Goals, Workouts

Fitness goals for 2024 and new strength program

Grateful Kae

This title perhaps sounds grander than it really is, because I don’t have any crazy big goals for 2024. (I mean, I’m not trying to qualify for the Boston marathon like someone I know is! 😉 SO excited for her on this, by the way!)

My fitness main goals are:

1. Keep strength training regularly.

2. Do more cardio- aim for minimum of 3x/ week.

3. Try making that cardio = RUNNING for a while. Maybe for at least 6 months? I have so many blog friends that are runners that I guess it finally rubbed off on me a bit… what can I say. That, and I think I’m just in the mood to mix it up a bit.

4. Do morning workouts. I pondered this a lot in Mexico and came to the conclusion that the evening workout thing is just not really working. I never used to work out in the evenings- I typically would squeeze it in during my workday sometime. But in the last 1-2 years, my work schedule has become increasingly demanding. (More meetings, more deadlines, just a lot of changes, etc that have led to some decreased flexibility during working hours.) Add Charlie in the mix and workday workouts are currently pretty off the table.

Evening workouts kind of work in theory. Most days Asher is at swim practice in the 7-8:30 p.m. hour, so I could go then. Also, other people are home to be with Charlie at that time of day. But my motivation is usually waning by then- that’s pretty late after a long, busy day! I’d still go but wasn’t feeling super happy going (and not always giving my best effort). It’s also dark and cold out and was just feeling like a drag. (And then too often just not happening, which made me feel worse…).

Also, any time we had an evening event (e.g. an away soccer game, parent-teacher conferences, fill in the blank), then my workout would get bumped, naturally. If I wanted to go earlier in the evening, say, the 5:00 hour right after work…. well, then it got in the way of making dinner, which became an additional stressor. (What are we going to eat? Can I somehow quick make dinner on my lunch break? Or I’d try to pre-cook on Sunday or have leftovers certain nights… it just became this whole Thing that was super annoying.)

Mornings are a little tight, because I like to see the kids off (and Ethan leaves by 7 a.m.) Charlie needs a 15-20 minute walk, and I have to drive Asher to school at 7:30. BUT, I realized that with a little effort + planning (and giving up a little of my “morning quiet time…”), I could make it work.

Thinking it will be…

M- Run

T- Gym Lower

W- Gym Upper

Th- Run

F- Rest/ Yoga

S- Gym Lower

Sun- Gym Upper + Run!

So only 2 days in the gym during the workweek, which makes it more doable (I find getting dressed, ready, driving to the gym = more friction for me).

New Strength Program

I’ve also switched strength programs. I had been doing EmPowered Fitness workouts (the monthly group workout plans, 5x/ week) for a full year now.

I liked them, overall, but I was starting to get a little bored. After a while, some of the workouts started to seem really repetitive- to the point where I’d flip back to a different “Back/ Biceps” workout from several months ago, and one of the new workouts (that I just paid for….) would be the exact same as a previous one, with maybe ONE exercise subbed out for a different one. Just a lot of the same exercises in general.

It kind of made me feel like… I don’t know. Maybe she was kind of half-assing the plans a little bit? Like it was a bit of a money grab? It almost seemed like she just wanted to keep using the same handful of exercises she already had filmed for her exercise library or something. Maybe I’m totally off base, but it was just a vibe I started to get. (Even though like I said, I generally did like the workout style and overall I DO like her content.)

I decided to switch to Lift With Sohee for a bit though. I am a huge fan of Sohee Lee (now Sohee Carpenter) but have never actually tried her programs. I just know she’s super smart (about to get her PhD in Exercise Science from Stanford), very research based, has the most sweet and lovely personality (online, anyway!) and is a huge promoter of health over just appearance/ “being skinny”. (E.g. She won’t use “before and after” pics on her website to try to sell her programs, she promotes intuitive eating, is all about health education, etc.)

ALSO, her strength program looked really flexible. For the flat $23/month, you get one each of a 2, 3 or 4 day workout plan option per month. Then, for each of those, you can do either the Gym or Home version. THEN, on top of that, she also has a new “Turbo” option for each plan which can be done in just 30 minutes. (The regular workouts are 45-60 minutes long.) Each month you get a new set of all the plans. So many options, and I like that I can mix and match depending on what’s going on.

The workouts are very “compound move” focused (squat, deadlift, hip thrust, with other accessory moves too, of course) and emphasize overall strength and wellness. (The EmPowered workouts were kinda high on like, cable exercises, which I don’t love. And almost all the prescribed sets for every exercise were always just for “10 reps”, which seemed a little…questionable. Nothing wrong with always doing 10 reps exactly, but it just didn’t seem like overly thoughtful, deliberate, scientific programming.)

Finally, I think the 4 days versus the 5 days per week will fit in my life better (especially if I want to incorporate running). If I somehow go hog wild and eventually want to, I don’t know, run a race! or something nuts, I could always drop down to just 2-3 days of strength, etc. too.

