It’s the time of year when many of us start thinking about goals for the new year—and fitness goals are often at the top of that list. While I love the fresh-start energy that comes with this season, I’ve also learned that the most meaningful fitness goals aren’t just inspiring—they’re realistic, taking into account where you are right now not just where you hope to be.

As I head into the new year, I’m in a rebuilding phase—focusing on consistency, patience, and meeting myself where I am. That perspective has shaped how I think about goal setting. For this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing some thoughts on setting fitness goals that feel motivating and sustainable.

Fit Five Friday: 5 Tips for Setting Fitness Goals That Fit Your Life

Start with where you are, not where you want to be  — Big goals can be exciting, but they’re only helpful if they’re grounded in reality. Before setting a goal, take an honest look at your current fitness level, schedule, energy, and commitments. Work deadlines, family responsibilities, travel, and life transitions all matter—and they should factor into your plan. For example, if you’re facing a particularly busy or demanding season, this may not be the year to train for a marathon or chase an aggressive PR—and that’s okay. Progress doesn’t always mean going bigger. Sometimes it means building a strong, steady foundation.

Zoom in before you zoom out — Annual goals can feel overwhelming when you’re staring at twelve months of “what ifs.” Instead, consider setting goals in shorter timeframes—monthly or 90-day windows. Smaller horizons create clarity and make it easier to adjust as life unfolds. You can always build toward something bigger, but starting small often leads to more momentum.

Focus on effort not just outcome — Outcome goals—pace, distance, race results—are appealing, but they aren’t fully within your control. Effort-based goals, on the other hand, focus on what you can control (i.e, strength training a certain number of times per week).

Build flexibility into the plan from the start — Life will interrupt your schedule at some point. Illness, travel, stress, or unexpected responsibilities happen—and a rigid plan can make those moments feel like failure. A flexible goal allows room to adjust without quitting. Missing a workout or modifying a plan doesn’t erase progress. It simply means you’re responding to real life. Consistency matters far more than perfection.

Revisit and revise as you go — Goals aren’t meant to be set once and forgotten. Check in monthly or quarterly and ask: What’s working? What feels challenging? What needs adjusting? The key is giving yourself permission to evolve.

Fitness goals don’t have to be extreme to be meaningful. When they’re realistic, flexible, and aligned with your current season, they’re far more likely to stick.

Have you started thinking about your fitness goals yet? What you’re focusing on as the new year approaches?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts’ posts!

It’s begining to feel more and more like Fall around here and I’m here for it! This is my favorite season and I always look forward to making the most of it. I’m locking in some priorities for these final 4 months of the year, and as part of my efforts, I’m setting some fitness goals to finish 2025 strong. So for this week’s Fit Five Friday I thought I’d share my five fitness goals for Fall.

Five Fitness Goals for Fall

Daily Stretching & Mobility Work — I mentioned in my recent runfessions that stretching took a hit in August, so it’s time to get back to it. I certainly feel better when this is part of my daily routine.

Return to the Bike — It’s been more than a minute since I’ve been on my Peloton bike. I’m thinking of clearing the history so I can set some new PRs with my “bionic” hip 😉

Lift Heavy — We recently added a Smith Machine and leg press to our home gym. Looking forward to putting both to good use!

Consistent 64 oz. — I’m terrible about my hydration, even in the heat of the summer, so I know I need to make a concious effort as the weather cools. I’m committing to daily tracking to help keep this goal top of mind.

Return to Running — I’m planning to hit my favorite running store soon for a fitting and then there will be trips to the track for some initial run/walk sessions so I can guarantee a smooth, even surface for those first few outings. If all goes well then I may give Couch to 5K a go.

Do you have any fitness goals for the season?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts posts!

December is quickly winding down and we’re reaching that time when folks start to look ahead to plans for the new year. So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, we’re talking Fitness Goals for 2024.

Fit Five Friday: Fitness Goals for 2024

My primary fitness goal for 2024 is to return to healthy running –  emphasis on “healthy”! That means not gimpy; not running and tolerating an injury, just healthy! I have not been on a regular running schedule since September. I did attempt some run-walks in October but quickly shut it down….being patient is not my strong suit, but I also know that rushing back too quickly has not served me well. Hopefully, down the road, I’d like to plan for a race or two – but, first and foremost, it’s all about healthy running!

My other goal for the year is to complete at least 15K minutes on Peloton. To hit this goal will mean that I’m doing the consistent cycling my sports ortho wants me to do, along with strength training, walking…and running 🙂

Beyond these year-long goals, I will continue my practice of setting smaller monthly goals. For the past few years, doing so has helped to keep me accountable and on track. So if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?

How about you – are you declaring any big fitness goals for 2024?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Share your fitness-related link, link back to your hosts, and please share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

Thanks for joining me, Darlene, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida for another edition of Fit Five Friday!

It’s hard to believe that in less than 80 days 2023 will come to an end! For this week’s Fit Five Friday, we’re inviting you to share your goals for this final stretch of the year. Of course, you’re always welcome to write about any other fitness-related topic.

Five Year-end Fitness Goals

Get back to running — I have been grounded for 4 weeks – 4 weeks without a run! Now that I’ve got my MRI results and know that there’s no tear, I’m ready to focus on a plan to get back out on the roads.

Continue to Opt Outside — I make no secret that the fall is my favorite season, so why not maximize my time outdoors before winter creeps in? I’ve been walking during my grounded phase and will continue to #optoutside daily as I work on returning to running.

Prioritize Sleep — How many times have I said this?! My sleep has been junk lately and I’m really feeling it. I need to lean into my evening routine so that I set myself up for a good night’s sleep.

Meal plan — While I’m great at consistently planning each week’s dinners, I’ve been totally winging it on breakfast, lunch, and snacks. My choices lately have not always been the best, as evidenced by the numbers creeping in the wrong direction on my scale, so time to fix that!

Find a race to do “with” my son — My oldest recently announced that he’d like to find a race to train for and we thought it would be fun to run one “together” – of course that’s in quotes because he will dust me at the start line but we’ll be running the same race. He wants to do a 10K in the Spring (before thinking about a half marathon). I’d love to be in a place where I can run a 10K with him.

Tell me, what have you got planned for these final months?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!