The Health & Fitness Goals Ruba Ali Wants You To Chase In 2025

Sweat’s newest trainer Ruba Ali knows a thing or two about setting health and fitness goals that help you show up for yourself and feel your best. After all, her approach to wellbeing is about embracing feel-good fitness and nourishing yourself - inside and out. 

Her first Sweat program, Thrive with Ruba Ali, lands in the Sweat app on 6 January and has been designed to help you step into the most empowered and energised version of yourself in six weeks. Alongside three weekly workouts that focus on functional strength training, Ruba encourages you to include weekly walks in nature and any of your go-to wellbeing rituals that recharge and elevate your energy. 

After experiencing burnout and taking a much-needed break from the industry and the fitness routine that was no longer serving her, Thrive is all about how Ruba now chooses to include fitness in her day. It’s about working out for your body. For your mind. For you. 

Journaling and moments of self-examination are a huge part of Ruba’s own wellbeing practice. Before you decide on your goals and intentions for 2025, why not grab a pen and piece of paper or open up the Notes app and work through the self-reflection questions she keeps coming back to. 

So, what are the New Year goals Ruba wants you to chase? And what does it feel like to truly Thrive? 

Focus on your energy and enjoy the journey 

Ruba’s mantra, “where focus goes, energy flows”, is what centres and drives her. This mantra is all about where you’re choosing to focus your intention and mindset at the start of the day and leading a life of purpose.  

“If you’re focusing on your internal or outer world, that’s where the energy goes. I’ve been working on bringing that energy back to myself,” she says. “When we give so much to everyone else we become depleted and lose sight of our goals. When you become better, you can be better to others.” 

And as far as she’s concerned, one of the most powerful goals you can set for yourself is to enjoy the journey, taking each day (and workout) as it comes. Because how you feel during those individual Sweat sessions is so much more important than how you’ll feel at the end of the program.  

“Try to enjoy the journey now, not when you hit the goal or lose the weight or build the muscle. Your journey is going to constantly evolve,” says Ruba. “Why wait to be happy? Why wait to feel excited? Embrace where you are and the journey you’re on and don’t chase a destination. Chase the journey. It’s going to take you in different directions with ups and downs, but it’s your journey and you have to own it.”

Make it your mission to improve how you feel

Ruba knows that while aesthetic goals are what many women are chasing, stepping into your best self is about so much more than how you look. She’s experienced the disconnect that can come with looking fit and strong but not feeling that way.

“I was looking the part, but I definitely wasn’t feeling the part,” she says of the period before she burnt out. “I looked very strong and athletic but I was neglecting my emotional and spiritual wellbeing… when it came to things that challenged me on an emotional level I would break down quite quickly.”

“I don’t think there’s a problem with having aesthetic goals, but I don’t think they should be the priority,” she explains, and strongly believes that every workout can be so much more than just a workout. “I think the priority should be to look after your mental and emotional wellbeing, regulate your emotions and understand yourself. It’s ok if you don’t have that now, you can always develop it and shift your philosophy as I have.”

Today, Ruba uses fitness as a powerful tool to help develop her mind-body connection and she knows that when you take the time to nourish your mind, body and soul, the changes won’t always be visible to others, but you’ll feel the transformation within. 

“There was a lot of mental, emotional and spiritual work that I had to do, and the most beautiful work that you do for yourself is not always seen. No one could really see it, but I felt the transformation.” 

She wants to encourage every woman training with her to prioritise their mental and emotional wellbeing alongside their physical training. 

“When you don’t want to show up but do, when you don’t want to do those last reps but do, that is developing mental and emotional resilience because you’re working with your mind and emotions to do things even when you really don’t feel like doing them,” she says. “You carry those skills into your life. Fitness is more than just working out, but you have to view it that way.”

Let your fitness routine be an opportunity to rewrite your internal dialogue, care for your body, tune out the world and tune into you.

Aim for longevity through balance 

Ruba has spent the past year prioritising a more balanced lifestyle and says this shift in her approach was essential for her overall wellbeing and shapes how she defines success for herself today. Today, fitness is part of her life, not her whole life. 

“I define progress and success by living a balanced life that is aligned with my morals and principles. It’s about living in accordance with who you are and being very authentic,” she shared. 

“I think at times we step away from ourselves by listening to everything we’re told we need to be. I’ve been there. I’ve been through every single phase in my fitness journey and what I’ve learned is that the most sustainable way to achieve your goals is to follow a very simple and balanced approach that looks after our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. I think I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’ve created that routine for myself and hopefully now for others.”  

Nourish your mind, body and soul 

Workouts aside, Ruba’s approach to wellness is all about keeping it simple with elements of softness. 

“Eat good food. Eat healthily. Eat in moderation. You don’t have to track your calories. Just have an understanding of what you're putting into your body. Set some time aside to rest your mind and recover. It really is that simple.”

Embrace self-care practices that make you feel like your best self, whether that’s listening to podcasts, reading books, spending time with loved ones, getting outdoors or journalling. Ruba believes it’s all about prioritising the wellbeing rituals that help you Thrive. 

“One thing you can do for your mind is meditation, reading or listening to a podcast. For your body, it’s all about what you’re putting into your body and making time for movement. For your soul focus on spirituality. Maybe it’s prayer, maybe it’s through community or spending time with your family.” 

Spending time outside is also a non-negotiable for Ruba and something she wants to encourage those following her program to include. 

“Usually one day I’ll go to the gym and then the second day I’ll spend in nature,” says Ruba. “Nature is really important for us.”

Prioritise consistency, not intensity 

We know progress is more important than perfection and as Ruba says, you should be aiming for consistency over intensity. 

“When we commit to small daily habits, we create a life that is more abundant, rather than just doing something once in a while,” she says. “You feel better when you show up for yourself regularly, even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day. When you do what you said you were going to do, whether it’s a 10-minute walk or a 10-minute workout, you will feel so much better about yourself. That’s how you build confidence. When you commit to a short workout three times a week, the energy and the momentum you carry throughout your day is far greater than the one day you work out for one hour.”

“Progress and consistency are far more important than perfection because it’s all about the habits we do on a day-to-day basis that determine who we are and the quality of our lives,” Ruba elaborates. 

2025 is your time to Thrive 

Thrive with Ruba Ali will be available exclusively in the Sweat app on 6 January 2025. Are you ready to make these health and fitness goals a reality with Ruba by your side?