 2-5% of my body fat.”
- Measurable
Always be sure to have some way of measuring progress. If you aim for the stars, you will only end up somewhere in space, which isn’t where you want to go. Having a way of measuring your goal will allow you to accurately see how far along toward reaching it you are moving.
- Achievable
Although we always want everything to be achieved, there is such a thing as too much and too little when it comes to trying to reach your fitness or weight loss goals. For example, if losing 10 pounds per month is realistic for someone who weighs over 300 pounds, they may not notice much in their appearance.
- Realistic
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. For example, if someone is severely overweight and starts running a mile, set themselves up for failure.
- Target
Having a target in mind allows you to see the finish line of your journey toward reaching your goal. In addition, it will enable you to judge where you are along the way towards achieving what you want to do concerning your fitness or weight loss.
2.) Make Healthy Eating Easier
There’s no way around it; healthy eating takes work, time, and dedication. If there were an easier way of doing it, everyone would know about it! However, this isn’t the case, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make the healthy eating process easier for yourself. Try out some of these valuable tips to see if they help with making things a little less complicated when it comes down to maintaining your health and fitness goals:
- Keep Healthy Snacks On Hand
Having healthy snacks on hand makes controlling your urges much more manageable. In addition, it will keep you from reaching out for junk food, which is usually high in calories, fat, and sugar, so try carrying around some fruit or vegetables instead.
- Try Using Smaller Plates
Using smaller plates will trick your brain into thinking that you are eating more than you are! Researchers have found that using smaller plates makes people eat around 20% less than they would have otherwise.
- Keep Junk Food Out Of The House
Don’t keep junk food in the house if you want to avoid giving in to your cravings. By keeping it out of the house entirely, there is nothing for you to reach out for, but if it’s not there, then you can’t.
3.) Follow A Workout You Enjoy Doing
Everyone has their unique taste for what they like and dislike doing; make sure that whatever workout routine or exercise methods you use are something that you enjoy doing! We’ve listed three different workouts below:
- HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
This type of training is excellent for those looking to shed body fat and lose weight quickly. HIIT involves short periods of intense exercise like sprinting or weight lifting, followed by regular low-intensity exercises like walking, jogging, cycling, etc.
- Circuit Training
This type of training is excellent for people who want to tone their muscles and improve endurance. Each time you go through the circuit, make sure that you push yourself as hard as possible; it shouldn’t feel easy. Moreover, don’t forget to keep with you commercial-grade bath towels as these you will surely need after the training.
- Strength Training
Strength training allows your muscles to build strength, which increases bone density and muscle mass; this workout also targets your core muscles, which will help you maintain proper posture throughout the day experiencing no back pain.
4.) Work On Your Posture
Incorporating proper posture into your daily life is a must! You wouldn’t go through the day slumped over or sitting improperly in a chair without a backrest, would you? If you want to improve your health and well-being, you must start improving your posture.
- The Right Mattress
First, make sure you have an appropriate mattress for yourself, depending on how tall or heavy you are. If you have an old mattress that has become worn out over time, this will affect your posture, so it’s essential to pay close attention here.
- Sit Properly In Chairs
Sitting upright with good posture throughout the day is better than sitting in a chair without a backrest or with your head hunched over. You’ll feel much better, and you will also minimize the strain on your neck and back.
- Keep Track Of Your Daily Activities
Note how often you slouch throughout the day; notice what activities or tasks require you to bend down or pick something up from the floor? Keeping track of all of this information will help you determine which actions need more attention than others.
5.) Fitness Doesn’t End When You Stop Moving
No matter how athletic we may be, no matter how many hours we spend exercising, no form of physical activity is enough without making sure that you give your body what it truly needs while not moving at all.
- Get Adequate Rest And Sleep
Our bodies recharge themselves during sleep, so it’s essential to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night to keep our metabolism properly regulated and keep our hormones in balance! If you aren’t getting the recommended amount of rest each night, your body can’t adequately recover from strenuous activities, which leads to fatigue, stress, and anxiety.
6.) Incorporating More Fruits And Vegetables Into Your Diet
Many people don’t realize just how beneficial fruits and vegetables are when it comes to their health; they’re packed full of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, etc., which help us feel better throughout the day while also allowing us to maintain a high level of energy throughout the day.
- Incorporating More Colors Into Your Diet
Eating more colorful foods gives us a more comprehensive range of vitamins and nutrients which keep our bodies happy and help prevent illness, disease, etc., so it’s essential to keep this in mind when you go shopping for groceries.
7.) Drinking Plenty Of Water Is Crucial For Health
Many studies prove that drinking at least 8 ounces of water first thing in the morning can boost your metabolism by as much as 30%! In addition, many doctors recommend staying ahead of dehydration by eating lots of fruit and vegetables since they’re naturally full of water! It’s also important to drink enough water during the winter months since the cold temperatures can dry out our skin and cause many problems for those who suffer from dry skin or chapped lips.
The Last Word on the Seven Health and Fitness Goals to Adopt for the New Year
We hope you found these seven health and fitness goals helpful and doable; the essential thing to take away from this article is that we must always make time for ourselves to maintain good health and well-being no matter how busy our lives may get.
