I did the NYC half Marathon earlier this year. Right afterwards, I gave myself a “well-deserved” break from working out that lasted two weeks. Looking back now, I don’t think that was such a good idea. I think I could have taken a break for a day or two, but no more, because that two week break stretched into months and now we are in November and looking back I can see that I totally fell off. I have gained back 15 of the 25 pounds I lost, a few unwelcome health issues have resurfaced, and I cannot see myself running what used to be my usual 3 miles talk less of a half marathon.

So….it’s time to get back in the saddle.

Early on this fine Sunday morning, I took myself to the gym. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill and ended with some weight training. It was a quick and simple start, so as not to overdo it, and I have to tell you, it felt SO good. I honestly LOVE working out. I asked myself how could I possibly have stopped doing this???

No matter what is going on in life, no matter how tired I may be, no matter what “legitimate” excuses may continue to present themselves, Working out has GOT to become a NON-NEGOTIABLE in my life!!!

The reason I fell off is just the usual, age old, plain and simple lack of discipline, but the reason I could allow that to happen, was because of another favorite subject matter of mine: Goals!

With the race behind me, I no longer had a goal to work towards. And apparently, the exhilaration that working out elicits was not a strong enough goal to keep me going. Shame!

So I need a new goal. But the point is, my ultimate goal is a complete life style change. I don’t only want to run and work out when I am preparing for a race, I want to be living that healthful life style ALL the time. Like I said, I want working out to be non-negotiable.

So how do you set that as a goal? It is so big, so vague, so “forever”. And we know that Goals have to have a specific time line and be measurable. So how do I set a goal like that?

I have mentioned this in an earlier blog post: Chunking!

Break the big goal down into little bits – bite sizes – Chunks!

So here is my new goal. I am going gently ease myself back into the working out healthy life style over the next 30 days.

And all I have to aim for is to commit to work out for a minimum of 30 minutes, a minimum of three times a week. 30 minutes 3 times a week.

That’s it!

It can’t get more chuck sized than that.

I am not getting into details of how much weight I need to lose, what and what I need to eat…or not, how many pounds I need to be lifting, what speed I need to be running or how many miles.

All that will come later. (And probably sooner since I am not a total rookie to this stuff – you can always adjust as you go) For now, all I need to do, is know that I am making a decision, I am making a commitment and I will work out 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

And the wonderful thing about the mind is that, once the decision is made, and action is taken, the feelings begin to follow, and once that happens, the mind continues in this direction and before long, you know that you know that you are achieving your goal, even before you actually see it. And soon enough, you WILL succeed and your goal will be yours.

My healthy lifestyle will be mine 🙂

If you would like to, you are welcome to follow or join me on my month- long quest.

Send me a private message and let’s make it happen.

Here’s to our success.