Fitness Goals – 10 Steps To Achieve The Fitness Goals Of Your Dreams

A lot of us strive to be fit and healthy or dream to be. However, the demands of everyday life can often make it harder and harder to carve out time to consistently exercise. On top of that, there is so much information out there, with differing opinions on what you should do; it can be hard to know what’s best. Setting goals in any context can provide more direction and a clearer path on how to get there. However, it’s also important to think about the habits and behaviors that will lead and sustain those goals once you’ve achieved them. Setting short term fitness goals can help get the ball rolling, which can motivate you to set long term fitness goals. Ultimately, what’s most important when it comes to health and fitness goals, is that they’re; realistic, align with your ideal lifestyle, and aren’t detrimental to your health and wellbeing.

What Is an Example of A Fitness Goal?

Some fitness goals for beginners could be to simply:

• Be active in any form you like
• Try a new workout
• Schedule in a 10 minute walk
• Go to a beginner exercise class
• Complete an easy cycle session on an exercise bike
• Do a short online workout
• Complete a 5 minute bodyweight workout routine
• Run a certain distance or time without stopping

What Should My Daily Exercise Goal Be?

Your daily exercise goal can be whatever you would like it to be! Of course, if you have specific fitness goals in mind; then it would make sense to make your daily exercise goal relevant to your long term goals. Keep in mind that, for adults, it’s recommended to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week (1,2). This can be divided into smaller chunks across the week, to make it more manageable. For example, you could break this down into 30 minutes for five days of the week. Further to this, at least two days per week should also include muscle-strengthening exercises for optimal health and physical function (1,2). These guidelines are sourced from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and provide further examples of how you can meet these minimum requirements. 

Option 1:

• Engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week (e.g. 30 minutes a day for 5 days).
• Include muscle-strengthening exercises that target all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms) at least 2 days per week.

Option 2:

• Perform 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week (e.g. jogging or running).
• Incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups on 2 or more days per week.

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Option 3:

• Combine moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, spread over at least 2 days a week.
• Add muscle-strengthening exercises that work all major muscle groups on 2 or more days each week.

From this information, your daily exercise goal should account for these recommendations, while being specific to your overall fitness goals. This is where establishing smart fitness goals can be an effective method.

Read more: Pilates Weekly Workout Plan for Beginners

What Are Smart Fitness Goals?

You may have heard of SMART goals before, this is a concept developed and implemented by many to achieve outcomes (3). This approach creates a clear outline of the goal wanting to be achieved, and structures it with key considerations.  

So, what are smart fitness goals? Let’s start with breaking down what SMART goals actually are. Each letter stands for a specific aspect as you will learn in more detail below.  

• S: Specific

It helps to be as specific as possible with your goal. For example, setting a goal as “I want to get fitter” could be a good starting point, but is quite broad. A more specific goal could be “I want to run 5km without stopping” or, “I want to be able to do X amount of push ups”. To help guide your goal-making decision, it can help to think about what is the outcome you want to achieve (4). Being as detailed as possible is key here, as well as pinpointing the reasons why you want to achieve it. This will establish a strong foundation and your underlying ‘why’, adding weight to your drive and motivation for achieving it.  

• M: Measureable

Determining how your goal will be measured is an important detail that shouldn’t be overlooked. Setting measurable goals helps keep track of progress by providing a visible marker. 

Establishing measures to track your progress can ensure adherence to the process towards the goal is maintained. Additionally, having measurable goals allows for smaller milestones to be created which can further reinforce motivation as they’re achieved.

When it comes to fitness goals, these measurements could be taken in the form of:

• Time
• Weight
• Repetitions
• Sets
• Pace
• Rate of Perceived exertion

• A: Achievable

Making sure that the goal you set is achievable is going to be paramount for success. Sometimes, when we are feeling motivated, it can be easy to get carried away and set goals which aren’t attainable (5). This is why it’s important to carefully consider the end goal, as well as details and actions required to achieve it. Setting an achievable goal will foster a sense of motivation and encourage you to work towards it. Conversely, setting an unachievable goal can actually demotivate and potentially discourage you from this due to the magnitude and difficulty. This may even then prevent you from setting goals in the future, leading to a compromised outlook on personal development.

Some key points to think about when setting an achievable goal include:

• What is required to accomplish this goal
• What tools, skills or actions are needed to achieve this goal
• If you are currently in the position to achieve this goal e.g. does your current life demands allow for this?
• If you don’t have the needed tools/skills/actions right now, can you obtain them?

• R: Relevant

Following on from making sure our goal is achievable, it can also be important to make sure it is relevant too. Ensuring your goal aligns with your overall lifestyle or fits into whatever aspect in a larger context is particularly important. When thinking of a fitness goal, it could be useful to think about what achieving this goal will mean to you.

• T: Time Bound

Being sure to set your goal in a realistic timeframe is another factor which can either make or break your success. You could set an achievable goal but if the time-frame is far too short, it ultimately becomes unachievable and unrealistic. Carefully planning and allocating the appropriate amount of time needed, will reduce stress, ensure it’s possible and position you for success. It’s important to also consider how much time is needed to achieve a certain goal. For example; if you have a fitness goal that’s driven by the underlying desire for weight loss, knowing what the sustainable rate of weight loss is vital. Generally it’s stated that 1 to 2 pounds of weight lost per week is a healthy and sustainable amount (6). Knowing this information could help guide your goals and determine how long is needed. 

