My 2024 Plans & Fitness Goals
At the end of 2022, I set some vague health and fitness goals that I promptly forgot about as the first week of 2023 turned into the year’s second week. Doh!
Yet, those forgotten goals were relatively well-defined compared to previous years because they’ve usually been… non-existent.
Creating a Life Vision
However, despite the fact I forgot about these well-intended targets in 2023, for the last few years, I’ve been working on creating a vision for my life that supersedes goals and is more focused on the type of person I want to be, the type of body I want to have, the energy I want, how I want to look, feel and be.
I enjoy the process, and as a visual person, I get a thrill from visualising the kind of health, fitness, and life I want to have and then working to make it happen.
Amazingly consistent
In truth, goals are a big part of making the vision come to life, but even in their absence, I was amazingly consistent with my health and fitness in 2023, more than any other time in my life, in fact.
As I sit here today, on 6 January 2024, aged 48, I’m fitter, healthier and happier than ever.
So something has to be working!
In 2024, though, I’m more determined than ever to create a compelling list of goals that will push me to the next level and beyond.
I was amazingly consistent in 2023
Thrashing out my goals for 2024
Over the last few days, I’ve thrashed out a substantial list of goals for 2024 across several different areas of my life, but in this post, I will share my health and fitness targets.
So here are my plans and fitness goals for 2024.
Writing this post helps me stay accountable to these goals, and by writing them down, get clear on them too!
My 2024 Plans and fitness goals
1. Run the Barcelona Marathon in 4 hours
For years, I’ve toyed with the idea of running a marathon, especially since I started running again a few years ago, and even more so whenever I tune in to watch the London Marathon on TV.
I even applied a few times for London, but I’ve failed with each application so far.
A couple of months ago, after receiving a sales email from Barcelona Marathon, I just thought, “Fuck it, I’m going to do it”, and signed up there and then.
I’m using a training plan a friend recommended to get race fit and, hopefully, finish in 4 hours or less.
To hit that target, I’ll need to run consistently at 5:41 per kilometre (9-minute mile pace) throughout the 42km (26 miles). Eeeeeekkkk!!
When: 10th March 2024
Marathon training along the river Danube, Germany
2. Run 10k in less than 50 minutes
Smashing Fifty is called Smashing Fifty because of an idea I had on one of my first runs along the river Danube in 2017.
I decided running 10k (6.2 miles) in under 50 minutes would be a great target to aim for.
That goal has eluded me so far, and the closest I got was about 52 minutes just before Covid.
My running took a total nosedive when we were in lockdown and I didn’t really start again until November 23, and my best time now is around 54 mins 30, so it’ll definitely be a tough goal to go for.
When I plan to hit the goal: 10th June 2024
3. Run 1,000km total (621 miles) in 2024
I love running. I like how it helps me think and relax and keeps me fit.
Running 1,000km in one year feels like a decent goal, especially as I’ll be nailing about 415km between now and crossing the marathon finish line in March, then knocking out about 20km per week for the following 13 weeks until my 10k goal attempt on 10th June.
That’ll leave me just 340km to run in the remaining 29 weeks of the year, an average of about 12km per week. This one definitely needs a spreadsheet!
When I plan to hit the goal: 31st December 2024
4. HIT 70KG ON THE SCALES (MUSCLE MASS)
I’ve always been skinny, and for most of my adult life, skinny fat with a horrendous posture.
To hit 70kgs (154lbs, 11 stone) would be a huge milestone for me, as I’ve never been that weight before, and for my height of 176cm (5’9), I feel it’s a good healthy weight to be, and the extra muscle would be a nice to have.
It’s pretty difficult to know how much muscle you’re adding. The general rule suggests that adding about 1kg of muscle (2.2 lbs) per month is possible.
As I’ll be running so much for the first five months, the aim is to maintain my current weight, which ranges between about 65.5kg to 67kg daily depending on what time of day it is, whether I’ve just eaten or drunk or been to the toilet, and what I’m wearing (obvs).
I’ve set the goal for 10th November, so that’ll give me five months after the 10k race to put on around 4kg, which is definitely achievable on paper.
