Finishing Off Strong

With 81 days left of 2016, I seriously need to get my act together! Every year I set goals for myself to accomplish. This year in particular, I was determined to make this my ultimate health and fitness year. I started off strong, going to the gym 4-5x a week, meal prep game was v strong. I had not one, but two gym memberships and I was finally incorporating cardio more [I love weight training!]. I can’t believe i’m sharing this, but I started off the year at 148-150 (i’m 5’6). Around end of March to early April I had dropped almost five pounds anddddd so did my fitness. I started working out less and I started making food events my evening priority over working out. Food events invitations came plentiful. I started to eat, eat, and eat some more. By June I was back to where I started. After seeing the scale hit that combination, I refocused my energy and locked up my health and fitness game. By mid-August I was down to 143! Anyway, fast forward and here I am present day weighing 148 again.

I know some will argue with me that a weight gain of 5 pounds or so isn’t much. But to me, it is. I have personal goals that I set for myself, that I want to reach. However, I gotta be realistic. There are 81 days left of this year, will I get there? eh, I could, but most likely I won’t. Not because I am not motivated or determined. We are creatures of habit and the goal I originally set in January 2016 was set with the intention of reaching it in a year and now I only have 81 days left.  I don’t want to have to consume fat burners, detox teas, go into extreme dieting for a quick fix. A healthy lifestyle takes time. It is a habit that needs to be developed and maintained.

So, I’ve set a newer realistic goal for myself. This doesn’t mean I’ve failed, this doesn’t mean I won’t ever reach that goal. Instead, I have to be honest with myself and what I believe I am capable of. Factoring work, side projects, gigs, studying, and everyday life, I don’t want to set an over the top goal in which I may fail miserably at.

As cliche as it is, you’re never too old to set new goals or to dream a big dream. With that being said, this is my health goal by December 31, 2016.

1. Meal prep 1-2x a week;
2. No longer purchase junk food for the house [chips, candy, ice cream (Halo ice cream is ok] — Enjoying some at a friends house or work is ok;
3. Enjoy dessert in moderation, specifically meaning: share (darn it lol) and avoid having an entire dessert to myself;
4. Spend more time on core exercises;
5. Work out 4-5x, incorporate cardio in every workout [You never regret a workout, only the ones you don’t do!];
6. Love thyself(ie) [A healthy mind translates to a healthy life]; and
7. Limit eating out, because it takes away free time to go to the gym and I almost always end up in a food coma, haha.

Ultimately in the end, it is all about balance. I know some weeks will be easier than others, but as long as I try, I can’t be too down on myself. After all, I am human!