@mayne70 Honestly, I feel the same way. When I just focused on specific body goals, I felt like working out was a chore. Now I just try to think about moving "better" if that makes any sense. I've tried to really practice form and just work out for the sake of my mental health. I don't think I actually noticed results until I had this mindset.
@mayne70 Same. I have loose goals to improve at my active hobbies, but not necessarily in a competitive way, more to unlock the possibilities of what I can do with my body.
Staying active also helps my mental and physical health. I notice the difference when I'm not consistent, so I guess I kinda have a goal to be more consistent.
@mayne70 Yes! My goals are stress reduction, disease prevention, longevity, etc. I could never have a performance-based goal - it wouldn’t keep me motivated.
@mayne70 same here! i’m probably in the minority here but i just do classes, not a specific program. i just started going to the gym this year and the fact that i’ve been going consistently is a huge accomplishment for me. my goals are pretty much just to improve overall health and fitness, and if i get any aesthetic benefits then hey that’s a plus!
@mayne70 I kinda just keep working out because it makes my back not hurt when i get up in the morning and also I can detect that it's pretty good for my brain. I would like my body to do everything I ask of it without complaining or hurting. I would like the endurance to keep up on athletic excursions. I would like to protect my bones and joints in the long term. I would like to decrease the chance that I will be injured in a car crash.
On a more concrete level, I would like to do a muscle up. I have had, at a time, visibly muscular legs and muscular arms; I have had, at a separate time, visibly muscular abs. All three at the same time?!?! That would be sick. Thus far, it eludes me.
One time an almost stranger asked me if I work out (!!!!!) Because she said there's something about the way I carry myself, as if my body is light. YAAAAAS THAT FEELING AGAIN THAT ONE PLEASE
@mayne70 My goal is to "be a strong girl", "see muscle" and "get built" lol
I suppose I have a defined goal of getting to 20% body fat, but I don't exactly check it often enough for it to be something I track. And if I get to that body fat, my goal will just be "add muscle" or "get stronger" indefinitely until the goal eventually becomes "keep muscle" and "deteriorate slower by keeping fit"
@mayne70 What about competing against yourself. What I mean is getting a physical done & working towards a better physical the next year. You can’t “see” lower LDL levels, right? So enjoy your workouts, keep doing them and the next year see if they’re lowered (though spoiler alert: they should be).
@mayne70 My goals are consistency. I focused a ton on both fat loss and numbers goals for a while and then life got crazy and I just want to stay active. I don't have the mental bandwidth to focus on specific numbers beyond hitting my days per week of lifting and cardio. I like it better this way for the most part because my life is so much more interesting when my brain isn't focused so internally. One of my goals is to add fun movement in as well (like...not specifically lifting or cardio), and I've started doing aerial silks, pole, and just started tap dancing again for the first time since college. I really like having a mix of very structured activity and activity that's just for fun with no pressure.
@mayne70 My goals are less fitness oriented and more about being my best self… My goal is to set a good example of a healthy lifestyle for my kids and to be the best me by keeping my mental health in a good place, which exercise helps me with!
@mayne70 Same! Used to be weight loss but now I’m just watching my weight lifted numbers go up and my muscles pop out and I’m happy with that. Now it’s just a true habit and part of my life and it feels weird and odd NOT working out.
@mayne70 Might be fun to make a goal like take to a kayaking or ski trip. Book some travel then you’ve got a hard deadline to have good strength and stamina for your rad activity of choice.
@mayne70 You have reached lifting nirvana. I also have no goals and just go. I work with a trainer, he has more goals for me than I do, I just do as I'm told, and I'm happy with my strength and how I'm looking these days!
@mayne70 I want more of my clothes to fit, but mostly I want resiliency. I have chronic health issues, and I want to be more resilent when I hit a rough patch.
@apelpiciemn I like this idea of resiliency. I do feel more empowered mentally because I’m stronger physically. Albeit faux mental confidence…. So be it! Physical hurdles are tough… and sometimes it’s more mental power than physical to get through them
@mayne70 I started strength training last year out of a general feeling that it was something I "should" be doing to maintain my fitness as I get older. That's still my main reason to continue, even though I've also found that I like the way it makes my arms and butt look. I've found that focusing too much on specific goals or areas make me overwhelmed and feel like I'm not doing enough (not helped by the fact that I'd vastly prefer to be doing cardio), so I'm trying to stick to the general mindset of "if you tried, it's a win".
@mayne70 I love that you posted this cause it seems like most people posting about fitness & health in general have a specific goal that motivates them. Nothing wrong with that if that works for you, but as someone who has reached fitness & weight goals before, I know the feeling of being kind of lost after you get to the milestone. I think not having defined goals is a much more sustainable and healthy way of living life.
@mayne70 I train for a half marathon every year, so I have a distance goal, but other than that I'm just running for funsies, I'm not actively trying to increase my time or anything. And I lift weights because I like the way it makes my arms look. I don't track anything and just periodically increase my weights if they start feeling light, but again. I'm not actively trying to up my weights. I don't care about the scale, it usually stays within a few pounds of the same number, so I just exercise however I want and eat however I want (within moderation, I'm not dieting or anything though).
@mayne70 This is absolutely me! I've never had concrete, measurable fitness goals. Felt weird about it in the past, worried that I was just "wasting my time", but I've always liked not having to deal with the pressure of meeting a goal/possibly failing it/being constrained. Sometimes it makes it hard to decide what to do, but on the flip side, I have the freedom to do whatever I want!
That being said, some loose fitness "goals" I've defined (since I do tend to struggle with disordered exercise issues) are simply 1. to move at least 1 hour a day, in whatever way serves my mind and body best that day, 2. not make injuries worse or get injured, 3. general health. It works for me!
