My Journey With Health And Fitness – Starting The New Year

As I mentioned I was taking Saturday off from writing my blog as we were arriving in Mexico on Friday and I knew we would be busy. I had also taken a few days off from working out which I had planned. I know taking a week off (along with eating more than usual and definitely consuming more alcohol than I should) is not going to destroy me. I had given myself a break with the understanding that today I am back at it full tilt.

I did manage on Sunday to get out for some walking which was a bit interesting. Firstly, I had set off at 7am which is still pretty dark. I had come prepared and went out wearing an awesome hi-vis vest which has flashing LED lights, trust me I could be well seen. The problem was it is not exactly warm here in the mornings and I didn’t bring any sort of walking jacket. I suffered through it for 2 hours but still got in lots of steps. This morning it was slightly warmer but not much made worse by the fact I hit the road at 6am hence I have now made arrangements to have a jacket brought down here to me with my friend who is arriving on Thursday. I should note that after I did a 2 hour walk first thing today, I then did an hour online bootcamp class. Moreover, my husband and I plan to do an hour walk after lunch (I’m fairly sure it will not be a walk at a pace that I am used to).

But the New Year has arrived and that means everyone seems to be scrambling trying to get their resolutions in place. Now first of all I don’t believe in setting resolutions about what a better person I will be this year, how I will be kinder and more forgiving, etc. Let’s be honest, those never work out the way we intend. I also don’t believe in setting myself up for unrealistic goals and then suffering the disappointment when I don’t achieve them. Sure, I can tell myself I am not going to drink, that I will be at 120lbs when I get home from Mexico or maybe that I’ll be back to running every day. Sorry, none of those things are going to happen.

Instead I am opting to set small weekly goals. This week I’m doing the easy one, exercise here like I normally would at home. I say easy because I know I can put in at least 3 hours a day, 6 days a week without it interfering with work I am doing while I am here or the social schedule we have. Goal 2 this week is to go back to diligently logging all of my calories (really, it was only the last week or so I let that slip). Goal 3 is to limit alcohol (note I say limit and not eliminate because hey, I’m in Mexico meaning tequila is often involved). The final goal is only eating out 1 day a week (likely Saturday).

Yes that is 4 goals for the week which may seem like an awful lot but to me they are all ones that I know I can attain. Next week I will mainly keep these same goals (I say mainly because I know there will be one celebration day next week) and then add one more such as doing a 5 k run at least 3 times (made easier by the current weather). If I accomplish that then I’ll come up with another one for the following week but cognizant that I want it to be something I can achieve.

So pick some small goals for this week and then when you accomplish then slowly add to the list. Most important, praise yourself when you accomplish your goals. I find that congratulating myself helps me to keep on track.