With this being my first blog of 2023, I felt it fitting to discuss fitness, goals, and my journey within the two. Many people’s new year’s resolutions tend to be to go to the gym more or to be healthier, which is an amazing goal! From my experience, it is better and easier to stay consistent with fitness goals, or any goals for that matter, when you find ways to enjoy the process. 

For me, I always struggled in finding an exact workout routine I enjoyed that coincided with my goals. I later realized a big reason for that was that I did not have the right goals as my mindset. After I began enjoying my workouts, I was able to stay more consistent- and consistency is the only way to see progress in the gym.

Initially, I fell in love with cardio for the release of endorphins and the feeling of a “runners high”. Afterwards, in my freshman year of college I grew to love lifting as a way to gain strength and build my physique. This type of training also coincided well with my lifestyle at the time, because it was during the pandemic/online classes world, where my body craved movement and I had the time and energy to push myself more. Currently, I am either training for a run I have planned for this summer, or I do whatever feels best that day.

Some Advice:

The main piece of advice I have is to find a workout routine you genuinely enjoy. As seen from my personal timeline, people’s preferences and goals change all the time; but it is very important to like what you do. There are countless different ways to get physically active, so try anything you desire! 

My second main piece of advice is to make fitness a part of your lifestyle, but not your entire life. Balance is key in everything someone does. So making sure to balance fitness goals with social, professional, or educational goals is extremely important. 

Which brings me to what I initially said about my advice for goals in general. Setting realistic goals and mini goals to achieve them is critically important. No one can wake up one day and do a complete 180 degree change in their life. Everything good takes time and patience, and keeping that in mind when setting your goals will save you a lot of both. You truly can accomplish anything you set your mind to, so just be kind to yourself! Overall, just enjoy the process- whatever your goal may be!