Fitness goals... that have absolutely F-all to do with weight
Keen to set yourself a summer challenge that’ll leave you feeling good? Same. Here, three top PTs share the targets they encourage their clients to get stuck into…
FALL IN LOVE WITH EXERCISE
‘I ask people to move away from weight-loss goals and to focus on developing a positive relationship with exercise instead,’ explains Hollie Grant, founder of The Pilates PT Method. ‘This can initially be challenging as they’re so used to having numbers to hit and something physical to work towards.’ So many of us exercise to lose weight, punish ourselves for overeating or as a control method, she says, whereas really, exercise ought to have a much greater, emotional purpose. ‘Ask yourself if you truly enjoy the fitness classes you attend, or whether you’re just going to them for the “results” that have been promised – if you don’t have fun in your classes, why on earth are you attending them?’
GO FOR IT: Try a new type of exercise each week until you find The One. ‘If you hate spin classes, stop spinning. Find a regime that gets you excited,’ Grant adds. ‘You might have to think outside of the box – for me, I love bouldering. It challenges my mind as much as my body, it’s sociable and welcomes bodies of all shapes and sizes. I crave it when I’m not doing it, so I know it’s right for me.’
MOVE YOUR BODY EVERY DAY
While it’s important not to overdo things and risk injury (eg, by undertaking a hardcore HIIT session every morning), aiming to do some physical activity each day will boost not only your general fitness levels, but likely your mood, too. ‘Use a health app such as Strava, MyFitnessPal or Apple Health to track your daily movement and exercise to become accountable for yourself,’ suggests James Stark, a personal trainer and co-founder of Starks Fitness gyms.
GO FOR IT: Challenge yourself to a ‘month of movement’, or pledge to avoid being a total couch potato on your rest days. ‘Reduce the lull days, where you usually wouldn’t move much at all, by setting a notification encouraging you to get up and move about,’ says Stark. Going for a short walk, having a dance around your bedroom or taking a bike ride all count – your bod and your mind will thank you for it.
PLAY WITH YOUR RUN TIMES
‘Non-aesthetic goals have the potential to be more rewarding and longer lasting than purely aesthetic-focused ones,’ says Hannah Lewin, a women-focused PT and founder of Mind+Motion. ‘To run your 5K and 10K in a faster time, running the distance once a week or so will help your body adapt to the mileage and build up endurance levels.’ If you’re a total newbie, don’t focus on speed initially, just get the hang of breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth) and keeping your shoulders back and down.
GO FOR IT: Aim to beat your 5K time every five to six weeks, by 20 to 40 seconds per go, says Lewin. ‘While it may not seem a lot, 40 seconds off a best-effort run is a great achievement!’ If focusing on the timing feels like too much pressure – or just plain dull – you could also experiment with pushing out of your comfort zone by running a longer distance each time. Even an extra 100 metres will feel mighty fine.