Unfortunately, the current pandemic situation has either altered or halted the New Year’s resolution goals we set at the start of the year. However, as Chicago fitness clubs slowly reopen and return to a new normal, we can use this as an opportunity to set new, post-quarantine fitness goals.

A New Starting Point

Over 80% of people have had given up on their New Year’s fitness goals by March, right before the pandemic affected fitness centers. While some were still continuing their fitness routine at that time, the motivation to work on resolutions tends to disappear as the year goes on. After several months of the clubs being closed, we weren’t able to exercise in our typical fashion and some of us might have stopped altogether when quarantined at home. Thus, you may have felt like all your progress and momentum evaporated. And that’s ok. Now is your time to start again.

This pandemic may have changed what we were used to, but it also grants a new opportunity to assess our old fitness goals and to alter or create new ones. Don’t know where to start? Ask yourself, “What do I miss and how do I take advantage of life more after this is all over?”

Goals give us purpose. They give us an end result to work towards and drive us to work harder. Let’s view this as a new opportunity to start over. Now that the clubs are in the process of reopening again, we can create post-quarantine fitness goals or “post-quarantine resolutions” and treat this time as if it were the New Year all over again.

Being quarantined at home, you may have developed some bad habits such as unnecessary snacking and lack of physical activity. We need to get back to taking care of ourselves by exercising more and eating healthy. Let’s first develop a plan to tackle our new post-quarantine fitness goals.

Plan Your Post-Quarantine Fitness Goals

Now that we’re starting over, we’ll need a plan to accomplish our health and fitness goals. Just as we did with our New Year’s resolutions, we’ll need to create measurable parameters so we can track our progress. You could even just take your previous New Year’s plan and alter the timeline using this month as your starting point.

A good plan should follow the SMART methodology (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely). Your post-quarantine fitness goals that follow the SMART methodology might look like this: “I want to lose the quarantine 15 over three months.” This goal may seem basic but it checks all the boxes of the SMART methodology. It has a specific numeric weight loss target that’s easily measurable, relevant to the current situation, achievable in a healthy manner, and has a set timeline.

Take Action & Track Your Progress

You can’t make any progress if you don’t get out and take action! While we have limitations during Phase 3, we are still offering outdoor group classes and non-instructional supervised workouts so you can exercise the way you want. If you’re not quite ready to come back to the club, we’ll be here for you when you’re ready to return. In any case, we advise you to start out slow and ease your way back to a new routine. Before long, you’ll feel like your old self again.

Tracking your progress is important to see how far you’ve come and to see how far you have left to reach your post-quarantine fitness goals. If you need help with incremental tracking, we’ve created a weekly habit tracker and worksheet to make it easier. You can find the download link at the bottom of this blog.

Overcoming Setbacks

Account for setbacks in your plan, because they almost always happen. The true test of character is how you overcome them. We are navigating through challenging and unprecedented times where the “normal” we were used to might not return for quite some time. Success will come from finding motivation, mindfulness, taking action, and problem-solving whenever you encounter new challenges. Determine an alternative course of action if something doesn’t work out the way you thought. A well-thought-out plan will ensure you’ll see results in no time!

Struggling on your own? We’re here to help. Click the button below to download the Weekly Habit Tracker & Worksheet so you can accomplish your new Post-Quarantine Fitness Goals!