Day 13: Setting Goals

Day 13:  03-14-2013

I stepped on the scale this morning just for giggles and discovered that I am much closer to my first goal than I thought.  Time kinda flies when you stay busy and start to feel well.  This got me contemplating the idea of goals.  Setting goals for myself is relatively new.  I have goals for my students and children, but I've never really set goals for me.  I really needed to move beyond the "get fit" or "get healthy" nonsense.   Those are goals.  I mean, what does get fit or get healthy even mean.

Have you ever tried aiming at target when you couldn't even find it?  Me neither, so I set about determining some very specific, measurable things that I wanted to accomplish for myself.  What I discovered is that my goals were huge.  I started this blog at 246.  I want to weigh 185.  Huge.  I started not being able to finish a consecutive mile.  I want to run a 1/2 marathon.  Huge.  I want to complete the p90x program.  I can barely do 3 push-ups.  Huge.  And no more sleep apnea!  Huge.

I found this to be quite overwhelming.  I can quit.  Not bother.  Surrender.  Take the easy way out.  Or I can manage my goals a little bit at a time.  I can take steps to the top rather than expect to leap there.  I broke my goals up into three categories that I felt would help me reach my ultimate target:  food goals, movement goals, and weight goals.

My weight  goals have been set in 10 pound increments.  First up:  235.  I should be hitting that in the next day or two based on this mornings flirtation with the scale.

My food goals were quite simple.  Replace one meal a day with a salad.  Done. I've been consistent for almost two weeks now.  I even ate my salad for lunch today while the rest of my staff enjoyed boss pizza.  I also aim for at least 70% of my dinner calories come from whole plant based foods.  Very often, it's closer to 90%.  I am feeling so much better after a mere 13 days.

My movement goal was a little bit different.  I set it at a minimum.  I have a busy schedule.  I teach.  I have 4 kids.  I have a life time of excuses.  I figure if I have a reasonable minimum workout schedule then I will be able to be flexible without feeling like I am about to quit.  My initial goal was to achieve a minimum of 30 minutes of intense movement  4 days a week.  I have honestly been moving 40 minutes a day, 6 days a week.  I have had to force myself to take Wednesday's off lest I overdo it.    

I look forward to posting tomorrow in hopes that my food and movement goals (both met today) will make my weight goal happen tomorrow before my spring break actually begins.

13 days of madness gone,
blindly forward,
I no longer stumble on...



Today's Stats:

Food:
Breakfast:  Smoothie of Awesomeness
Lunch:  Amazing Salad of Greatness
Dinner:  A sort of goulash made with brown rice, black beans, olives, bell peppers, tomato sauce and seasoning.
Snack:  Fuji Apple

Movement:
Workout:   Walk/Run Intervalsun
Type:  walk 1 minute, run 2:30 min
Time:  42:00 min
Distance:  4.01 miles