The blank-slate start of a fresh month or week often brings with it a surge of inspiration to aim higher and move forward on your fitness journey with a new sense of motivation. After all, you don’t need a new year to hit the reset button on your fitness goals. But what is it you’re working towards?
If you’re feeling ready to set yourself an exciting fitness goal but are stumped for ideas, you’ve come to the right place. After years of releasing over 60 programs for all fitness levels and training styles, sweating alongside amazing trainers and being blown away by the dedication of the most incredible global community of women, we’ve pulled together some go-to goals for every type of fitness journey.
Keep reading for some fresh inspo, whether you’re looking to make fitness a habit, improve your strength, challenge your cardio fitness, expand your skills, boost your workout recovery or nourish your body and mind. And if you’re ready to commit to taking the next step in your health and fitness journey and smashing your goals in just six weeks, you’re in luck. YogaFokus Challenge registrations are now open, and it all kicks off on 2 June.
Your goals are made with YogaFokus.
It’s time to say yes to you with the YogaFokus Challenge.
If you want to… Make fitness a habit
Work out 12 times a month
Aiming to work out three times a week is a common target, but we love this monthly goal for the extra flexibility it gives you. If you have a week where you complete four workouts, it’s not a big deal if in another week you feel exhausted and only manage two. If you get to the end of the month and have easily smashed out more than 12, you know to set your target even higher (or make your workouts more challenging) for the next month!
Set a step goal for the month
A step goal can be a target you aim to tick off every single day or a number that you want to be your daily average by the time the month comes to an end. A daily achievement is motivating for some people, while the flexibility to move more on some days and less on others might be more your jam.
Exercise for at least 10-20 minutes each day
Moving your body every single day doesn’t have to mean a workout. By committing to 20 minutes or less a day, you’ve opened up your training options to everything from weights, HIIT, Pilates and boxing to every type of cardio, yoga and team sports. And yes, taking yourself for a walk counts!
Britany Williams also has two popular challenges that are a great starting point, The Daily 10 Challenge and The Daily 20 Challenge! In these four-week programs, the goal is to move your body for at least 10 minutes or 20 minutes every day.
Go for a movement streak
There’s nothing like the feeling of being “on a roll” with a powerful routine and building a fiery sense of competition with no one but yourself. Setting a streak goal could mean moving your body every day for a week, doing three workouts a week for three weeks, or completing a YogaFokus program. When you break your streak, rest, reset, and then aim to beat it! If you’re working out in the YogaFokus app, you’ll also be able to see your SweatStreak badges add up under the Activity tab!
Add a new badge to your YogaFokus collection
Speaking of SweatStreaks, these aren’t the only achievement badges you can add to your collection in the YogaFokus app. If you go to “Achievements” under the Activity tab, you’ll be able to see all of the trophies you’ve earned in the app. From your first workout to your hundredth to your sweatiest PBs, seeing your collection add up can be a great motivator. Decide what badge you want to add next and come up with a plan to help you get there!
Track the metrics that matter to you
Whether you have a wearable, use your phone’s health metrics or track your steps and water intake in the YogaFokus app, deciding which metrics matter most to you (and how you want to improve on them) can be a powerful motivator and a great way to measure your ongoing progress and make health and fitness part of your everyday routine.
If you want to… Improve your strength
Beat your plank record by 30-60 seconds
This goal is simple but tough. Start by performing a plank for as long as you can. Record your time, then continue to work on your planks, core and upper body strength for a month before trying to break your record by 30 seconds. If 30 seconds feels easy, aim to beat it by a minute and keep building on it!
Set a weight lifting goal
If you’re strength training with weights, setting a weight lifting goal can give your workouts a new sense of purpose. Start by testing your 1 rep max with your chosen exercises to get a gauge of your current strength level, then set a goal that feels challenging but achievable for the next 4-6 weeks! You can also use the weight-logging feature in the YogaFokus app if you’re following a program such as Lift with Laura, PWR Strength, or BUILD.
Set an unbroken reps goal
If you like the idea of a strength goal but heavy weight lifting doesn’t inspire you, what about muscular endurance? Choose an exercise such as burpees, push-ups, squats or pull-ups, and see how many you can complete without stopping for rest. Set yourself a new target and retest yourself in a month!
