7 Smart Fitness Goals for Women of All Ages

People almost invariably equate improving their overall wellness with losing weight. Weight loss has, for better or worse, become the single most important fitness metric for millions of people. Yet, the reality is that a person’s weight is only one aspect of their overall well-being. Losing weight is important, but it shouldn’t be the only goal that women should use to bolster their health and happiness. Rather, by focusing primarily on these seven smart fitness goals, women of all ages can better manage their well-being without stressing out over the scales every day. Check them out here:

Specific Exercise Benchmarks

Ideally, you should try to “raise the bar” every time you exercise. Doing the same workouts day after day, week after week won’t produce meaningful results or help you attain a higher fitness level. Rather, if you want to progress, you have to be willing to push yourself when you decide to work out. The good news is that specific fitness benchmarks will give you a clear target in mind when you work out. Of course, it could take you months to build up the stamina needed to run a half-marathon –– for instance –– but in doing so, you’ll likely improve your health in a myriad of other ways.

Speak to a Professional

No one knows everything there is to know about fitness and health, regardless of how old they are or how much experience they have. Rather, everyone can always learn something new about fitness. Therefore, one great goal all women should have is to speak with a health professional every few months. This could mean signing up for a class with a professional trainer. Or you could accomplish this by simply visiting your regular doctor. (Keep in mind, of course, that doctors have access to sophisticated lab equipment like 50 ml serological pipettes that they can use to diagnose and treat a number of common issues.) By speaking to a professional, you’ll be able to ask questions, develop new fitness strategies, and correct any issues you may have been dealing with in the past.

Hit Your Dietary Marks

While you may not be able to control how much weight you lose (or gain) in a given week, you can control your calorie intake and the amount of nutrition you glean from your diet. In the long run, it’s much more important to develop positive dietary habits than it is to lose an arbitrary amount of weight in a short period of time. Therefore, it’s a smart play to build out a diet that you can stick to for months or even years at a time. Sure, you might not be able to drop ten pounds in a week on such a diet, but you will be able to consistently bolster your health over time by switching to more sustainable and healthful food options.

Try Something New

Even the most health-conscious individuals can get bored with their workout routine after a few months. Additionally, doing the same (or similar) workouts may produce diminishing returns over time. For example, you can only do so many arm exercises before you stop seeing recognizable muscle gains. Consider giving yourself the goal of trying out at least one new exercise method each month. Not only will this work different areas of your body and keep your workouts fresh, but it could also help you find a great new workout fixture to add to your regimen.

Cut Out Bad Habits

Bad habits come in many forms. Maybe you enjoy the occasional fast-food meal. Or you like to indulge in sugary colas energy drinks. Or maybe you procrastinate and put off workouts too often. Regardless, everyone has at least one bad habit that they can work to eliminate. Breaking a bad habit can be very difficult, particularly if you’ve done it for a long time. Still, simply cutting back an especially detrimental habit –– like smoking or drinking –– will have seriously positive knock-on effects for the rest of your life.

Get Better Sleep

For many, the secret to a better lifestyle starts in the bedroom. Sleep quality has a massive effect on a person’s ability to concentrate, on their energy levels, and even their mood. People who don’t get enough sleep on a consistent basis may struggle to complete productive exercise sessions, and they may also be more prone to making poor dietary choices. Note also, a person’s mattress may also influence their posture, which could in turn lead to joint/muscle pain as well as other injuries.

Getting good amounts of rest in between workouts is necessary to give your body the chance to recover and recuperate. For people who have a particularly difficult time getting to sleep, they may want to try out different bedtime best practices to establish a healthy sleep pattern.

Have More Fun!

Working out shouldn’t be a slog. It should be a highlight of your day. If you’re not looking forward to getting up and getting active, then something could be seriously wrong with your fitness plan. Thankfully, you can always add fun activities to your workout regimen to enjoy it more. Consider working out with a group, joining a class, or even signing up for a friendly sports league. Lastly, for individuals who prefer to work out alone, a new pair of headphones that lets you listen to your favorite music can drastically improve the quality of your workouts. So make it a point to smile more often starting today!

Conclusion

We don’t mean to diminish the importance of losing weight to a person’s physical and mental wellness. Weight loss can, in some instances, prove to be a perfectly reasonable goal. In general, though, focusing on all of the other fitness goals we’ve listed will almost certainly contribute to weight loss anyway. The key difference is that you can control your actions even if you can’t control your weight. Prioritize the performance and the results will be sure to follow!