FITNESS GOALS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR BUCKET LIST

Signing up for a full-length marathon might not be the best for everyone, especially for beginners. Opt instead for shorter distance runs like 5KM or 10KM. Despite a shorter distance, it is crucial that you train for it in order to prevent any unexpected injuries to your body on race day.

You can start your training by going on two 30-minute runs on alternate weekdays and a longer one on the weekend. It is important to increase the distance covered in each run as you progress, but be sure it is not more than 10 percent from the week earlier. As to when to sign up for a run, 3 months in advance is ideal as it gives you ample of time to begin training with a group.

Running consistently helps your body in many ways which include cardiovascular health, weight loss and overall body strength. Finishing a race would also give you much happiness that will boost your mental health as well.

Finish 20 Push-Up Repetitions

Push-ups are known to be an excellent upper body workout as it helps to shape your chest, shoulders and arms, as well as improves core stability. If you have never tried doing push-ups before, then opt for the modified version first. This can be done using a low bench, wall or with your knees placed on the floor for added assistance. When you are performing this exercise, ensure that your back stays straight, abs tighten, and your hips and legs are down. Make sure your chest touches the floor completely without allowing your torso to drop to the floor.

Try to bring yourself up on your toes to perform the traditional form of push-up as you slowly start to gain strength. As you get better, increase the reps regularly until you hit the 20-repetition mark. After that, you can incorporate other push-up variations into your routine in order to get other groups of muscle to work as well. Some examples of variations you can try are side-to-side push-ups, clap push-ups, Spider-Man push-ups and pike push-ups

 Complete a 3-Minutes Plank

Planks truly test your core strength and full body stability. They also help prevent injury to an individual, ease motion and build overall strength. If you have never done a forearm plank before, you first start by holding a plank on your elbows and knees for 10 to 15 seconds. As you gain more strength, slowly attempt to use your forearms instead and push yourself till you are able to be in a plank position for 3 minutes straight.

Planks requires total core strength and shoulder stability. As such, do not forget to incorporate other kinds of core exercises into your routine. Some examples include Russian twists, reverse crunches as well as hanging leg raises.

Go Hike a Mountain

Going on a hike up a mountain is regarded as a perfect weight lose exercise that tests both your physical and mental strength. Proper training and preparation are needed as this activity involves cardiovascular fitness, and solid strength of your legs and core. Kick off your training by emphasising on cardio routines like hill-walking, distance-running and stair-climbing.

Make sure you also add in some weight training and core exercises like squats, lunges and step-ups as you get better in the regime. Once you find that the stair-climbing exercises get too comfortable for you, switch it up by increasing the heights climbed and skipping steps on your way up.

Bodyweight Training 

Weightlifting is a great form of exercise that builds muscle power, increases agility, coordination and stabilises all joints. This why it is a regular part of an athlete’s training routine. For anyone who has done little to zero weightlifting before, you can first start with lifting your own bodyweight. This regime requires extreme discipline and consistency in order for it to be achieved.

If you have managed to fully build basic strength and support using just your bodyweight, you can then slowly opt to lift actual weights. This can be part of your gym fitness routine, and you should accompany it with a personal goal like weight loss or building muscular power. When it comes to carrying actual weights, you should do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each using weight that is heavy enough to challenge you but not too heavy till it disrupts your form.

Completing an Unassisted Pull-ups

We might not realise this but a lot of our daily routines involve the pushing movement more than pulling. As such, it leads to upper-back muscle weakness and neck aches. Doing pull-ups can actually solve this problem as it corrects that imbalance and is great at making the muscles in the back and biceps stronger. If you cannot seem to complete a single pull-up, then start the training by using a fixed-arm hang.

To do a fixed-arm hang, stand on a bench or box underneath a pull-up bar. Then hold the bar, palms facing outwards and jump. Ensure your chest stays as close as possible to the bar, and hang in that position for as long as you can. If you feel yourself slowly sliding down, bring your body lower across three to five seconds until your feet hit the box again. Set your mind to finish at least 5 repetitions of 10 seconds. Once you find this exercise becoming too easy for you, increase its difficulty by including resistance band pull-ups to the regime. Slowly push yourself to perform unassisted pull-ups since you would have gotten stronger by then.

All of these fitness goals are not impossible to be achieved as they only require strict preparation of the body and mind. You can accomplish them with no trouble when paired with the right attitude and determination.