One month from my goal date.

Or rather my updated goal as originally I wanted to be in the jeans before 2012. But it didn’t happen so I set a new goal. But no more sliding dates! Here is my “S.M.A.R.T” goal.

Specific – Zoe-style, Mavi jeans size 28, bought April 19, 2011

Measurable – jeans on and feeling good

Attainable – I have the jeans in my closet

Realistic – this isn't just a 5 week effort but several months in the making 

Timely – one month from now – March 31st

To do it, I’ll have to continue to make healthy and enjoyable choices at the grocery store and in the kitchen and keep up the walking, dancing and kicking. 

And keep in mind what this is really about. It’s just a pair of jeans and fitting in them is not a measure of my happiness or worth.  And rather than keep looking back where I was when I first wore them I am instead going to look forward to the fun, and adventures that are ahead and where else I’ll take the jeans (not where they’ll take me). 

Problems with comments

It seems like quite a few bloggers are having trouble leaving and reading comments.  Thanks T for letting me know there's been a problem here as well.  

Truthful hips

Motivation

Well to get to goals, beyond a plan I need motivation/inspiration. First people help – fellow bloggers – you do, your comments and your posts.  Eeven if I don't always comment it's more my lack of creativity than appreciation. 

Secondly, sometimes motivation is as simple and doing/keeping my job (see work related goals below) but for others I need something more. I've come across the last couple of points/tabs/links lately and thought I'd pass them on.

This video makes me tear up every time – clip of Derek Redmond finishing the race at the Barcelona Olympics, despite injury.

Getting past excuses – not sure if this is original or from another source but good stuff in there. “It will never be: easy,perfect, the right time...”

A post about lessons lived, reflections following a memorial service 

And another bit of excitement for me – I just registered for a belly dance class...I am a huge fan of Shakira and floaty scarves and my belly (it's soft and round – like a pony or a cupcake). The class doesn't start until January so until then – I'll do some practicing with this bit of excitement and energy and truthful hips. 

Enjoy!

What are your favourite expressions, videos, pictures for motivation?

Goals down

• grocery shopping
• 1 shared meal
• confirmed entertainment for convocation ceremony
• confirm speaker 

Goals

What are yours?

As I asked earlier (why blog?) what is the purpose of writing a blog.  And for many it is to help the writer state and realize a goal. The goals are varied - some weight related, or physical measurements or race times or distances run, and some are reading lists or financial planning or health related or artisitic.   Some are a life's or month's to do list of activities and achievements. 

 I've seen some awesome lists go down "strike-through" font, bullet by bullet. And the satisfaction from them has got to keep us all going.

I know of some women who have a goal to get pregnant or become a surgeon or be a millionaire by age 40.   And maybe they aren't all going to be met, life happens, priorities change (stocks plummet), but I think there is something very intrinsic in our nature to set goals. To reach for what seems impossible sometimes.

And I think I need to get more concrete in my goals and how I'm going to get there.  I've been reading about goal setting and know the whole "SMART" goal trick (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) and so I'm going to do some additional revisions as I go along.  (the jeans are still waiting!)

So in the next week (7 days)- I will a mix of home and work

• buy a gym membership (no more weather excuses to not exercise)
• go grocery shopping (I've been slacking and eating out or making meals out of canned food regularly)
• 3 shared meals
• go to the farmer's market
• move blue dresser
• 7 sets (usually morning) exercises - leg and core
• confirm entertainment for convocation
• confirm speaker
• pick and prepare outfits for convocation and banquet
• find/arrange background music for banquet
• arrange two practices with valedictorian

I'll report on them next week.

 

So go on with your goal-setting, big dreaming, list makin, record-smashing selves.

Why blog?

This is my first blog, though I've been a reader of blogs for years – mostly artistic based blogs (a singer who posted as she recorded her first solo album, a writer getting feedback on chapters of a book she was writing) or travel blogs and then came some food blogs. And as you know there are tonnes out there – luv 'em (one of my faves)– so appreciate the recipes and pretty pictures and gosh food – luv it. And I commented from time to time but it still felt like a reader/audience relationship rather than a fair exchange. 

A friend of mine who knew that I wanted to get back into good habits and shape (and the jeans) encouraged me to start a blog as she had and we could support each other in this. And I took her up on it. I started in September and have not been a very regular blogger. Lately my work is mostly on the computer and so once I leave the office I prefer to not type another word.

 

Also I am still not sure of the tone and information (just about nutrition and fitness) or even if the design and structure is what I want to maintain. And I overthink before I write sometimes.

But, but, but the biggest reason I haven't been posting regularly is I haven't really committed (read walking the talk) to making changes. I say I'm too stressed, tired, achy, (lonely, bored,), busy to make the changes – changes that I know will alleviate the previous complaints (the lonely thing being that I get myself into a group activity). 

Not so smart. Anyone have a BB gun I can borrow to shoot myself in the foot while I'm at it?

And so I don't want to write...today nothing doing, tomorrow nothing doing. But I think that is one of the big reasons why people blog about fitness, health, weight-loss, finances, to be accountable, to record goals and plans and efforts towards those and to be accountable.  And it's keeping me at it - so thanks for all the comments and advice and for sharing your own efforts - keeps me motivated too.