Setting goals are great motivators for all parts of life: Hawaiian getaways, job promotions, or retirement plans. Weight loss goals are no different; however, if your dream is to lose 20 pounds by your high school reunion, watching the millimeters melt off versus the inches you had hoped to lose can be infuriating. It’s time for a new perspective.
Instead of basing your goal on a number of pounds to lose, flip the spectrum and focus on getting–and more importantly, staying–healthy! Exercising regularly should be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. If it’s going to work for life, you better start seeking things you enjoy. Enter the Fitness Bucket List. We’ve pulled together 101 inspirational ideas to get you active, moving, and excited. Find a few that work for you and set a plan to make them happen. You’ll be shocked at how it retrains your brain!
Water
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Ride a wave on a surfboard.
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Catch some air on a kiteboard.
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Open-water swim a major body of water, such as the Great Hudson River or around the Statue of Liberty.
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Get your scuba diving license.
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Swim with dolphins.
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Paddleboard in the ocean.
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Row a canoe in the Boundary Waters.
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Eskimo roll a kayak.
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Tame Class III rapids in a whitewater raft.
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Complete a non-cannonball or belly flop dive off of a diving board.
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Dive the Great Barrier Reef.
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Raft an endangered river.
Yoga
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Complete a Bikram class without resting.
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Do a wall-free headstand.
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Balance in crow pose.
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Master the firefly.
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Become a certified yoga instructor.
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Try a laughter yoga class.
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Establish a daily yoga practice.
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Meditate for 15 minutes a day.
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Take a partner yoga class with a friend or loved one.
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Find your breath during a moment of high anxiety.
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Go on a yoga retreat.
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If you are high energy, practice yin yoga to find calm. If you are low, practice Kundalini to awaken your energy.
Running
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Join or start a running team.
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Run a 5k or 10k for charity.
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Run a marathon.
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Train for an Ironman.
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Beat your fastest sprint time.
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Compete in a triathlon.
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Trail run in another country.
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Run a race in every state.
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Compete in a Tough Mudder.
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Take on a new hue with a Color Run.
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Run with the bulls (but be careful!).
Bodyweight Exercises
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Do a one-handed push-up.
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Do a handstand push-up against a wall.
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Hold a one-handed handstand against a wall.
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Complete a no-support handstand.
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Walk on your hands for 20 yards.
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Do a pull up.
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Do a muscle up.
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Complete 100 burpees without stopping.
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Do ten clap push-ups in a row.
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String 25 double-under rope jumps together.
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Do a bridge starting from a standing position.
Biking
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Ditch the commute and bike to work instead.
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Cross the finish line of a 100-mile race.
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Bike across your state.
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Bike across the country.
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Go on a biking tour of Italy.
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Add a basket to your bike, and ride your groceries home.
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Test drive different bike styles: road, mountain, hybrid, dirt, etc.
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Track your biking miles, and each month try to beat the previous distance.
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Do a group night ride.
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Partner up with a buddy and go the distance on a tandem bike.
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Learn to ride a unicycle.
Mountain
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Train to hike a major trail, such as the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail.
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Ski single for an entire day.
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Sleep while hanging from the side of a mountain.
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Go hang gliding and feel like a bird in flight.
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Enter a slalom ski race.
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Snowboard in a half pipe.
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Go sledding in the Himalayan Mountains.
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Hike to the top of a volcano.
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Try bouldering (rock climbing without ropes).
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Mountain bike in the French Alps.
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Learn to telemark ski (also called “free-heel” skiing).
Weight Training
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Learn proper form of the Olympic Lifts: the clean and jerk, and snatch.
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Squat your body weight.
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Bench press 50 percent of your body weight.
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Compete in a weightlifting competition.
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Squat and throw a medicine ball overhead to a point on the wall 10 feet up 100 times without stopping.
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Lunge walk with 20-pound dumbbells in each hand the length of a basketball court and back without stopping.
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Deadlift one-and-a-half times your bodyweight.
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Curl more weight than your best guy friend.
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Military press 50 percent of your body weight.
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Compete in a fitness competition.
Adventure
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Climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower.
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Fly on a trapeze.
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Climb on an indoor rock wall and rappel down.
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Hike the Grand Canyon.
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Make a sailboat voyage.
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Go ice climbing.
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Take a walking Safari.
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Bungee jump at Victoria Falls.
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Go zorbing in New Zealand.
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Backpack across Europe.
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Camp in the Alaskan Wilderness.
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Zip-line through the rain forest.
Classes
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Box away a bad day at a sparring class.
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Try the Brazilian martial art called capoeira.
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Hang from a fabric trapeze in an aerial yoga class.
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Gain fast feet in a tap dancing class.
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Grab some friends for a group bootcamp.
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Travel to India in your own hometown with a Bollywood Dance class.
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Teach a Zumba class.
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Hula hoop your way to a better body.
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Try a trapeze dance class.
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Belly up to the bar…er, barre, in a ballet-inspired fitness class.
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Learn how to Tango in Argentina.
You may not be able to complete some–or possibly all–of the tasks provided without some pre-training. The idea is to set a goal so that the regular exercise you do has a purpose–i.e.,no more feeling like a hamster on a wheel. Focus your efforts toward increasing strength, stamina, endurance, and mental fortitude as they relate to items on your personal bucket list, and you’ll be on your way to checking things off in no time.
What top three ideas on your bucket list are you most excited to start working toward?
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Carrie Anton is a freelance writer focusing on health, fitness, and sports. She's been published in Self, Women's Health, Oxygen, and Maximum Fitness.
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