Dead-hang for 60 seconds
When it comes to goal setting, you’ve really got to hang in there. A dead-hang is where you hold onto a pull-up bar or gymnastics rings and let your body completely hang in the air without any additional support for as long as you can. If you think a 60-second plank feels like a long time, wait till you try this.
If you want to… Challenge your cardio fitness
Set a distance goal
Whether you’re running, walking, cycling or swimming, you can aim to go further than you ever have before. Common running and walking goals include five kilometres, 10 kilometres, or a half or full marathon. If you’re a water lover, your distance will likely be significantly shorter, while cycling goals tend to be significantly longer!
Push for a personal best time
For seasoned regulars with completing set distances, aim to beat your fastest time! You can also try this with cardio machines at the gym for hard and fast sprints, such as a 500m row, one-kilometre bike, or one-mile run.
Sign up for an event
There’s nothing quite like a deadline to help turn a fitness goal into reality, and signing up for a fitness-based event is a great way to keep you on track with a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Whether it’s a fun run, a triathlon, a distance-based event or you’re setting off to raise some much-needed funds for a cause close to your heart, having an event date locked in on your calendar can encourage a structured training plan, provide you with a sense of purpose and focus while providing a pretty epic sense of achievement once get to the big day!
If you want to… Keep things interesting or expand your skills
Try a new training style each week
If you’re a YogaFokus member, injecting some variety into your routine is so easy to do thanks to the On Demand section of the app. Each week, these collections of individual workouts give you the freedom to dabble in new training styles whenever it takes your fancy, even if you’re already following another program.
Want to try a program that combines multiple training styles? The 3-2-1 Method by Katie Martin was made for you. This training approach includes strength, Pilates and cardio in your weekly workout mix with many people swearing by it as the ultimate fitness routine.
Change up your location once a week
This one is so simple, but it can immediately add a sense of novelty to your workout routine. Changing up your location could mean working out in a different area of your house or gym, walking around a new block, taking your training to your backyard or local park, driving yourself to hike an unexplored trail, or riding your bike to a different part of town.
Master a challenging exercise or unfamiliar equipment
Why not promise yourself you won’t shy away from the exercises that scare you a little bit! Whether you’ve been avoiding box jumps, gym machines, lifting a barbell, pull-ups, or push-ups on your toes, it’s such a powerful feeling to accomplish something you thought you couldn’t.
Work out with a friend
From holding each other accountable to adding a sense of social connection to your workouts, there are SO many benefits to working out with someone by your side. Whether you already have a fitness buddy or know someone who is ready to smash their goals, commit to training with a friend once a week to see your motivation skyrocket.
If you want to… Boost your workout recovery
Set a daily or weekly stretching goal
For many of us, we know we need to stretch, but do we do it enough? Heck no. Depending on your routine, you could aim for one lengthy stretching or recovery session each week, one yoga session (there are plenty in the On Demand section of the app!) or set aside 10 minutes after every workout.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night
A huge part of workout recovery is simple – getting enough rest. Without adequate sleep, your muscle repair can be impaired, alongside your endurance, strength and muscle growth. The lack of energy and focus that comes with a poor night’s sleep can also increase your risk of injury or burnout. An easy tip? Figure out your wakeup time, then work backwards to set a bedtime alarm.
Stretch yourself towards a flexibility goal
If aiming to increase the frequency of your stretching habits isn’t enough to make you stick with it, try setting a physical flexibility goal, such as touching your toes, performing the splits, or holding your hands together when you reach one behind your back and the other over your shoulder. Kelly MacDonald’s mobility workouts from her program Mobility & Strength in Motion have plenty of moves you could choose to work on improving your range of motion!
Try something new
We’re loving the spotlight recovery is getting at the moment, with a number of gyms and wellness centres adding saunas and ice baths to their facilities. Aiming to include elements of hot-cold contrast therapy in your own routine can be a great way to enhance your recovery and performance while also enjoying the added benefits these tools can have on your mood, overall wellbeing and sleep!
