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:
- 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.
- 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.**
- 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.
- 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!
