Fit at 30: My fitness goals

Last month I turned 30 (get out the balloons!) It’s one of those milestone birthdays that makes you stop and have a think about your life; what you’ve achieved and what you thought you’d have achieved. It can be easy to use that as a negative thing, like “oh my god I’m not a brain surgeon or an astronaut or [insert dream here]”. But I’m feeling pretty good about 30. After a year of upheaval, 30 is starting in a good place for me.

If my twenties taught me anything it’s that life is too short to spend it comparing your life to other people’s, that your health is one of the most important things you have, and that age is a really rather rubbish indicator of anything. 30 feels like an exciting time because I feel like those things that used to cause anxiety aren’t important anymore and it’s pretty liberating. I am grateful to my formative years and the stronger person they made me, but I do not long for them in any way shape or form.

I’m also looking forward to building on my fitness now I’m 30. I may have been faster in my younger days but in the last three years of my twenties, I’ve probably been the fittest I’ve ever been. When I was younger I thought being healthy just meant being thin and exercising until you tired yourself out, but a bit of training and education has taught me the importance of being strong, of developing self-confidence, about nutrition, mindfulness and awareness of my body, and how it all works together.

So, with that in mind I’ve set myself a few personal challenges for the year ahead:

• To create a regular yoga practice that fits around my busy schedule
• To get my 10k time below 1:05:00 and my 5k time down to 00:30:00
• To run a half marathon (no time goal, just make it around!)
• To do one run for fun – like a colour run, or a night time light run
• To eat clean(er) and stop relying on caffeine and sugar
• To be able to do proper push ups!

I just stuck that lost one in there for fun, and cause if there’s one area of strength I’d like to improve it’s definitely my upper body!

You’ll notice that there’s quite a bit of running in there. One ‘goal’ I didn’t include, but which is kind of wrapped up in those three is that I intend to keep running through the winter. For the last few years my pattern has been to start training in the new year (when good intentions are high), train for something spring/summer, stop in autumn. And repeat. So hopefully one will be conducive to the other.

Obviously, writing down a list of goals doesn’t mean they’re magically going to happen. but I’m developing a plan and hopefully blogging here will give me a little bit of accountability and a record of my progress.

How about you? Do you have any fitness goals you’re aiming for this year?