Set 'em high!

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” -Zig Ziglar

I am a special educator. Goals are my life. I set goals for all of my students and then figure out how to reach those goals, creating short-term objectives that are components of or baby-steps toward reaching the overarching goal. These goals and objectives are specific, clear, and measurable so that it is understood exactly what needs to happen to be successful (There's a little SpEd 101 for you...you're welcome). ;-) If I have seen the benefits of these goals day in and day out with my students, why haven't I created specific, measurable goals for myself? As my friend Heather would say, "Duh, silly!"

I cannot promise that these goals won't change along my journey, as my journey has changed so much already. (But thankfully, if they do, I won't have to hold an IEP meeting and write an amendment)! I'm not much of a "lose 15 pounds" goal girl. That's all good, but how would I go about doing that?  I cannot "do" lose 15 pounds. What can I do? Anyway, this is a start:

1. Keep a food journal and document EVERYTHING. I have an app for this and am usually good about  inputting my information...until I blow it and eat three pieces of pizza or a blizzard. It's time to get over it. If I overeat and my calorie count goes into the red, I need to see that and deal with it. 
2. Exercise at least five days per week. No excuses...even a little something is better than nothing. I feel like objectives will come out of this one such as weights or reps. I already know I really want to be able to do a pull up! **On a side note, although this will probably be a post someday, buddies help!! My friend Sam and I did Insanity together. Would I have stuck with it on my own with Shaun T looking all cute and me looking a complete and total passing-out mess? Probably not. Get someone like Sam--someone who will encourage you and tell you you're doing great, even when you can't do a girl pushup and burpees bring you to tears.**
3. Drink water. My eventual goal is 83.5 oz per day (appropriate for my age, weight, and activity level). However, I'm starting with a goal of 50 oz per day and moving forward from there. Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
4. Eat real food. Get away from fast foods and processed foods. I'm not sure how to make this measurable yet, but I'm working on it. I have read that a good balance is 80% whole foods and 20% splurge, but I assure you I'm not going to tally what I eat to create a percentage...well...come to think of it, that sounds like something I would do. I'll have to think on that!

There we have it: four starter goals for the journey to a better, healthier me! What about you? What are your goals? How are you going to get where you want to be? I'll continue to use this word, but it's a 'journey'. Join me for the ride...no wait!  The run!