Determining goals

The first "Looker" challenge:

Let's Know Where We Are So We Know Where to Go.

So where am I? And where do I want to go?

I am currently a laptop/internet/TV junkie who needs to clean up her act. That is true of many parts of my life but my health/body is getting top billing right now. My weight is the highest it has ever been - 225 pounds. That is a lot to carry around on my 5'2" frame. It must change.

So where do I want to go in the next 8 weeks?

I want to set attainable goals so my desires have to be fairly simple to start. I want to improve my stamina, elevate my eating and lower my body weight. Sounds simple right? Yeah not so much. Apparently those are lofty goals. So I need to define them better.

Improve stamina - I want to be able to walk for 30 minutes at a 15 minute mile pace. That means that I should be able to walk to the kids' school and back in 30 minutes. I can't do that right now so I have to get moving.

Elevate my eating - I want to increase my fruit and vegetable intake from the one to two a day I get now to 4 to 5 a day by the end of the challenge. As this is summertime, that should not be hard, well except for the fact that the weather we are having here in the PNW is preventing me from planting my garden.

Lower my body weight - This is the biggie. This is the one that matters. This is the one that is hardest to do. So while I want to set some wild number as my goal, I must be realistic. A realistic goal for me is 1 pound a week so I am going to set my goal for 8 pounds over the next 8 weeks.

My biggest issue tends to be impulse purchases at the store. A candy bar here, a box of Mike and Ikes there, oh a stop at the deli won't hurt. So I need to plan better. A menu and shopping list before going to the store. A side benefit of that would be a savings in cash as well. Plan outings to avoid meal times or plan and pack accordingly. Summer is a busy time for our family so all of these little things will help me help myself and my family be better on track.

Sarah, one of the unofficial leaders of our merry band of girth reducers, ended her post with the following:

You'll often hear Elaine and I talk about "eating our frog" .. Mark
Twain asked if you had to eat a live frog every day, would you put it
off and spend the whole day dreading it? Or would you gulp it down at
the first opportunity so you'd have the rest of your day? EAT YOUR
FROG.

So my frog is before me. For today it is getting up and getting moving. I am doing that by cleaning house to start with. No I mean literally, no figuratively. I need to clean house. Do you have any idea how many calories you can burn cleaning a filthy house like I have? There is picking up and running things to appropriate places and vacuuming and sweeping and moping to be done. Clothes folding and lifting dishes to their spots. Yep, I am going to get moving and many areas of my life are going to benefit from it. GO EAT YOUR FROG!!