My Fitness Goals for the New Year {plus printable Monthly Workout Tracker}
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Poise for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Now that Christmas has passed, I figured it was time to start setting goals for the new year. You may have already read that I’m having weight loss surgery on December 30 so now is the perfect time to start planning for my weight loss goals and getting my fitness goals written. I will tell you about my journey to get fit, my fitness goals, what’s in my gym bag, and give you a free printable Monthly Workout Tracker so you can set your own fitness goals and work alongside me this year!
For most of my life I have not worried about fitness goals or fitness at all. My family wasn’t one of those families that worked out and we were always just a little overweight. When I was a teen, my parents started walking to lose weight, but that was their time to be together and it became just something that they enjoyed for a while. When I was about 18, I would get up early in the morning and walk about a mile, but that didn’t last very long and I was back to doing nothing again. When I was in college, I joined a gym, but again…it didn’t last very long before I was back to being lazy and eating cheeseburgers every day. Now that I’m getting older, and I’m much, much larger, something has to change. I’m having weight loss surgery, but that is not a cure-all and I will have to put in the work to get this weight off so I’m setting fitness goals now and tracking my progress so that in a year I can see where I’ve come from and what I’ve achieved.
I’m not going to start out unreasonable and set these lofty fitness goals for myself that I could never achieve. I am going to keep in mind that I am around 350 lbs and although I’ll be losing, I won’t be small or even medium for quite some time. I’m going to start slow-ish and work my way up. Here is what I have in mind:
My Fitness Goals
- Exercise in some way every day – I know this sounds unreasonable to start with, but I’m not talking about going to the gym every single day of my life. I’m talking about getting my heart rate up every day for a period of time. I’m thinking 30 minutes every day is reasonable. During my work day, I have a lunch hour and I won’t be eating very much (certainly not for an entire hour) so I think 30 minutes for lunch and 30 minutes of walking the parking lot or hallway is reasonable. If I don’t do anything else for exercise in a day, at least I can do this.
- Get to the gym three times per week – I should probably set a goal a little higher for this one, but I don’t know if my work schedule and time will allow for more than three times per week. I mean, two of these times are probably going to be Saturday and Sunday if I’m honest with myself, so the week days are going to be a bonus for me.
- Drink 64 oz. of water every day – This is a must do for a weight loss surgery patient anyway so I’ll put it in my goals. I know this will be difficult for me, but I know I have to do it to stay healthy. More on this later, but it’s going to do a number on my bladder and my daily workouts will be supplemented with me running back and forth to the restroom!
- Lose 2 lbs per week for at least the first six months – I will likely lose more than this to begin with and likely will struggle later on, but I’m setting this goal for myself so that I have something to reach for when I’m struggling down the road.
- Start on weight lifting and endurance by the six month mark – This is something that I will need help with beyond just the cardio and regular workouts. My husband knows a lot about all of this and we are members of the YMCA so we have access to trainers. I want to be strong again (I was strong in college for some reason) and this will be a great goal for me to work on.
- Run/Walk a 5K by the end of 2016 – This is something that I have wanted to do for the past 5 years (since I began my weight loss journey in 2010) and I am going to achieve it this year! All of these other fitness goals are going to help me achieve this final goal and then we’ll see where next year leads me.
My Gym Bag
Having a well-stocked gym bag is a must when starting out or maintaining your fitness goals. I’ll have to start from scratch with mine, including buying a gym bag, ha! So, I’ve put together a list of what I’m going to include in mine and you can let me know what else you would add (since I’m obviously very inexperienced here).
- Music – I’m going to need some good music to keep me moving so I’ll likely start with my phone and work my way up to an MP3 player and I’ll definitely need some ear buds.
- Heart monitor or fitness tracker – My phone has an app on it that tracks my steps, but I’m thinking I’ll want to work up to some type of bracelet fitness tracker and/or heart monitor so I can track my progress over the weeks/months. Howard has one already and he loves it so I’ll have to get one as soon as possible.
- Running/walking shoes – If I’m honest with myself (and you guys), I wear my running/walking shoes every day of my life. I have feet pain and these shoes are the only thing that feel good, but I might need to pick up another pair or two to trade out if I’m going to be exercising every day.
- Extra socks – You know, just in case I wear out a pair that I’m wearing or they get wet.
- Hygiene products:
- Deodorant and/or body spray – you know, because I will get stinky from all the glistening.
- Dry shampoo – because I won’t have time to shower during my work day.
- Poise Impressa Bladder Supports – remember above when I mentioned my bladder problem? Let me tell you more…
Poise Impressa for Urinary Incontinence
I’ve talked in the past about my bladder leakage issue that started when I was pregnant. Well, I still have this issue and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better, in my opinion. I know that diet and exercise will eventually help this issue, most likely, but in the meantime, I can’t go around smelling like a men’s restroom because I peed myself during a routine workout. I mean, let’s face it, being overweight, on top of already having leakage problems, just makes things worse.
