Goals are powerful!
When I started my fitness journey I wasn’t sure that I would be able to stick with it and be successful. That is why I approached it with project management and data. I knew that would help improve my odds of success because it is how my brain works. This was an important goal to me and I wanted to be successful with it. I didn’t want to let myself get in my own way.
You know how the story ends and this week marked 100 weeks of staying committed to my fitness goals.
My life has changed so much through just 100 short weeks. As I have said again and again, this journey hasn’t just been about what I lost. It is even more about what I found. I found my voice, I found my confidence, I found a calling and I found me. I can’t wait to see what the next 100 weeks bring!
On a related note this morning marked 701 days of logging everything I put in my body. This was one of the most important contributors to my ultimate success because I gave me data. It helped me measure my daily performance. For you long-time followers you know the importance of measurement in my life. I am a believer that things that you can measure are things that you can manage. By measuring my daily food intake and my exercise I know that I am staying focused and staying on track.
After 700 days of being intentional about my health and fitness I can comfortably say that trusting it to autopilot is done. It isn’t hard to get fit and stay fit but it does require a commitment and discipline which means it has to be a priority. Clearly I have made my commitment to my fitness goals a priority in my life.
Anybody can make their dreams come true through five simple steps:
- Commit to a S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goal and decide to be successful.
- Build a plan that works for you – work with your natural tendencies and don’t try to follow somebody else’s plan.
- Measure progress every day. Literally every day and literally measure.
- Be prepared for things to change and go wrong and learn from those experiences.
- Don’t go it alone! Take partners who will help you and try to help others
That’s it. That’s how to be successful at making your dreams come true. You just have to commit to your goal and follow those steps every day.
Here are a couple of additional highlights from my week.
Saturday 5k with a twist
One of my goals this year was to run one race per month including two half marathons. So far I have done pretty well with that goal. But I hadn’t scheduled a race for May yet. That’s when I learned about a creative new blog and concept called the Just Me 5k.
Essentially the Just Me 5k embraces the fun of running, of setting goals and of participating in 5k races without any of the race day inconveniences. Things like getting up at 6a, waiting around in a crowd of people and such aren’t there. It is just you, your bib, your race and your victory complete with your medal.
This weekend I completed my race with the help of my very own Just Me 5k goodie bag including a custom bib. I ran my 5k at Indian Lake through the small town of Russell’s Point.
I am not going to tell my whole Just Me 5k story here today. But make sure to follow the Just Me 5k blog for an upcoming guest post with my story.
Operation Melt 5k
It’s official… the second annual Operation Melt Informal 5k is just a month away. We will be running on 6/15 at the Scioto Audubon park in the brewery district. See full details at OperationMelt.com/5k/.
The Operation Melt 5k started as the Operation Melt First Time 5k last year. I had decided that I wanted to celebrate the one-year anniversary of my fitness journey by running my first 5k. But I also decided that choosing a random 5k to sign up for just wasn’t consistent with how I was approaching my journey.
So I did it my way!
I hosted my own informal 5k at the Audubon park. A handful of my friends and supporters joined me and we all ran together. We didn’t have shirts, bibs, medals, security or anything, it was just a group of friends running together to celebrate fitness and goals. We also all made a donation to Central Community House and raised over $600 to support them.
I am definitely looking forward to doing it again this year and hope you will join me.
Thanks for reading… check back next week for more.
Last week’s stats (5/6-5/12):
Maintain avg. weight of 189-199 pounds: 199.9 lbs average
Run 10+ miles per week: 12.5 miles
Total walk/run miles: 39.9 miles
Weight training 2-3 times per week: 1 workout
One race per month: January, March, April, May races complete. June & July planned.
Continue to track & manage calories: 2,524 calories under budget
