My 5 fitness goals for the next year

Having spent two weeks at home, resting up post operation, I’ve had quite some time to think ahead about what I’d like to achieve next year. After a knee operation, a good recovery needs time, and super crucially, needs to be done properly.

None of this rushing malarkey.  

I’ve missed spending weekends hiking up mountains, cycling along the canal, or feeling exhausted after a great bouldering session. On a very awesome plus note though, I’ve been able to hang out with my fluffy cat baby.

– Pink Hunkemöller gym bag online here –

So to look ahead, I’ve decided to set myself some fitness goals for the new year and beyond. Let’s see what two weeks’ worth of reflecting has inspired me to do:

1. Get back into hockey: I’m absolutely gutted to be missing out this season hockey, so my biggie for 2018 will be to re-join my ladies and get whacking some balls. I’ll be spending quite a lot of this year building up the muscles in my knee in anticipation for the twists and turns.
2. Take up swimming: as a kid, I loved to go the pool. It was such a fun family day out, and a great exercise for the whole body. Arms, shoulders, back, bum, tum, legs, swimming seems to have you covered. For the new year, I’ll be setting myself a goal to visit twice a month. So that’ll make it 24 visits a year, seems very reasonable, right?
3. Run a 10K: every year, our work takes part in the two biggest 10K runs in Leeds, the Abbey Dash and Run For All. This year has been the first time I’ve missed any of them, and I’m gutted. It’s such a highlight, and fun morning out, and certainly having a post-run beer is a nice reward. Next year, my plan is to come back fighting, taking part in both. The best time I once achieved was 47 minutes, so I’ll set the challenge for 50 or less.
4. Enter a marathon ballot: to this date, the furthest I have run was a half marathon, and dare I say, I loved it. Next challenge, a full marathon. It’s time to take the plunge and enter the ballots next year, for a marathon in 2019. Maybe now is the time to quiz the marathon mad parents for as much advice as possible.
5. Ski into the new year: our plan this Christmas and New Year was to drive away, venturing over to Austria or France, to enjoy the day skiing, evenings in front of a log fire and an après-ski here and there. We had to put these wintery dreams away until next year, until the knee has made a full recovery, and then it can be sun, slopes and fireworks.

What I’ll be doing, once I’ve got my 2018 calendar in, is pencilling in all my dates and goals, that I’d like to achieve throughout the year. Especially with my plan of two swims a month, it’s easy to forget. But, by setting that little date, pen to paper, it’s a lot less likely to be missed. 

If there’s one thing that’ll definitely get me in the zone is a new sports outfit. As an incentive to help you commit to your goals, surely a new top, bag or pair of trainers wouldn’t go amiss, right?

In my eyes, you need to start day one feeling on form, and if a nice extra can help then why not. Before the operation, and I went to my morning gym classes, they were right before work, so I’d lug everything I needed for the gym and work in one lot. One Mary Poppins bag is exactly what I needed. And I got it. 

What this Hunkemöller gym bag fits inside is impressive. The clip is the key to it all. With one unlock, the bag opens up to fill to your heart’s content and, when empty, can be squished into a small bundle, taking up barely any room in another bag. Go on, go and set plans for the future, it keeps your mind active and you’ll have something to look forward to. And then when you’ve done it, crossing that task off your list will bring you such a sense of achievement, you might even find a new love for it too. 

Most importantly though, when you are goal setting, it doesn’t matter how small or big they are, or even if it takes a longer to achieve; it’s all about trying and doing something about it. 

Will you be setting any goals for the New Year? I’d love to hear your plans.

Lots of love,

Charlotte xox

*I was invited to work with Hunkemöller to try out their Caro E gym bag. Views and opinions are all my own.