Apr

2

April Goals - 213lbs, Marathon Training, Better Eating

Filed Under Monthly Update | Leave a Comment

My March goals were:

  • 215lbs - I didn’t quite make it last month, so I’m hoping to do it this month.  I want to see a whole week in which my morning weigh in is under 215lbs.
  • Marathon Training - I am starting my training for the Maui marathon on the 8th.  I have a detailed training plan that a friend worked up for me and I want to make sure I follow it.
  • Higher Weights - I also want to improve my weight training this month by increasing the weight I use on at least 4 different exercises.  That means I’m going to pick one exercise a week and increase the weight.
  • Better Eating - Along with the no candy on weekdays rule, I want to make an effort to avoid buffets.  These are my weakness as I love food so much that I usually keep eating it even if I’m full.  I want to see if I can go a whole month without buffets.

So how did I do on these goals?

215 lbs

I wanted to have a whole week where the scale showed 215lbs or below.  I almost got that.  The entire last week of March the scale was showing 213’s and 214’s, but one day it showed a 215.2 or so.  By the way, I don’t normally weight myself everyday but this was specific to achieving this goal.  I’m going to count this goal is 90% successful.  I clearly came very close although I didn’t quite achieve my success criteria.  Still, I’m close enough to move on to the next weight goal.

Marathon Training

Marathon training is going great.  I’m up to running 8+ miles on the weekend.  The only bad part is that I’m going to have to find a different marathon since it turns out the Maui marathon I signed is on the same weekend is my grad school sessions.  School being a higher priority, I’m planning to sign up for a different marathon at about the same time.

Higher Weights

Mission accomplished.  I increased the weights I use on three different exercises and also increased the number of push ups I do.

Better Eating

I managed to avoid all buffets with the exception of one dinner with my wife.  Even that one went well since I limited myself to one plate and no desserts.  However, I did have some issues with candy when, this being Easter season, a lot of people brought chocolates in to work and social gatherings.  My will power failed me and I did overindulge.

GOALS FOR APRIL

  • 213lbs - I want to see one whole week in which that scale says 213lbs or below.
  • Marathon Training - Continue marathon training.
  • Better Eating - Back to basics, less candy and keep up the “no buffets” rule.

###

What are your goals for the month of April?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Mar

3

March Goals - 215lbs, Marathon Training, Higher Weights, Better Eating

Filed Under Eating Healthy, Exercise, Monthly Update | 4 Comments

Back at the beginning of February, I laid out a few goals for myself.  I like to do this sort of thing on a regular basis since it helps me focus on what I need to do.  Those goals were:

  • Get to 215 lbs
  • Up my running speed to 6.4 mph when on the treadmill
  • Stop eating candy on weekdays

215lbs Goal

I  came close but did not quite achieve this one.  I am currently hovering around 216lbs.  However, I saw a steady decline in weight over the past month, which is encouraging.  Remember, weight should not be the sole indicator of your health.  However, if you combine it with a few other goals and measurements, it can give you a good idea of how you’re doing.

6.4 mph Running Speed

This one went well.  I slowly increased my running speed and I can now run at a steady 6.4mph for 40 minutes.

No Candy On Weekdays

This one also went pretty well although I wasn’t 100% perfect.  Still, I managed to cut down my candy consumption by a rather large amount, which makes me quite happy.

GOALS FOR MARCH

This month, I would like to accomplish the following:

  • 215lbs - I didn’t quite make it last month, so I’m hoping to do it this month.  I want to see a whole week in which my morning weigh in is under 215lbs.
  • Marathon Training - I am starting my training for the Maui marathon on the 8th.  I have a detailed training plan that a friend worked up for me and I want to make sure I follow it.
  • Higher Weights - I also want to improve my weight training this month by increasing the weight I use on at least 4 different exercises.  That means I’m going to pick one exercise a week and increase the weight.
  • Better Eating - Along with the no candy on weekdays rule, I want to make an effort to avoid buffets.  These are my weakness as I love food so much that I usually keep eating it even if I’m full.  I want to see if I can go a whole month without buffets.

###

What are your health goals for the month of March?  If you only have some nebulous goal such as “I want to get healthier” you may find yourself at a loss on how to take that first step.  Take a few minutes to write up some specific goals you want to accomplish this month and then write down exactly how you plan to accomplish them.  It’s a quick little productivity exercise that will make your life a lot easier.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Feb

4

February Goals - Training Plan, 215lbs, 6.4mph and Candy On the Weekends

Filed Under Eating Healthy, Exercise, Monthly Update | 4 Comments

This year, I have two overall goals when it comes to my health. The first is to reach 200lbs. I’ve been stuck in the 215 to 220 range for the past year or so and I really want to lose these last 20lbs. My second goal is to prep for my marathon, which is coming up in September. As a way of working towards both of these goals, I’ve come up with a series of monthly goals that will help me judge my progress and motivate myself.

Monthly goals are nice because they’re immediate and easy to measure. It’s much easier to put something into perspective when it has to happen within the next few weeks as opposed to the next year. I’ve thought about weekly goals but a week is simply too short of a time period for any really useful physical goals. Also, I’m going to be review these monthly goals on 60 in 3 at the end of every month. I’ll go over how I did last month and what I plan to do this month. This is partly to provide you all with some useful information but a lot of it is also a form of motivation for myself. By making these goals public, I’m more likely to follow up on them. My goal for last month was to quit caffeine and this weekend I was completely caffeine free, so it’s time to work on bigger things.

215lbs

My weight goal for the month is 215 lbs. This should be doable relatively easily. My weight already fluctuates in this range from day to day but I want to see me break through this weight range and see at least two consistent days under 215lbs by the end of the month. In order to do this, I’m going to do the following:

Candy On The Weekends

As some of you know, I have a big sweet tooth. I love candy and especially chocolate. If I look at my diet, sweets are a category of food where I can save some calories without skipping any essential nutrients. I usually have at least one candy bar per day and, while my eating plan is designed to compensate for this fact, I think it’s time I got rid of this bad habit. I don’t intend to deprive myself of candy completely, but I will not eat any sweets on weekdays. Chocolate and other candy will be a weekend treat only.

6.4 mph

I usually run at 6.3 mph. This month, I’m going to up that to 6.4mph. I plan to slowly increase my running speed as part of my training for the Hawaii marathon.

Training Plan

I’m also planning to sit down with a friend, who’s a personal trainer, and come up with a marathon training plan. I know a lot about fitness but I also recognize my own limitations. I don’t know enough about training for long endurance events and I don’t want to risk injuries or over training. So I’m going to talk to an expert, someone who trains people for these sorts of events and has done some herself. That will give me a detailed training plan which I intend to start on March.

###

That’s all, four quick goals. One of them is a bit vague (215lbs) since it includes no specific method to achieve it, but the other three are very specific so it all works out. What are your health goals for the month?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!