In a previous post close to the beginning of the year I stated I didn’t believe in resolutions and I gave my reasons. I do however, believe in goals. Goals are meant to be measurable and reachable. Many times we are unrealistic about our goals that they almost become wishes. Once a goal is made we should develop a plan and stick to it. It should also be flexible enough to adjust if things aren’t going the way they should. I made some goals at the beginning of the year. One of my goals was losing some added pounds. I have always done exercise but when I got married I just ate too much and wasn’t consistent with my exercise. I tried many different products to try to lose some pounds. I joined 24 hour fitness and I was able to go from 180 to 175. Then I decided to just do weight training at home. I gained almost 10 pounds. I thought it was all muscle, but it wasn’t so. At this point my wife and I decided to start watching our calories. We both used “Lose it” on our iphone to track our calories. I also started biking for about a half an hour a day. I did this for about three weeks then I decided I wanted to run. I started running 3 miles the first day and I have moved to an average of 5 miles a day, six days a week. I also do some light weight training. I keep track of my weight every day and I get tips and encouragement from people at Calorie Count. In fact here is what I wrote in my journal there:
“Last week I ran 10 miles in 1 hour and 52 mins. I feel proud of this accomplishment. It hasn’t been easy. I have experienced some physical ailments that I’ve never felt before. I am suffering from headaches on my right side but they are not too bad. My knee on my right leg tends to hurt but I have minimized the pain by putting a bandage around it. The neck area become stiff but I have been massaging it after each run. I am not fast but I am building resistance and slowly building speed. I’m enjoying this. This is the longest I’ve ran since I did cross-country in Jr. High. For a 38 year it’s not bad. My goal is to run a marathon but I want to be ready first. Next week I am going to work on passing the 10 miles. I will keep running 5 miles, five days a week and one day I’ll do a long run. I rest one day.
As far as my weight, I am getting closer to my goal of 175. My ultimate goal is 165 which where I should be. I sticking to my diet by keeping track of my calories intake using Lose It on my iphone. So far so good. This hasn’t been easy either. Many nights I feel hungry and I wake up hungry. I know thought, that eventually I will get used to it and this will become part of my life and won’t need to keep count of my calories.”
After eight weeks of keeping count of the calories I ingest and after five weeks of running these are my results. They are not surprising but I’ve made growth and I quite satisfied. But I press on. Oh, I forgot to mention a book I began reading: “Born to Run.” I recommend this book to anyone interested in running or who is interested in cultures. It deals with the Tahumaras in Mexico’s who are considered the best runners in the world. It’s more of a narrative about them and not so much a how to book on running.
As a note, I also say that my wife has lost at least 5 pounds by keeping track of her calories. She also has began running with me some days even thought she says she hates running. I also have to say that without her help, especially in the food area, I would not be making this progress. She makes sure that we all eat right. We measure and weigh food. We encourage each other. We are making a lifestyle change for the well-being of our family.
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