We’ll see what I think! It’s only like $20/month and no ongoing commitment, so if it’s not a great fit, no harm done.

And those are my fitness goals!

2 days in, going well. Haha. I ran early yesterday morning! 3 miles ✅ I felt ecstatic all day knowing that my workout was already DONE for the day and I had the whole evening free.

Today was supposed to be early gym…. but we had a snowstorm. So I ended up going on lunch break since the boys were home to watch Charlie. I did my first Lift With Sohee workout (Lower) and liked it! Tomorrow- Upper Body gym day! (early!)

What are your fitness goals for 2024?

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for watching Charlie zoom around in the snow. 🙂

25 thoughts on “Fitness goals for 2024 and new strength program”

  1. Almost identical to yours which made me smile!
    Continue strength training but add 2-3 hours of zone 2 cardio and 2-3 high intensity finishers.
    I also committed to going back to running but from q2. I live in London so it’s still dark when I exercise in q1 and I like to run outside but in the daylight. I’m a very slow runner indeed but would like to get my 5k time to nearer 30 minutes.
    I do my own strength programming so added some specific goals here – to move up 2kg on the dumbells, increase pull ups etc.
    I think trialling a new morning routine is a good idea. I hope it works out well for you.

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    1. Oh yay, we’re fitness goal twins! 🙂 The morning darkness is an issue here, too. I do not like running in the dark particularly, especially when it’s cold. However, running in the 6:00 darkness feels very different to me (from a safety standpoint) versus the 4:30-5 am hour I used to attempt back when I worked in the hospital (before a 7 am shift). In the 6:00 hour there are many more people out, leaving for work, walking dogs, etc. But I still don’t love it and chose a route that was basically a really boring loop over and over on a very well lit street- with nice sidewalks.

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  2. Yes, getting to the gym is definitely a hurdle to cross. Only 2 workdays a week makes things a lot easier.

    Right now I’m craving cardio so I’m going for it. I’m just doing very basic strength work and focusing some very specific areas like pushups and hanging on the pull up bar. I know what you mean about the running bloggers having an influence…I’m a burned out ex-runner but maybe, and only maybe I might flirt with running again later this year.

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    1. I consider myself an “ex-runner” too! I did a marathon and I think 4? half marathons, and then basically called it quits. This was over 10 years ago now though. I really generally don’t love cardio- never have- but when I’m in the right frame of mind, I do find it satisfying, too. I think I’ll just continue to dabble in it and see where it leads! Maybe it will lead me right back to the gym and the weight room, lol. Or maybe not! 😉 I agree with you consistency is key and it’s best to just do SOMETHING- whatever it is that sounds good to you right now.

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  3. This is amazing, as always, Kae. It can be so hard to shift our habits (i.e. morning vs. evening workouts), but I think you’ll really appreciate how your schedule opens up when you do.

    My fitness goal for January is gentle cardio (10-3-30 or a short treadmill run) and a daily yoga video. I think in Feb I want to do some of the strength-training videos that Suzanne suggested, and maybe do another month-long yoga challenge?

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    1. I’m excited for you and how dedicated you’ve been to your new fitness goals! They seem so intentional and practical. I feel like many people (probably myself included) are prone to making very lofty goals that are not always realistic. I think your gentle cardio/daily yoga is very doable and sounds enjoyable for you. If I saw you list “hard core strength training 5x/ week” on your goals list, I’d fly up and stage an intervention. 😉

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  4. Way to do an honest evaluation of your schedule to see how things would fit in and switching to mornings. I would have to get up even earlier if I wanted to do morning workouts and I’m just unwilling to budge on sleep, so I have to fit it in between when I get home from work/walk the dog and start dinner. It’s not idea, but I don’t have kids in activities, so it works most of the time. And when it doesn’t, I just try to go with the flow.

    Anyway, these are fun goals. My goals are just to do something, anything most of the time. LOL. It’s not specific, but it’s about as good as I can make it!

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    1. Yes, it’s the darn kids/husband/ family/dog that screw up my routine! Haha. Definitely would be easier to squeeze in other times if I weren’t so often tethered to other people’s routines and needs. I think the morning window, while a little challenging to adapt to, may ultimately relieve some of the pressure and complications I’ve been dealing with. Sort of an “eat the frog” mentality- if I get it done first thing, then I don’t have to worry about something popping up and derailing my plans.

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  5. I’m so glad this new switch it working for you so far! And I’m guessing you don’t have to be fully ready/presentable for a bit in the morning so you don’t have to get up super super early to fit workout in? I’m WFH for 2 weeks while our office goes through a restack from 3 floors to 2. It’s 1,000 x’s easier to fit workouts in when I don’t need to be fully ready by like 6:30 am so we can all leave the house at 7. I’ve been working out after taking Paul to school (Phil takes Taco as it’s on his way to work downtown). I haven’t had early client meetings either so I can shower and then wait to blowdry my hair when I have some downtime in my schedule – or I can wet it curly and let it air dry. So I will enjoy this while it lasts! And then go back to jamming 4 workouts into F-M when I’m back in the office 3 days/week.

