The Case for Silly Fitness Goals

This sort of goal is a goal that’s not necessarily to your health or geared toward a serious event like a race. As a substitute, it prioritizes fun movement styles that just feel good to you, and that you just resolve to do… simply because. These goals offer you something easy and satisfying to examine off your to-do list on a every day, weekly, or monthly basis.

Just ask Alison Mead, an ultramarathoner who’s on a four-year-long streak of running not less than one continuous mile per day. She’s someone who loves writing weekly goals and habit-setting checklists to assist her rejoice small wins. Along with running every day, she adds in other small fitness pursuits, like 10 burpees, a 30-second plank, or walks with co-workers.

“Every month, I like to choose something where I can give attention to variety,” she says. “[Goal-setting] gives me purpose for when I’m going to work out. I do know what I need to perform, and I do know once I’m done.” Plus, it gives her a way of accomplishment at the tip: “Looking back at every little thing I completed [is] very rewarding.”

The advantages of ‘simply because’ fitness goals

SLT instructor Jess Paris, NASM-CPT, agrees that not every moment of your fitness regimen must have a capital “P” purpose. “I feel there could also be individuals who refrain from setting goals because the concept of a goal is simply too intense or scary for them. But a goal doesn’t have to have a finish line or finite measure of anything. It as a substitute might be translated as intentions, routines, or lifestyle changes,” she says.

For instance, a just-for-fun fitness goal might be something like: I’m going to power walk in not less than two parks in my neighborhood by the tip of the week. Or, I’m going to go on a motorbike ride until I see not less than three cute dogs.

While it won’t be a huge bummer should you miss this sort of goal, checking it off your to-dos gives you that wonderful “I did it!” feeling should you do make it occur. In the long term, sticking with these mini-wins can teach you easy methods to stay consistent for when larger opportunities (think: triathlons or incredible hikes) come knocking.

“They teach consistency and routine, which is quite a lot of what keeping a fitness regimen is about and the way you’ll see and feel progress,” says Paris. “If you happen to get used to setting time aside day by day to do the dumb goal, then you definately’re more prone to keep that mindset when trying to create a fitness routine.”

This sense of “I did it!” advantages you from a psychological standpoint, too, in line with positive psychiatrist Samantha Boardman, MD. If you create a goal that adds something to your life—say, a bit pickleball-induced serotonin—checking it off can highlight your strengths and make you are feeling good about yourself.

“We continually give attention to what’s fallacious. For instance, if any person were to ask a person who query, it’s easy for them to provide you with 20 things [they need to improve], and fixate on that,” said Dr. Boardman in a recent episode of The Well+Good Podcast. “But less available to us is, ‘What are our strengths?’ and ‘What are we good at?’ And from there, ‘How can we put our strengths to good use with a purpose to navigate toward a goal?’”

Along the best way of chasing seemingly inconsequential goals, you’ll learn just how much you possibly can accomplish physically in a month. “I like fitness since it’s easily measurable,” Jade Morning, a yoga instructor with Alo Moves. She may need a brand new client who, originally of the month, can’t do any push-ups, as an example. “But after setting a goal, making a plan, and following it for a month or so, now my client can do five,” she explains. In other words, a silly fitness goal may amount to something that’s far from silly. And that’s why they’re price doing.

“Goals boost your fitness routine,” says Morning. “I currently have a goal to get the splits, not since it’s essential for my training or coaching but since it’s a small thing I can work towards weekly. There’s a lot power within the journey.” Along the best way, you could even find that you will have a “serious” fitness goal—like a deadlift PR or learning easy methods to rock climb—in your future.

How one can profit from silly fitness goals

Silly goals are the fitness equivalent of a blank canvas—so you possibly can’t really go fallacious. Pledge to dance to your favorite song day by day at exactly 1 p.m. Resolve that you just’re going to cover every under-five-mile hike in your city. Make up your mind to swim every weekend this summer.

Remember: These goals are additive. Meaning, you’re not subtracting anything out of your life. As a substitute, you’re adding a joy-promoting behavior. “Once we plan for joy, after we schedule joy, and after we give it some thought prematurely, it allows us to be certain that those good things actually occur,” joy expert Ingrid Fetell Lee previously told Well+Good.

Nonetheless, Paris does note that any goal that relies on a every day commitment requires a mindful approach. Ask yourself: Am I taking good care of myself? Am I resting enough? Am I having fun with my goals? “There’s the prospect you get a bit too obsessive about the goal, and also you don’t rest when you need to. Or, on the flip side, you follow the mile a day without pondering of easy methods to progress and improve your fitness beyond the mile,” she says.

Be certain you’re programming time into your monthly goal-setting to reflect on what you’re getting out of your movement. And what’s, well, not fun. The great thing about just-for-fun fitness goals is that in the event that they’re lifting you up, that’s great; in the event that they’re not, there’s no harm in letting them go.

How about committing to learning a brand new dance style every month?