When I plan to hit the goal: 10th November 2024
5. DRINK NO ALCOHOL
Pretty simple one for me as I’ve been happily a non-drinker since October 2019 with no plans to return to the booze anytime soon, if ever. Still, having it as a goal keeps it alive and front of mind.
Off The Booze: 6 Crucial Steps To Help You Take Control (For Good) is a free, short guide that I’ve written about quitting (or taking a break from) alcohol. Get it here: Off The Booze.
When I plan to hit the goal: 31/12/24
6. 10% BODY FAT
I’m not sure exactly how much body fat I’m carrying at the moment, but at the last check, it was around 15%.
I’d definitely like to trim my waist and potentially see some stomach muscle definition this year, so dropping a few % would be nice. However, I know how hard it can be to lose weight and gain muscle simultaneously.
Difficult, but certainly not impossible.
This one is a bit of an experiment throughout the year, so there is no set date for this one.
7. 150 X 75-MINUTE STRENGTH TRAINING SESSIONS
This is not a sexy goal at all, but goals don’t have to be sexy. They can be part of the process.
But if I’m to hit my muscle growth target, this goal is a must!
150 gym sessions (or home dumbbell workouts) throughout the year will equate to about three sessions per week.
I know I’ll hardly be in the gym during the first part of the year with all the running training, but I aim to go full-on with it from 10th June onwards.
I like 75 minutes as a minimum time scale, too, as an hour always feels too short to me once you add your rest between sets.
When I plan to hit the goal: 31st December 2024
8. APPLY FOR THE BERLIN MARATHON 2025
If I’m going to run a marathon this year, then why not try to run one of the six marathon majors?
With London and Berlin being the closest (and both of them difficult to get into through the ballot system), I will apply for both this year.
When: Applications open on the 28th September 2024. It’s already in my diary as a reminder.
9. APPLY FOR THE LONDON MARATHON 2025
As above.
When: Applications open on the 22nd April 2024. It’s already in my diary as a reminder.
10. MEDITATE FOR 10 MINUTES X 100 TIMES
I fell in love with meditation a few years ago when I was really struggling with anxiety, stress, and maybe even a bit of depression.
I can’t remember how, but I came across an app called Headspace that I found very easy to use, and the narrator’s voice was so calming with guided meditations that were so simple, mindful and calming.
I struggled like mad at first but soon got into it, and for that period of my life, the meditations were like a ray of sunshine in a storm.
As my mental health improved, I found myself meditating less (as I felt I needed less help), but whenever I do meditate, I still enjoy the calm and stillness and this year, I want to do more.
How: To do 100 sessions, I’ll need to meditate about twice a week, so I’ve bookmarked two days per week in my diary and set up a spreadsheet to track my progress.
11. BENCH PRESS 70KG (154LBS) X 6 REPS
During the Crush it Til Christmas Challenge in December 23, I set myself a goal of increasing my Incline Dumbbell Press from 14kg to 20kg x 6 reps x 3 sets, and I did it!
I was so chuffed with this increase that I decided to go for a massive target this year with Bench Press.
My current best on the bench is 50kg, and I want to build my chest and increase my overall upper-body strength so this goal will be extremely tough.
When I plan to hit the goal: 31st December 2024. I definitely need the whole year for this one!
12. Achieve a full pancake stretch
There’s cardio, strength training, and nutrition, but I hear little of flexibility or mobility when it comes to health and fitness.
Yet, as a middle-aged man working hard to stay fit and strong for as long as possible, flexibility and mobility must be considered two pillars of good health.
I’ve tried and failed a few times to stay consistent with stretching. Occasionally, I stay consistent for a few days or a couple of weeks, but then I forget about it. Doh!
So this year, I will try really hard to perform a full pancake stretch. See the image below.
I will have to be incredibly consistent and persistent to achieve this goal, but there are loads of free training videos, so I just need to find a spare half hour to pick one, set aside some time each day to practice, and go for it.
When I plan to hit the goal: 31st December 2024. Again, I’ll definitely need the whole year for this one!
This is a pancake stretch. And this chap is definitely not me!!!
So that’s my list of 12 health and fitness goals to go for this year, and if I can smash them, I’ll be a very happy, fit and healthy 49-year-old man.
I’ll review these goals regularly throughout the year and report my success/failure at the end of 2024.