I guess I’ve been silent long enough. That time of the year is hear again. It seems everyone under the sun–from fitness blogs, to news agencies, to the local rag–all have articles where people are listing their New Year’s Resolutions. Inevitably, they deal with diet, health and fitness. I’ve read somewhere that 50% of resolutions fail within the first month and that they mainly do so because people aren’t specific enough with their goals and they don’t set up a plausible plan of action (POA) to achieve said goals. Goals such as I’d like to lose weight, get in better shape, or become a better person don’t have a lot of teeth to them and so they’re easy to forget about. I don’t want to fall in to that trap so I’m going to tell you about a few very specific goals I have for the upcoming year. But first, let’s talk about some of the progress I’ve made. In the past year I’ve:
- lost 22 pounds
- decreased my body fat by 6%
- went from a non-runner to a frequent runner
- competed in my first 10K race and 2 other organized races of shorter distances
- took my shirt off at the beach and didn’t worry about it
I didn’t accomplish all of the goals that I set for myself in 2008. For example, I thought I would have reached my goal weight by this time. Instead, I’m only about half way there. I also would have liked to have been a little more consistent with my blog posting last year. I have yet to figure out how to work ahead! Everything I write is for today, maybe for tomorrow, but never for the days or even weeks after. I’d like to get to the point where I spend a few hours blogging and get the weeks posts completed. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but I can definitely improve on it.
So how about 2009? Here are the fitness goals that I’d like to accomplish before the end of the year:
- lose another 17 pounds to get down to 175 pounds
- drop another 6% of body fat to get down to 18%
- complete a 1/2 marathon in under 2 hours
Here’s my POA so that my goals don’t fall by the way side during the first month. According to the many calorie calculators available online, I need about 2600-2900 calories/day to maintain my current weight. In order to drop a pound/week, I need to create a daily 500 calorie deficit. So I’m going to shoot for 2000 calories per day. I’m going to keep track of my calories using fitday.com. And after workouts, I plan on immediately replenishing burned calories with a high quality snack that contains both a dairy product and a protein.
Dropping body fat is going to be the hardest of my goals. Staying within my 2000 calorie budget, eating low fat foods, high quality carbs, and lots of proteins will be my diet plan. Meanwhile, back at the gym, I plan on rehiring a personal trainer to meet with every other week. Once a month, I want my body fat measured. I also want him to give me totally different, high intensity weightlifting and cardio workout every other week that will raise my heart rate, build muscle mass, and keep my body guessing. After I’ve dropped some weight and built some muscle mass, I’ll ask him to coach me up on the proper form of all the exercises in the stronglifts 5X5 program.
My final goal for the year will probably be the easiest for me to complete. To complete this goal, I have to run a 9:10 min/mile pace for 13.1 miles. If I find a relatively flat course to run, I think that I can accomplish this goal pretty easily.
Always keeping these goals in my mind will help me have another productive year on the fitness front. I don’t think I’ve ever had two good years in a row–I’m confident that I can do it this time!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
My goals for 2009 are to lose the last 30 pounds (lost 20 so far) in 6 months, and to eat much healthier.. Last year wasn’t a good one exercise-wise, but I know 2009 can be better! All it takes is a little focus! Good luck on your own goals!
You seem to have a plan, and you’re sticking to it, which is great. One thing I believe in above all else is that you have to find what works for you, no matter what anyone else says (me included). However, I’m not a big believer in either weight training or long distance running. If you want to try something different, you might want to try substituting hill sprints for all the running you’re doing. Here’s what you do, 3 times a week, find a hill with a nice low grade (you don’t want it too steep). Start at the bottom, then sprint as fast as you can for 15 to 30 seconds. Stop, walk (don’t run) back down the hill, then do it again. Do this 5 times. This will melt the fat of your body like you wouldn’t believe. Give it a try sometime.
Good luck to you in the New Year!
- Dave
This is the most sensible post from either of you since the blog started. I agree with everything you’ve proposed here. (Except for your “Mac-math”: 2600-2900 calories minus 500 calories equals 2000 calories. You may think you can trick your body into not noticing a 900 calorie deficit, but you can’t.)
The one point I’d raise is that the reasons you failed to keep to the original plan are still out there. They haven’t gone away just because you’ve made a new plan, or because this time you’re really serious about accomplishing your goals. You’d be smart to look at the reasons why last year’s plan failed, and find remedies for each of the problems. You’ve done some of that already (I particularly like the idea of paying a personal trainer to feed you different exercise routines). But, for instance, it’s proven hard for you to stay consistent with fitday: how can you remedy this?
Somewhat in line with greenman2001′s comment, I suggest figuring out when you *fail* or when your failure is an overly ambitious plan. For example, I think you shouldn’t worry too much about your blog posting pattern (unless it’s eating up too much time for you). Many readers here have already stated that they LIKE your personal updated and thoughts. So instead of trying to sit down once a week and carve out a few posts, why not schedule an hour two or three days a week for writing that day’s post?
In regards to your other goals, perhaps they failed last year not because you fell apart somewhere but because it was too much for you at the time. If you fall off the bandwagon with fitday, is it the right service for you? Or might you chronicle your food much better if you just write it down in a notebook each day? I know that I have a horrible time keeping track of finances in excel but it is super simple for me to use a composition notebook. And, again, with the stronglifts: perhaps you need to continue building base fitness before you can successfully tackle stronglifts. Nothing wrong with it, but I find it is really helpful to acknowledge where you personally are and whether or not you were really ready for a particular challenge.
I knew someone was going to catch me on my math! Welcome back greenman. For some reason, I have a hard time recognizing that it’s ok to eat MORE than that magical 2000 calories recommended by the USDA!
I’d recommend checking out Turbulence Training. Just google it. I don’t work for them or anything, but I did buy the program and there’s new workouts all the time. You can see pictures of lots of the people that use the program as well. (they do a contest every three months which pays 2K to the winner).
Goals mean zero if you don’t have a solid plan for how you are going to achieve them. It’s not good enough to simply say “I’m going to lose weight this year.” You have to plan out how you will lose that weight. “In 2009 I will jog to the liquor store rather than drive.” For example.
Hey.
I think these are great goals, and congrats on achieving what you did last year.
I think the above comment is correct, you need a detailed plan. You seem to have some idea of that, based on you know what it took to achieve your goals last year.
Oh and btw, I love the domain name you are using!
Congragulations on the progress toward achieving your goals. The simple fact that you’re reviewing them at the year’s end demonstrates your commitment.
Look at the bright side… It may not be all bad that you didn’t achieve them quickly. If they take a little longer, the change in habits may be more lasting.
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