    I don’t really have any specific fitness goals for 2024, though. I just want to really try to get 4 workouts in each week, and maybe try to add a 5th one if I can leave a 3:30 one day/week when I’m in the office and can use the gym in our office. While you are getting into running, I’m taking a step back as I don’t love running in the winter/cold. So I am focusing on finishing the Caroline Girvan workout program – I’m on workout 34 of 50 and have done 8 of those workouts in the last 10 days so I will really zoom through alot of the workouts while I’m WFM and then I’ll be back to only being able to do 4/week.

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    1. Well, I don’t necessarily have to be presentable first thing, but I have some leeway on my start time. What’s been working well is to jump online for a little bit first thing when I get up- email check, anything pressing, etc. BEFORE I go to the gym/ run and then do the whole kids to school routine. After I drop Asher at 7:30, I go home and shower then, feed Charlie, etc. So I may not log back on to work until more like 8:30, sometimes even 9. But if I don’t have to worry about trying to go to the gym in the evening, then many days it’s not a problem for me to work until 5 or so. Then I can either run kids places or make dinner from 5-6, which is around when Ivan usually gets home and the earliest we’d typically eat dinner.

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      1. Yes that is basically what I am doing when I WFH. I get the kids ready/drop Paul at school and am back home by 7:15. Then I check emails/put out potential fires, do my workout, check in on work again, then shower, then work more if I don’t need to be presentable for a call, and then blow dry my hair when I have an open window of time. That kind of flexibility is GOLDEN and what I miss about WFH full time! But at least I can WFH 2 days/week. It’s better than 0. But I think my ideal schedule would be 2 office days. But it is NOT happening.

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      1. I have an accountability buddy and I send her a FB message every time I complete a workout. I don’t think it’s overboard – it gives me a boost to get it done!

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  7. My favorite platform, Peloton Digital, raised my price from $12.99/month unlimited to $24 unlimited. I was like, I don’t really want to pay this, but I love it so much, so it helps to know the platforms you are using cost comparatively. I have my favorite trainers and can do 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 min strength workouts, choosing the body part, so it’s easy to do in my basement where the weights are. If I need a stretch, it’s there. If I need a nighttime meditation to sleep, it’s there. Maybe I will buy less coffee this year to amend the budget.

    I want to walk 30 minutes every day, strength train when I can, and healthwise, I’m going in for the 1st mammogram in the spring and colonoscopy in the fall.

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    1. In my perfect world, I would totally still have a streaming platform like that, too! You know I used Beachbody for a while, and it seems Peloton has become the new popular platform nowadays. I really loved having the option to just pop on one of MANY different videos- especially loved the shorter length options and the stretching videos! But I can’t really justify paying for one when I really prefer doing most of my strength in the gym with access to the heavier weights, barbells, racks, etc. (And, I already pay for strength programming… which I could also probably just write myself, but I like not having to think about it. Oh, and I already pay for the gym membership…).

      I do sometimes wish I still had a platform though for those super busy days, or bad weather, etc!!! There’s a ton of great content out there, I am sure. (That’s a steep sudden increase though from $12 to 24! I’m sure it’s well worth it, but still. Jeesh!)

      Your goals sound awesome! Love the 30 minute daily walks!!

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  8. I had never heard of Sohee before, but the program you describe sounds really great. And I like it when there’s more of a focus on feeling strong and capable than on losing weight. I will definitely check it out!

    Your commitment to going to the gym is so admirable. I have just never been able to make it work.

    One of my goals is to get back into a routine. My exercising has been so sporadic that I don’t think it’s doing anything helpful. So far, I’m not succeeding but the year is young!

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    1. YESSSSS. I feel super strongly that consistency is the name of the game. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or every day, but just consistent. Maybe make a rule that you “won’t miss twice”? Then it allows you the flexibility to miss a day as needed…. but just once. The next day, back at it. 😉 Also, maybe try aiming lower! Like don’t aim for 5-6 workouts a week. Just say you’re going to do, I don’t know, TWO every week for the next 2 months before you even try to add more. Or whatever works for you!

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  9. love seeing you adding running to your routine. I guess you have too many blogger friends who are into running. hahahah… hope the morning routine works out for you. Let us know how you like Sohee program.

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  11. Yay! This all sound great. As you know, I’m a big fan of working out in the morning. It just feels so good to go about the rest of your day, knowing it’s done. And, yay for running! It’s just such a quick and efficient way to get your cardio in (even if you don’t really love the feel of it.) And, getting to the gym two workdays a week sounds reasonable.
    I’ll be interested to hear how you like the new strength program. I need to start doing some more organized strength training- not right now, but after my race in February. Maybe I’ll check this one out if you like it.

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  13. I love that you made a plan! I totally get that evening workouts – while easy to plan out in theory – are so much harder to stick to because there’s always that can happen during the day to thwart your plans. Getting back to morning routine can be hard, but in the end it’ll be worth it. I am excited you’re giving running another go 🙂

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