How to set realistic summer body goals

Posted 11 February 2025

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Everybody’s idea of the ‘perfect summer body’ is different – whatever that looks like for you, setting realistic fitness goals to help you along your fitness journey can make all the difference in keeping you motivated long-term.

It’s normal for many of us to begin to tire of tedious workouts and bland diets, and some people find they lose their enthusiasm as their lofty fitness goals seem to move further and further away.

So, how do you go about setting realistic summer body goals that are not only attainable but that you can implement to ensure they work for you long after summer has passed? Here are some of our favourite goal-setting tips:

Make it personal to you

Before you begin to set your summer body goals, you must remember that what works for someone else, might not necessarily work best for you. Whether you’re focusing on fat loss, gaining muscle, improving cardiovascular health or simply looking to be more active day to day, make sure the goals you’re setting are personal to you and your fitness journey.

Speak to a professional PT

Maybe you’re just starting out on your fitness journey and are feeling a little overwhelmed, or perhaps you’ve hit a plateau in your training or are struggling to find an exercise you enjoy. Speaking with a professional personal trainer (PT) can not only help you discover new ways to exercise, but it’s also a great way to keep yourself accountable, motivated and focused on your summer body goals – it’s like having your very own personal cheerleader who just so happens to be a fountain of fitness knowledge.

Choose workouts you actually enjoy

There’s no need to dread your workouts. Not everyone enjoys running or weightlifting, and forcing yourself to undergo workouts that you hate isn’t going to keep you motivated long-term. Boxing, tennis, swimming, dancing, yoga, or simply just taking a walk – the possibilities are endless. Finding something you actually look forward to and keeping your workouts interesting and varied will help you on your way to achieving your fitness goals.

Adopt healthy lifestyle changes over crash diets

Similar to your workouts, keeping your diet vibrant and exciting is a great way to make sure that the changes you make stick with you long-term. Crash diets may seem appealing for rapid weight loss, but they aren’t sustainable, and your body will often crave the nutrients it’s missing from a healthy, well-balanced diet. Don’t deprive yourself of the things you love – moderation is key!

Buy clothes that fit

Yes, we know this one seems obvious, yet so many of us are tempted to buy clothes and workout gear that we aspire to fit into, making it part of our goals to eventually be able to ‘zip up that dress’, or ‘slide into those jeans’. In truth, this can be super demoralising, especially if your body shape changes in unexpected ways as you progress through your fitness journey. Buy clothes that fit you now, clothes that make you feel confident as you look now and save your cash for a new outfit as an incentive for reaching your goals.

Set a plan of action

Whether you keep them in your head, save them as a note on your phone, write them down and stick them on your fridge, or discuss them with your PT, once you’ve decided on your goals, it’s time to go about deciding a plan of action to achieve them.

Remember, the best goals for someone else won’t necessarily be the best goals for you. Everyone is different, every body is different, and everyone’s idea of the perfect summer body is different – and that’s okay.

When setting out your goals, make sure they’re measurable, specific and time-bound. For example, simply saying “I want to be stronger” or “I want to be fitter” may be a great place to start, but what does strength and fitness look like for you? Instead, why not change that goal to something like “I want to be able to do 20 sit-ups in one minute”, or “I want to run 5K nonstop in 6 months’ time”. That way, you’re giving yourself a more structured focus, helping you to plan how you want to get there – starting small and gradually working your way towards your goal.

Be flexible

While specific goals are important, it’s also important to allow yourself to alter your goals as you progress along your fitness journey. A goal you originally set for yourself may turn out to be too tricky to maintain long-term, or you may find yourself wanting to change your fitness priorities as you learn more about your own capabilities. Check in with yourself regularly to see if you and your goals still align with one another and give yourself permission to make tweaks here and there if you need to.

Learn more today

If you’re inspired to use your love of fitness and nutrition to motivate others, we provide a range of personal training courses delivered by industry-leading instructors so you can learn to help others reach their goals.

Each year, we support more than 4,000 fitness fanatics to become expert PTs and we’re proud to be the go-to training provider for leading gyms across the UK.

All of our health and fitness courses have a super flexible approach, check them out here or speak to one of the team today to get started.