Remembering Why & Setting Goals
Progress toward a goal as big as "lifetime health and fitness" can feel very slow and tedious. There are days that turn to weeks when the scale doesn't change and clothes feel just as tight as they did the month before. Those days have caused thousands of people like me to put our hopes on the back burner where they eventually become unimportant and forgotten.
Somewhere down the line, something shakes or reminds us why our goal was important in the first place. Then the commitment gets made again, we put forward a genuine effort, success starts to appear until results start to stall, and the cycle of hope and disappointment repeats itself again.
I've been on that roller-coaster ride on several occasions. But this time is different. Even though I've gone through a stretch where my progress reversed and I gained some weight, I've never forgotten why I made the commitment in the first place - wanting my grandchildren to have the chance to know and experience their paternal grandpa. That's something that wasn't possible for me and didn't happen for my children. This is about changing that pattern by extending my life. Now that's a goal a person doesn't forget.
Today, my seventh grandchild, Jason Gabriel Cunningham, left the hospital for the first time. He's three months old but he was born three months premature. He has accomplished a lot in his short life and today he went home to meet his big brother, Evan. I'm looking forward to meeting him soon, and want to get to know him as he grows up and lives his life.
Something I've discovered about myself is that remembering why and setting "smilestones" for near-term success can make a difference. Last week, three of those goals we're accomplished - one million steps, 2000 floors, and 500 miles. I lost a couple pounds too.
And the journey continues. For seven very good reasons!
March Goals:
Exercise: 100,000 steps per week: Check! 119,000+ for the week
Weight: 279 pounds (or less): Progress - Down 2.9 pounds for the week
Weight: Record and track all food eaten: Check! Recorded pretty much everything.
Weight: Drink 32 oz of water per day: No Progress - Still hovering around 20 oz
Sleep: 6 hours 15 min per night: Sort of - Only met goal last week by including two 7+ hour nights. Didn't get 6 hours of sleep on any of the work nights.
March 9, 2014
