The last day of the year is when most of us reflect on the past 365 days and make plans to ace the upcoming year. In 2021, I decided not to have any New Year's resolutions, while last year, I chose a weird mix of activities to complete in the year ahead. In 2024, I'm looking to get inspired by my colleagues, who, it turns out, all have solid plans on how to improve their health and fitness in the next 12 months.
One might think that a group of people dedicated to bringing you the best lifestyle tech content on the internet would not be interested in fitness all that much, but the reality is that under the surface, almost all members of the T3 team harbour an active person that's planning to be even more involved in 2024.
Our fitness New Year's resolutions revolve around doing more of the exercises we enjoy doing the most, as well as doubling down on implementing healthier lifestyles. If you still haven't decided on how to get fit in 2024, read on to find out what the T3 team will do next year to stay healthy. Who knows, you might find the motivation you're looking for below...
Bryony Firth-Bernard, Active Writer
Our resident fitness junkie, Bryony, is always on the lookout for new challenges. When she isn't in the gym doing farmer's carries or other exercises, you'll find her crushing her opponents at Hyrox competitions. Although she likes to set smaller goals to avoid disappointment – 'big' fitness resolutions can feel intimidating in her experience – Bryony's got big plans for 2024!
"Now that I'm back to weightlifting, I'm keen to get my squat and deadlift back to 100kg, and I'd love it if I could military press 50kg above my head," she explains, "Having completed my first HYROX this year, I'm also keen to keep running every other week, as I may do another in 2024. Plus, I'm on a mission to prove you can run and be strong! A Tough Mudder would also be cool, as would hitting 7,000 steps daily and doing mobility religiously twice a week. So, you know, just a few goals!"
Bethan Girdler-Maslen, Home Editor
You might know Beth as the absolute authority in the best cheap mattress deals; what you might not know is that she's a keen exerciser and probably the person who does the most running in the T3 team! In 2024, she would like to push herself even more by increasing her mileage.
"My fitness resolution for 2024 is to continue running as much as I can," she says, "I love running, but had to take a small break in late 2023 after getting bad shin splints in my leg. I realised very quickly that running is my favourite form of exercise, and it makes me feel better both physically and mentally, so I'm prioritising it again this year."
But wait, there is more! Beth plans to run every single day (yes, really!) in January, and she also wants to sign up for a few races throughout the year to keep her focused. "I'll also be doing Dry January, and I want to try a new fitness-related hobby this year, like boxing or spinning."
Andrew Sansom, Tech Writer
Andy is T3's resident streaming expert. He watched every movie and series on every streaming service, which requires a lot of time, as you might expect. But he isn't the kind of guy who will sit around idly when the movie's ended. In fact, he's after Arnold Schwarzenegger's gains in 2024!
"I'm a regular gym goer, but also very much a casual one," Andy admits, "I mainly do cardio to burn off excess energy, and for my sanity, I don't want to look like Arnie, but It would be cool to start doing some more targeted exercises and perhaps one day have abs!"
He goes on: "Granted, I'll also need to eat less chocolate, but doing crunches would be a good place to start. It was a while ago that I had knee reconstruction surgery (after doing my ACL), but I'd also like to ease the discomfort more by working on my legs. 2024 is the year of gains and no pains!"
Matt Kollat, Active Editor
I've done quite a lot of running in the past 18 months (ran the London Marathon twice and also completed the Mongol 100 on foot), but I'm planning on doing even more of the good stuff in 2024. My plan is to run 1,000 miles over the next 12 months, which might sound a lot, but if you break it down, it's around 20 miles a week – not at all undoable.
I got really into strength training during the pandemic, but stopped pumping iron when I moved house last year due to the lack of space at home for my home gym. Now that I made some space in th garage for the bench, rack and weights, I can't wait to pack on some of that muscle back on I shed since I stopped working out!
Mat Gallagher, Editor-in-Chief
Mat's a massive fan of iFit workouts; he's basically inseparable from his trusty NordicTrack treadmill. After many years of pounding the running belt, he says he's ready to transition into the weirdly-wonderful world of mass-participation races next year. Next stop, London Marathon 2024?
"I try and run at least four times a week on my treadmill but still haven't made the move to competitive races," he confesses, "In 2024, I aim to up my distances and work in more outdoor sessions to run a 10K or a half marathon later in the year. I'm not setting myself any time goals just yet, but I know I'm competitive once in a crowd, so I know it will push me to beat my normal pace."
Mike Lowe, Tech Editor
Mike is a big traveller, both physically and virtually. You'll either find him on a plane headed to Asia or on his bike devouring the miles in Watopia, Zwift's digital world for cyclists. As well as improving his pedalling power in 2024, Mike also wants to focus on improving his upper body.
"My fitness goals for 2024 are twofold," he begins, "Firstly, having put on lots of unwanted excess in 2023, I need to up my cycling game again with more time in the saddle to get my FTP (functional threshold power) back up above 300W – something indoor trainers are especially good at assisting with."
Once he made himself comfortable on the saddle, Mike will move on to phase two: "With the winter months exacerbating joint pain in my once-operated-on shoulder, I'm looking to explore upper body workouts to gain strength and improve positioning." Lucky for him, we have tons of upper-body workout content on T3!
Marc Chacksfield, Content Director (ShortList / T3)
Last but not least, content director Marc is ready to embrace his fit side in 2024: "I spent the first half of 2023 putting on weight (through my own tardiness) and the second half managing to shift around two stone by getting my butt to the gym and watching what I eat."
As well as getting fitter physically, Marc is on a mission to integrate fitness into his lifestyle more. "For the first time in a long time, fitness doesn't feel like a fad for me but is now a big part of my daily routine," he says, "I want this to continue into 2024. So, the New Year for me is all about maintaining the weight I currently am, escaping the gym and doing more exercise outdoors."