Poise Impressa Bladder Supports are the first over-the-counter internal product designed to help stop leaks before they happen. I mean, the pads are great and all, but as I get smaller and want to wear great workout clothes, I’m not going to want to mess with the bulk of an outside pad to keep me clean.
Did you know that thirty-five million women experience stress urinary incontinence? It can be triggered by coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting or even exercise. These bladder supports are safe, comfortable, effective, and are inserted like a tampon. Poise Impressa does not absorb leaks like a tampon, but rather it gently lifts (or supports) the urethra to help stop leaks before they happen. They are available in three sizes that adapt to the unique internal shape of each woman’s body. You should start with the Poise Impressa Sizing Kit to find the size that helps effectively stop leaks and fits most comfortably. Visit Impressa.com for more information and get a Poise Impressa coupon here.
- You should NOT use Impressa Bladder Supports if you:
- Are under the age of 21
- Are pregnant, may become pregnant or have given birth within the last 3 months
- Have experienced unusual or unexpected vaginal bleeding within the last 6 months
- Have pain or a burning sensation when you urinate (this could be a urinary tract infection)
- Are experiencing vaginal discharge that smells bad, irritation, soreness or itching (this could be a vaginal infection)
- Had vaginal surgery within the last three months
- Have already been diagnosed by your doctor with a severely dry (atrophic) vagina
- Ask a doctor before using if you:
- Have pain during intercourse or when inserting a tampon or tampon-like device (this could be an atrophic vagina)
- Often experience difficulty in retaining a tampon or tampon-like device (this could be vaginal prolapse)
Monthly Workout Tracker
Now that we have the fitness goals and the gym bag ready, I’m going to need something to track my progress. I’ve made up this basic workout and weight loss tracker to track my progress. Feel free to download it by either clicking on the photo and saving it to your desktop or by downloading and printing the pdf.
Great set of goals for the new year! I look forward to reading about your progress.
PS. Shared the info on Poise with my wife. She thought they were awesome!
Wow! You are ready for 2016! Those are very good goals and to have something ease your work like Poise is awesome! I know it is not an easy thing to deal with, but now you are set to go all the way. Here’s to an amazing 2016!
I will say I would love to get more active as I am trying to get my 21 yr old body back! want to take a few cycling classes!
Kiwi recently posted..New Year Not New Me #CelebratingMe
My husband and I got FItbits for Xmas from my parents, and we are loving them. It’s a fun little competition to see who gets the most steps in every day. Good luck!
My bladder has never been the same after having kids! I am working on myself and being healthier this year, so I appreciate your printable tracker so much! Good luck in 2016!
Poise is the way to go when it comes to bladder leakage! I try not to set my self up when it comes to fitness goals. I go on walks and that’s about it!
Marielle Altenor recently posted..Haitian Epices Recipe
Great goals and tips – I really need to do them all! Good luck to you Kaz
Hope all us going well for you after the surgery. I am going to get in shape this year because I am not getting any younger and it is never to late to get in shape. I love the Poise Impressas which safe me every time I get a fibromyalgia flare-up. I recommend them to all my friends and family. Good Luck on your new journey.
This year I’m finally making exercise a priority. I got a new workout DVD that I can’t wait to try. This should help me get on the right track.
Mimi “MimiCuteLips” Green recently posted..Happy New Year : MimiCutelips 2015 Year in Review
This is great information. I have some fitness goals that I am working on for 2016. Kudos to you for taking steps and making plans and i hope the surgery was successful.
Tyra recently posted..2016 Goals for Travel and Life
I have also set some fitness goals too! Love your list and tips!
Claudia Krusch recently posted..My Word For The New Year
I am a lager woman too. I wish us both good luck on our fitness goals for this year. Hope your surgery goes well.
Thank you for the workout fracker! Studies show that if you track something you will see an improvement in that area! I’m also with you on the water intake- that is my goal for 2016 as well! Happy new year!
Rocky Mountain Mrs. recently posted..4 Steps to Successful New Year’s Resolutions
Good luck with your surgery – I’m excited for you to see how this works out for you! I need to get my backside to work out this year as well! I wonder about this new product I keep seeing.Lately when I cough – I feel some issues beginning!
tiarasandtantrums recently posted..Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake on New Year’s Eve
I am all for becoming more fit and being healthy so you go girl. I’m not gonna tell you that it will be easy because yes, it will take a lot of work but you know what to do & how to do it so that’s great start. You reminded me about my own gym bag – I gotta find a new one and have all my gym essentials there. But anyways, goodluck on this fitness journey in 2016 and do keep us posted
This looks like a great plan to keep you on track to your fitness goals. I wish you the luck, energy, and motivation to push through and achieve every one of your goals! Happy New Year!
Jaime Nicole recently posted..Need a Great Parenting Book? Look No Further!
This year I did really good with say active. I joined a gym, starting doing yoga again and ate really good. I’m definitely planning on continuing this into the New Year <3
Thank you for your informative post on fitness goals and Poise. Although I have never used this product I am happy that they are around for those who need it.
I had not seen these before, I suppose it’s a great option to pads. Sounds like you have some great plans for the coming year.