Tuesday 12 May 2015

Setting Goals That Don't Involve Drinking

When I recommitted to living a healthier life last July I very naively thought that I'd be able to find time to commit to the gym during Project Launch Have-No-Life. Like a sweet minor niner on their first day of High School, I saw rainbows and puppies and unicorns when I envisioned the free time I'd having during the project launch.

Okay, I knew that I'd be busy but I wasn't expecting 10 hour days every day plus going in on the weekends. Could I have still found time to visit the gym during my time off? Possibly, but it would have come at the expense of sleep and eating. Seeing as those are two activities that prevent me from yelling at coworkers... not going to happen.

Me without food and sleep.

Since January, the intention to get back into it has been there, but between injuring my shoulder (reinjured it rolling over in bed. IN BED! Ugh, seriously!), unexpected work projects and the simple "I don't want to and you can't make me" attitude, gym attendance has been intermittent. (That's being polite.)

To help with the motivation, I starting thinking of why I wanted to be healthier and drop some weight. Currently, this list only exists in my head and I should probably write it down somewhere so guess what you get to read!


1. Tanzania - I am heading back to Tanzania next year and getting around there is just easier when you're smaller. Daladalas (local transport) are cramped, there are no elevators in any of the buildings, it's easier to walk in the villages because the roads make for very bumpy rides, there is no delivery when you're too tired to cook, and it can get downright stinking hot.

2. Become a member of the 501st - I first learned about the 501st Legion about 5 years ago and it's been my desire to join them since them. Yes, they're the bad guys in the Star Wars trilogy, but these storm troopers do much more good in their communities than harm. While weight-loss is not a requirement to join, the fitted parts of the costume would be a lot more comfortable without the added belly underneath. Also, by all accounts, it can be incredibly hot once you're all decked out. Like the heat in Tanzania, it easier to deal with this fact when you've got less blubber on your body.

3. Chilkoot Trail/Mt. Meru - Fuelled by my stepdad's stories of hiking it and a love for Robert Service poems, I have dreamt of doing the Chilkoot Trail since I was a young child. It is something that will be on my bucket list until the day I die, but wouldn't it be nice to cross it off before then? To recite 'the Quitter' to myself as I do?

As for Mt. Meru, it is 'my' mountain in Tanzania. I don't know if it will be next year's trip (due to time) but some day I will stand on its summit and watch the sun rise over Kilimanjaro. Not going to lie, I will probably cry.

Some day!

4. My saxophone doesn't sit right - I am a member of my High School Alumni Band - Band Geek 4 Life! - and thanks to the large rolls around my midriff, I can't put my saxophone in proper resting position. By next year's Mother's Day concert, I don't want to be dealing with this issue. (Feel free to mock me for being a member of my Alumni Band. Goodness, I mock myself enough for it.)

My only concern about these reasons is that the closest one time-wise is a year away. I plan to sit down (again) and set some monthly and end-of-year goals to help keep me on track. However, when I'm fighting myself about going to the gym, I have this list to pull out and look at for motivation.

Question: How do you keep yourself motivated on your goals, whether weight-related or other? 

4 comments:

  1. As you know, I'm on the fitness train again, too. I'm only two weeks in but so far I've found that logging everything - food, water, workouts - is working for me. I'm finding it satisfying to fill in the calendar with all my walks and workouts and I use a free app for my food/water. Also helpful for me is splitting my exercise for the day into chunks. 30 min walk at lunch, 30 min on the way home and then 20-30mins strength training most days. I'll be doing my measurements again tomorrow (first time since I started and I plan to take them every 2 weeks). Hopefully I'll see at least a little change and that will help motivate me, too (although I'll try to not let it derail me if there has been no change!).

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    1. My mom saw you walking home the other day, by the way. You are off to a great start. Here's to motivating each other :)

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  2. I keep myself motivated by setting short term goals. Frankly losing 50lbs sounds overwhelming but losing 5 seems totally doable! Ditto for travel - I like planning things I can look forward to on the short term!

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    1. I've set a couple of the short term goals. Looking at it in the bite sizes really does make it seem much more doable. Get to this number, then get to this number, etc. Maybe you should plan a short-term trip to Victoria with Danielle again? ;)

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