Each year I like to review my fitness goals for the prior year and set new ones for the upcoming year. Doing these reviews helps to keep me focused and on track. As people like to say, you achieve the results you measure.
My goals for last year were centered around working out, walking, and diet. These have been the areas of focus for the last 3 years, and I plan to continue these into 2021. As you’ll see below, the COVID pandemic impacted my goals for last year, and I’m still figuring out how to adjust my goals for 2021 based on the challenges of the continued lock-downs and closures.
Let’s get into it by looking back on 2020 and then ahead into 2021.
2020 Goals
Working out
My 2020 goal was to log 183 days at the gym. I was on track through the first week of March having logged 40 out of a possible 48 days. Then, the lock-downs started in California. My local gym was closed until June, opened temporarily, then closed for good at the end of July. I tried to replace my IRL gym work outs with YouTube video work outs. While it wasn’t quite the same, it was a suitable alternative. I did pretty good April – August, working out most days, but got away from it as the year wore on. I’m going to need a plan to make these video work outs more of a regular routine going forward, at least until I get my gym situation resolved.
Walking
My goal for last year was to walk 700 miles. Since I didn’t do much travel last year, I exceeded it and walked 784 miles.
I also decided to start running in June of last year to replace the cardio routine I used to do at the gym. I ended up running 130 miles, which is by far the most I’ve run in a year, surpassing the amount I ran in preparation for my one and only 10K at the end of 2015.
Overall, I logged 922 miles of cardio activity, which included a 2 mile hike in January and a 6 mile bike ride in July. So, while the pandemic kept me from achieving my work out goals, it helped me crush my walking/activity goal.
Diet
While it shouldn’t have mattered, I let the pandemic impact my diet goals for last year. Truthfully, it was a poor excuse for not sticking to the plan.
My goal was to do 16 24-hour fasts and 4 48-hours fasts. I did 3 24-hour fasts and 1 48-hour fast through March, and then stopped tracking it after that. I fast intermittently for 14-18 hours on a daily basis, but I’d like to incorporate longer fasting periods. I want try it at regular intervals to see if I experience the benefits I’ve read about in books such as The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Fung.
I also broke another diet rule during the second half of last year. I started eating bread again, with one caveat. It has to be bread that I make with my own sourdough starter. Although I’m eating more bread, I’m still aware of the amount and type of carbohydrates I consume. I consider it a reduce carbohydrate diet as opposed to a no-carb diet.
2021 Goals
Since we’re still dealing with the pandemic, at least for the foreseeable future, I’ve had to make some adjustments to my goals for the upcoming year.
Working out
I’m not going to set any measurable goals for working out this year. What I need to do this year is identify a new routine that I can commit to consistently. My intuition tells me that it will be some sort of YouTube video work out, although I’d like to incorporate some of the all-body weight work outs I used to do at the gym.
Bottom line, 2021 is going to be a transition year for working out. Hopefully, by the end of year, I’ll have a routine that won’t depend on having a gym membership.
Activity – walking, running, hiking, and biking
The goal for 2021 is to log 1,000 miles of physical activity. I suspect that the vast majority will be walking, where I have a goal of 700+ miles for the year. The remainder will be primarily running. The hiking and biking will fill-in the gaps. The more of these I’m able to do during the year, the better the chance I’ll break the 1,000 mile barrier.
Diet (fasting)
I’ve attempted to fast for longer intervals on a regular basis for the past two years without success. I’m not going to set fasting goals for 2021, but I still want to incorporate several 24 hour fasts and one or two 48 hour fasts during the year. I’d like to see how my body responds both physically and mentally to determine if it is something I should continue doing.
Otherwise, I am going to continue intermittent fasting and my reduced carbohydrate diet. I’m also going to continue eating bread provided I make it. I am enjoying not only the taste of my homemade bread but also the process of making it, which my family can attest to given the amount of time I’ve spent in the kitchen lately.
2020 wasn’t my best fitness year due to the misses on the work out and diet fronts, but it wasn’t a total wash out. I’ll need to make some changes in 2021 to account for continued restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Therefore, 2021 is going to be a transition year. Fitness will continue to be a focal point, but I need to come up with routines and goals that I can achieve irregardless of the pandemic. In other words, no more excuses!