Friday, February 16, 2018

2018 Goals Part 2: Lose More Weight and Become Stronger and Fitter Than Ever Before in the Process



As discussed in a previous post, I officially lost 32.6 pounds last year. It didn’t end up being quite as much as I had planned or hoped for (62.8 total to be exact), but I’m still proud of the amount because I stayed the course throughout most of the year, even with some significant changes to my life. It does still leave me with 30.2 pounds to lose, though, so it’s time to re-commit to proper diet and exercise habits. 

This brings us to #2 on my goal list: lose the rest of the weight I would like to drop, and become stronger and fitter than ever before in the process. I think this goal is easier for me to discuss and understand than the first one. I have a couple of main issues when it comes to losing weight. First, I just plain love food, especially when it’s accompanied by a good craft beer or glass of wine. I’m a major foodie. If I’m consider going on vacation, the first thing I look up is best restaurants in the host city. When I’m going to go to a restaurant, I pull up the pdf menu so I can narrow down my choices to two or three before I get there. Then there’s my grocery bill. Most likely more than it should be for a person living alone. The good news is I have no problem eating foods considered healthy. I truly enjoy them. I just need to discipline myself a bit more and eat a healthy, balance diet at least the majority of the time. We’ll call it 90% J Hey, if you deprive yourself completely, it’s so much easier to fail long-term.

Secondly, I’m a bored eater. If nothing else is going on, I want to reach for something crunchy or something sweet. Or whatever food is leftover in the breakroom after the executive meetings at work. At home, I’m sure I can distract myself with some sort of hobby now that I’m starting to get settled into my new place. Work is actually the place I find this most difficult. The stretches where I’ve finished all of my duties, but I still have some time to fill. We do have reviews coming up, so hopefully I will be able to take on some new responsibilities around there. Or maybe once I feel confident enough, I’ll put myself back on the market. I have an MBA. I should be making more anyway. 

Working out usually isn’t an issue. Cardio is the easiest for me because that’s where I’ve seen the most results up to this point. The main thing with performing cardio exercises is to do it often enough to build up stamina, but continue to challenge yourself. Interval training has personally helped me with this.

The strength training part is what I’m not always sure how to do. I’ve considered hiring a personal trainer to give me guidance in technique (basically to make sure I’m not doing specific exercises wrong), but trainers are not cheap. Let’s be honest, though, I haven’t made it a priority either. Being on my budget and trying to re-buy so many things for my new apartment is part of that, but I’ve also bought tickets to a couple of concerts and I’m planning a 5-day vacation to Toronto, so it’s not a real excuse. For now, I will try my best to get some good advice from alternative resources, like YouTube or specific training sites. Good resources are out there if you’re willing to look. And realistically, many strengthening exercises can be easily done at home, taking little money and effort to perform. Options, like yoga, push-ups, squats, and wall-sits don’t even take special equipment. 

Mainly, I need to make an effort to do some form of physical activity daily. Exercising always gets easier once spring and summer kick in for good, so that’s something to look forward to. There are certainly more options to take part in outdoor activities. I’m really looking forward to doing a lot of hiking this year.

Gaining all of the weight I did was a huge blow to my self-esteem. I definitely think we should be happy with ourselves without needing to attain near perfection, but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to feel like yourself, whatever you think that may be. I don’t quite feel like myself right now, and wanting to look fit and strong may not be everything in life, but it will help me feel my best as I toil along while achieving my goals. That’s so much more important than the number on the scale, which merely offers a specific goal to reach.

I think I’m well on my way as soon as I fully commit to this process again. I’ve done it before, so I know I can do it again.

No comments: