We are nine days into the New Year and I’ve been reading a lot about various resolutions, intentions, promises, etc that folks are making. I want to eat better. I want to go to yoga more often. I want to run farther. I want to finish a marathon. I want to lose weight.
I set a bit of a mini-goal/challenge for myself this year – run 14 days straight? Get it? It’s a bit cheesy, but I really wanted to get myself focused again on running this year and making the time for it. I think a lot of the time I will go out on a run without even appreciating it, or the time it takes and the space it gives me to really think about whatever I want. That is a beautiful thing in a world where we are constantly being distracted.
But let’s also talk about those BIGGER goals, the kind that we really think about at the start of a New Year. Generally, I would say that having goals is a good thing. They are marks by which we measure progress. But what happens when things start to go awry? Do you give up on the goal? I have found that to be the most challenging part of goal-setting: what happens when things don’t go according to the plan? Setting a goal and making it happen are two totally different things, in my experience.
What is my experience? Let me be honest with you. I am not overweight. I am not underweight. But for a long time I have not eaten well. It started when I worked an overnight job, and basically made an agreement with myself that because my work hours were so screwy I could eat whatever I wanted. That didn’t work out so well. This is when I started making some modest changes to my diet, and running.
Since then I’ve lost a little bit of weight and I’ve improved as a runner. But I know I could do better. I love, love, love a good burger and fries. I also have trouble saying no to a chocolate chip cookie. Even if I say I’ll only eat half – I usually end up eating the other half and then another cookie. This is not good.
So I wanted to make some changes. I want to be a better runner and that means putting some good fuel into my body. I hope to lose some weight in the process. Not because I NEED to. I don’t. I want to. I don’t want my belt to cut into my tummy. It does. But I also don’t want to feel that brick in my tummy from the burrito I HAD TO HAVE, or the chocolate chip cookie I felt I deserved after my day took a nose dive. Those things are great in moderation, but I need to recalibrate my moderation.
I bought myself a fitbit, and I’m going to be cataloguing everything I eat via MyFitnessPal. I’ve heard great things about doing this from dieticians, to friends. It’s not going to be easy, especially for this picky eater. But change is never easy right?
Do you have any resolutions for the New Year?
Have you ever set a fitness or nutrition goal?
Tell me about it/them in the comments!
Fit For The Finish Line 