Goals and Habit

Goals
There is really no purpose in change if there isn't a goal.  My purpose is to permanently embrace a healthy lifestyle but how do I achieve that?  For me its about setting attainable concrete goals. That gets tough when you're not only trying become healthier but changing behaviors.    I am still constructing what I want to achieve but I have set some goals to keep me motivated as I move along the path.

My Goals
Drop 20 pounds by July:
I know, I know this is a goal of everyone and sounds likes a dietary goal but to me its concrete, achievable and will help me consciously change my behavior.

Run the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach Memorial day weekend:
This will help me achieve my first goal and bring me back to where I started.

Walk at work:
20 to 30 minutes a day get away from my desk and go for a walk.


Habit 
I am still reading "The Power of Habit" and am amazed at how often we do something without thinking about it.  Seemingly, our brains are on auto pilot most of the time...My trash can is a great example of this.  We moved it recently but I still go to the its old location to throw stuff away and am always surprised when its not there.  They key to habit and changing behavior lies somewhere in that matrix of thought

The Power of Habit

I am a very routined person and find that once I form a habit of consequence I struggle breaking that routine even when I know that I need to change I lie to myself.  I said in my first blog post "I am a very good liar especially to myself".  I have to find a way to break the power of the habit.

I was rolling through my twitter feed this morning and Smart Money had an article about changing your life.  The article is about a new book called "The Power of Habit".  Going to read it and hopefully share what I learn.

Here is a link to the article.
http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/strategies/how-to-change-your-life-1333405303250/

My Pillars of Wellness

My goal is to change the way I look and act towards food and drink to achieve overall wellness and sustain a healthy lifestyle. 

Eating Right
This is the easy part.  We all know what is good and bad for us and make conscious decisions and choices on food.  Believe it or not, I eat pretty healthy during the week but go balls to the wall crazy on the weekends which usually start with lunch on Friday and end sometime late Sunday night with an orgy of food and beer in between. If I can control that weekend gluttony I believe I can regain semblance of a healthy diet.

Drinking Less
This is the hard part.  I have developed a taste for Craft Beers.  I love them.  It is like drinking sweet nectar from the Gods.  It is almost like my addiction to chocolate a few years back but better.  I simply, simply have to stop drinking beer during the week.  I also have to stop drinking soooo much of it during the weekend.  It has become a part of my evenings and nice weekend days.  It is also very very expensive.  If you want to watch your money disappear start drinking Craft beer.  It also leads to very very poor food decisions.

Exercise
This is the sole reason I am not 400lbs right now.  I enjoy fitness.  For the time being though I am going to get back into running.  Over the last year I took time off from it and think that is one of reasons I have ballooned  in weight.  I stopped doing something I enjoyed.  I also plan on incorporating a steady supply of Yoga to supplement recovery and maintain some strength and flexibility in my body.

Sleep
I think this is too often overlooked.  Sleep is the key to wellness. Drinking as much beer as I have been I haven't been able to get a good deep  uninterrupted REM sleep in a while.  

Play
Play is important to our social well being as well it can provided some added exercise benefits and relief stress.  I plan on openly engaging my children in play and spend more time throwing the football with the neighbors.

These pillars will help me lay the ground work to understanding how to strive towards being healthy as lifestyle not a temporary solution to losing excess weight.

Last Supper

Enjoyed the day but had this blog in the back of my mind.

An April Fool Starts a New Year

An April Fool Starts a New Year

Day 1

Let me just say this,  I’m tired.  I ‘m tired of being tired, overweight and unhealthy.  I’m tired of looking in the mirror and being surprised at how old or out of shape I am.   I ‘m tired of the fluctuations in weight from year to year.  The forty pound swings from spring to winter to spring again have to stop.  I have to to change.  I not only have to change the way I eat food but I have to change the way I behave around it.

Towards, Memorial Day last year I was the healthiest and lightest I had been in some time thanks to a rigorous P90X diet and workout.  Today (45 lbs heavier) , I feel like I’m the farthest thing from that, swinging closer and closer to being unhealthy and out of control.   My motivation is lacking even though I know that I need to change direction.  I know that I am good at lying to myself yet I keep believing the lies.  I need to change and that is what this blog and my openness is all about.  This isn't about a diet or a fad it's about a change in my behavior towards food (beer included) and myself. For the three of you that have continued reading this far, this is about accountability to you.  As you read earlier, I am good at  lying to myself but I think I want to be honest to you.  I want to be held accountable for my actions and behaviors.  I want to make better choices.  



The goal?  Not totally sure yet.  Of course,  I want lose weight and la de da but I want to keep it off. I want to make life lasting healthy decisions about food and my behavior towards it.  I want to be educated and I want to pass that along and eventually motivate others to take this walk as well.  I have to find the path first.

This is a journey and I hope you check in from time to time because I intend to change and I want you to hold me accountable.