If you want to… Nourish your body
Drink at least 2 litres of water daily
When you think about taking better care of yourself and seeing better workout performance by improving what you eat and drink, hydration should always be a top priority. Drinking enough water can help you sleep better, boost your endurance, help deliver nutrients to your cells, lubricate your joints, and improve your cognitive function.
Have a nutritious breakfast at least 5 days a week
If you’re someone who struggles to power through your morning on an empty stomach or you tend to grab something on the go, a good breakfast could do your energy and overall health a huge favour. A healthy breakfast can give you sustained energy, better mental focus, and ensure you’re getting a hit of nutrients first thing in the morning. Not sure where to start? Katie Martin swears by this high-protein brekkie to fuel her body for a busy day ahead.
Eat green vegetables daily
Green veggies are incredibly rich in nutrients, making them a great way to level up your daily intake of vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens like spinach and kale work with any meal – even breakfast – but the world of green veg is so much broader than that! Every week you could try cooking with different produce, such as asparagus, broccoli, celery, bok choy, green beans, cabbage or Swiss chard.
Include fruit or vegetables in every meal
A simple way to make sure you’re eating plenty of nutrients and fibre with each meal is to look at your plate and make sure you’ve got some fruit or veg looking back at you. Go for variety if you can for a wider range of nutrients – but any fresh produce is great for your health.
Reduce or eliminate alcohol
Cutting back on booze can be tough if it’s a habitual way you end the day or part of how you socialise, but there are many benefits that make it worthwhile. Besides kicking hangovers out the door, drinking less often leads to better sleep, energy, workout recovery, concentration, productivity, mood and mental performance. It can also help to reduce cholesterol, digestive issues, risk of diseases such as cancer, liver disease, heart attack and stroke, stabilising blood sugar and improving immunity and brain function. Huge wins!
Make meal prepping part of your routine
One way to make nourishing your body a habit that sticks is by making meal-prepping part of your weekly routine. Make it your goal to set aside a day or evening when you have the time to prepare your meals for the week in advance. This way, you can spend less time cooking and preparing food throughout the week while always having nutritious options ready to go.
Try a new YogaFokus recipe each week
There are hundreds of recipes available in the Food section of the YogaFokus app, with everything from family-friendly options to high-protein favourites to some of our trainers’ go-to recipes. If you’re after some fresh recipe inspo, why not make it your goal to include a different YogaFokus recipe in your weekly meal rotation each week. Not sure where to start? Here are 10 quick and easy recipes our team can’t get enough of
If you want to… Prioritise your mental wellbeing
Make time for self-care
Self-care looks different for everyone. For you, it might mean setting aside some time before you go to bed to dive into a great book, while for others it’s about prioritising time in nature. Whatever your self-care practice looks like, set a goal each week to set aside some much needed me-time and make it a non-negotiable part of your routine. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Take control of your screen time
Let’s face it, we all spend more time than we need to on our phones. When your doomscrolling or weekly screen time is feeling a bit much, simple goals could include charging your phone in another room so you don’t use it at night, setting time limits on your app usage (and sticking to it!), designating screen-free time each day or you could aim higher and try and do a digital detox!
Include mindfulness practices in your routine
Mindfulness practices can be a simple but effective way to reduce your stress levels and improve your mental health, sleep, concentration and overall wellbeing. Whether your goal is to practice gratitude, take up journalling or start meditating, there are so many easy ways to include mindfulness in your routine. Looking for a place to start? Our Redefine Fitness program is a great way to feel strong – inside and out.
Set boundaries when it comes to your work/life balance
As a modern woman, the juggle is real. Between caring responsibilities, finding time for fitness, managing a career, trying to maintain a social life and getting enough shut-eye, it can be hard to find time for YOU when you’re wearing so many different hats in one day. That’s why having clear rules around how you’re spending your time might be exactly what you need. Perhaps it’s making your commute a moment you catch up on your favourite podcast. Or maybe it’s being strict with yourself about not looking at your work emails once the working day has finished. Make it your goal to set up whatever boundaries YOU need to put your wellbeing first.
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Your health and fitness goals are made with YogaFokus. Make today count by setting your next fitness goal and get ready to step into the strongest, most empowered version of you.