Friday, May 13, 2011

these words

I eluded to this a bit {the day before} yesterday, but I think I need to get my thoughts on this topic out of my head and onto a place where I can process them and see them.  goal setting.

I suck at making goals.  how do I know this?  well, I don't often complete my goals.  as far as I can see, it has more to do with my creation of a good or smart goal than anything else.  and really, it's not that I suck at writing up a good goal - I do this professionally all the time.  it's part of what I do for my kids on a term to term basis.  in fact, I write two goals, each with three objectives, for each of my students.  then I monitor their progress.  so why can't I do this on a personal level?  yeah.  good question.  so this is what I've been exploring the last few days.  I want to lose weight.  I want to walk a half marathon.  I want to pay off a credit card.  I want.  I want.  I want.  but I never really make a plan, and definitely never talk about the plan.  I have become who I've been told I am.   but oddly enough, it's not really who I am.

so at almost 39 years old, I am going to actively work to change this.  and strangely enough, this half marathon + no sugar dealy thing are the two things that are going to change a few things.  I am tired.  tired of giving up on myself.  and as I tell my kids at school, I am the only person with the power to change my behaviour, even if it's 30+ years of bad-habit-bad-self-talk behaviour.  what does have to do with goal setting?  for me, everything.  it's time to set some good/smart goals.  and it's time to just decide that all my energy is going towards achieving them.

the goal:
1.  it is 8 weeks until my birthday.  I want to be down 10 pounds by my birthday.  that is a little over a pound a week.  and down 10 from where I am now puts me over my elusive psychological hump.  the number on the scale that I don't EVER recall seeing in my adult life.

the plan:
a)  follow my walking schedule like it's no ones business.  do my long walks with my mom & sister and do my short walks {unless the weather is awful} so that I get my kms on my shoes.  on the days when john is working nights, I will do my workout dvd - it's not walking, but it's exercise.

b)  continue eating clean, following weight watchers and eating little to no sugar.  this past week I've had very little sugar and the sugar I did have was either accidental or natural {honey, agave, etc}.  when I keep this up at about the 90-95% level, my belly feels MUCH better and I have more energy.  I have not been so regimental about my carbs this time around, but I am being conscious of them and it's helping my bloaty-belly-icky-gassy-gross thing that apparently I've been living with WAY too long and only realized how awful that was when it was gone.  I don't want that back.  {and here in lies a big part of my motivation with this eating style...life's too short to feel this icky all the time}  part of this is also cutting back my alcohol intake.  one glass of wine is good enough.  john and I don't need to finish the bottle.

the goal:
2.  it is 14 weeks until the half marathon.  I want to be down 25 pounds by then.  and I want to do it in 3 hours {the half, not the losing weight!!}

the plan:
a)  follow the walking schedule religiously {same as above!}
b)  continue with eating clean {same as above!}
c)  reward myself with a really cute lululemon hoodie that I saw today.

bottom line is:  if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  clean eating, cutting out booze, walking half marathons - these all take a lot of hard work and planning.  so I guess I'll be showing up at the party with my salad or quinoa and perhaps I'll have a bit less margarita.  and that's okay.  for once, I'm realizing that I'm worth it.  and that I can do this.

2 comments:

lyssa said...

Goal setting - I avoid it too often! So good to get it out and on "paper", now you have accountability and structure. So go for it! You can do it!

Anonymous said...

LOVE the plan and the reward and that you mentioned quinoa mmmmm. AND that you're not cutting out wine entirely. :) Yes. That is important.

ps: My brain goes "huh?" every time I see kms. Just saying.