Short-term VS Long-term Fitness Goals

Establishing both short and long-term fitness goals can be an effective method to increase likelihood of success. Setting some short-term fitness goals can help make your long-term fitness goal seem more achievable and less daunting. If you were to set one long-term fitness goal, with no other goals in between, the distance between your current position and your goal can seem vast. This can create feelings of overwhelm and may seem too difficult to achieve, leading to reduced motivation. Having short-term fitness goals can act as smaller milestones reducing the distance between your situation and the next goal. Achieving these smaller short-term goals can help with motivation, reinforce your drive and create a sense of achievement/fulfillment. 

For example, if your long term fitness goal is to run 10km, but you have never ran before, this could seem incredibly difficult and out of reach. 

If you took your long-term goal and then established some short term goals to achieve along the way, this would create a clear trajectory. 

Long term goal – run 10km.

Short term goal – run 1 km, run 2km, run 3km, run 4km, run 5km, 

Long term goal: go to the gym 3 days per week

Short term fitness goal: go to the gym 1 day per week consistently for four weeks.

Short term fitness goal 2: go to the gym 2 days per week consistently for four weeks.

Establishing both long and short term goals can be an effective method to help establish the behaviors needed to get there.

Read more: The Ultimate Mat Pilates Exercises Guide for Beginners

How Do I Find My Fitness Goals?

To determine your fitness goals, start by thinking about your ideal lifestyle and the behaviors that support it. This reflection can help guide your choices and ensure that your goals align with what truly matters to you (7). Consider the following steps:

1. Identify the Purpose of Your Goal
   Ask yourself what you hope to achieve with your fitness goals. This can include:
   • Enhancing physical fitness or strength
   • Improving emotional well-being
   • Boosting self-confidence
   • Creating better lifestyle habits
   • Enhancing long-term health outcomes
   • Improving overall quality of life
2. Anticipate Challenges
   • List any potential obstacles that might arise, such as time constraints, lack of motivation, or physical limitations.
   • Brainstorm possible solutions to overcome these challenges, like scheduling workouts in advance or finding an accountability partner.
3. Consider Enjoyable Activities
   • Think about what types of physical activities you enjoy. Whether it’s dancing, hiking, swimming, or something else, choosing activities you find fun will make it easier to stick with your fitness plan.

By combining purpose, preparation for challenges, and personal enjoyment, you can create fitness goals that are sustainable and fulfilling.

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10 Steps to Achieve Your Fitness Goals

1. Think about your ultimate goal
   • Consider what you want to achieve and why this goal is important to you.
2. Identify the underlying reasons
   • Reflect on the deeper motivations behind your goal, like improving your health or boosting your energy.
3. Refer to the SMART goal approach
   • Make sure your goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound to stay on track.
4. Create a plan to get there
   • Break your goal into manageable steps and map out a plan to follow.
5. Focus on the way
   • Enjoy the process and stay focused on making gradual progress rather than just the end result.
6. Make it easy
   • Simplify your routine by choosing activities you enjoy and fitting them into your schedule in a realistic way.
7. Track your progress
   • Monitor your improvements regularly to stay motivated and accountable.
8. Be kind to yourself
   • Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go perfectly—progress takes time.
9. Stay flexible
   • Be open to adjusting your goals and plan as needed without feeling discouraged.
10. Find support
    • Surround yourself with people who encourage your fitness journey and help keep you motivated.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What Are the Most Common Fitness Goals?

Examples of fitness goals include:

• Getting stronger
• Getting fitter
• Improving flexibility and range of motion
• Increasing core strength
• Lose weight

• What Are Some Physical Health Goals?

Physical health goals can include (9): 

• Decreasing body fat levels to be within a healthy range
• Increasing muscle mass
• Increasing strength
• Increasing cardiovascular fitness

All of these aspects of physical health not only promote enhanced overall health and well-being, but also long-term health.  

• What Are The Exercise Goals For Adults?

Exercise goals for adults should align with the physical activity and exercise recommendations.

These recommendations include at least two muscle strengthening/resistance exercise sessions that target all muscle groups. Aerobic exercise should also be included, with at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity each week (10). 

• What Is A Good Cardio Goal?

A good cardio goal is one that meets the physical activity requirements. For adults, achieving at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise weekly is advised. This can be divided into smaller portions throughout your week to be more manageable. A good cardio goal could be going for a walk every day, or 3 times a week if you’re new to exercise. If you’re experienced, a specific goal such as improving your 5km time could be a good goal to strive for.

The Bottom Line

Fitness goals can be useful in guiding your trajectory to achieving the desired outcomes. However they are only effective if thoughtfully chosen. Using the smart goal method for your fitness goals can help ensure your goal is achievable. Setting realistic weight loss goals or goals for working out are a good first step in the right direction. Goals can help shape our overall lifestyle habits and create a clearer pathway to achieving our ultimate destination. Whether you have specific workout or gym goals, following the smart goal setting approach can create the greatest likelihood of success.