Setting new goals

Reading my Facebook feed today, it would appear that this is a day to look back on what I've done this year and set goals for the future.

I've never been good with resolutions set for resolutions' sake. I'm not a fan of them, generally speaking, and so I'm making an effort to not set grand yearly goals. Instead, I'm looking at smaller pictures, the sort I'll need to stay on the long-term fitness plan I've begun.

In November, I logged 11.2mi on the treadmill. December recorded 21.2mi.

So, goal number one: Put in 30mi on the treadmill in January.

This means I'll need to stop concentrating on speed, which was a huge burden on my developing legs, and start concentrating on longevity. Probably a good idea.

I've been skipping the weights lately, in favor of cardio. I don't like being at the gym for more than an hour in the evenings, since I work until 6pm and need to get home at a reasonable time. But I need to start finding time for my weights. It's too important.

Things brings me to goal number two: Put in two extra sessions per week to work on weights.

I can put in a long session on weekends to get it done, I can go in before work, or I can run to the gym on lunch to hit my major muscle groups. However I get it done is fine. I just need to get it done. Two times per week.

October 13, I weighed in at 238. November 27, I weighed in at 228. Yesterday, the number was 224. This month was disappointing, yet totally and utterly normal. It's taken me three weeks to accept that fact. I learned, through this disappointment, that the process is the important part. Numbers are secondary.

So instead of setting silly, depressing goals in pounds, I have goal number three: Stay faithful to my food plan every day.

Some days, I'll slip up. There will be days when I choose chocolate for a snack, and there will be many more days when I reach for carbonated drinks. But I will log what I do, I will pay attention, and I won't fool myself into thinking it doesn't matter. It all matters.

There's a difference between accepting my mistakes and pretending I never made them in the first place. If I want to succeed, I need to remember the difference.

So there are my three goals, for now: 30mi on the treadmill in January, two days a week on weights, and keep logging the foods I eat every day.

By the end of the month, I hope to have made tremendous gains over December. Today was a much-appreciated day off from the gym. Can't wait to get back in there tomorrow and start on the new goals!