Mid-Year

In the corporate world, there's goal setting, mid year reviews and year end reviews. So I thought yesterday that I should do a mid year review on my fitness goals. I never officially wrote out fitness goals for the year (I guess partly because once you acknowledge and announce your goals, you're commited to them) so I am going to do that now.

Goal 1: Run a 5K
I ran my first 5K this past March and ran another one in May. I am also signed up for Rugged Maniac (my first obstacle race) in mid July and another 5K in late July.

Goal 2: Forget about getting skinny and Get Strong!
At the start of the year, I didn't realize that this was a goal of mine. But somewhere along my journey, I realized that I don't particularly care about being skinny. When I first signed up for training sessions at the gym, the gym manager asked me how much weight I wanted to lose. I surprised myself by telling her that I didn't care if I lost any weight, instead I wanted to build muscle. Since I switched my focus, I'm much happier with my progress. I don't get discouraged weighing myself because I see changes in my belly and in my arms and those changes aren't visible on a scale. I don't think I have accomplished this goal yet as I'm not as strong as I want to be but I'm definitely getting there.

Goal 3: Run a Half-Marathon
Strangely, I set this goal before I even ran my first 5K. After I ran my first 5K, I was even more committed to running a Half-Marathon. I signed up for one in Vancouver. Expenses came up and we decided not to go to Vancouver. So instead I plan on running my first half at the Jersey shore. I haven't signed up yet (not sure why) but I am going to sign up this week. I have been slacking with my running because I have been focusing on strength training instead so I need to get back to my long run Sundays.

Goal 4: Meet other Moms into Fitness
I actually googled running moms and found Moms RUN This Town. I looked for a local group and when I didn't find one, I requested to be a chapter leader. So far, we have 8 members in my group and I am working on getting us together for our first 5K in July.

Goal 5: Promote my Blog
While blogging isn't really a fitness goal, it is definitely related. My blog holds me accountable. If I write that I am going to run a 5K and make it public, I am going to do it. It has also linked me to several people that I find inspiring and has allowed me to motivate others. Yesterday I was featured on Real Into, a blog about health and fitness. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be featured on someone's else blog but it happened. And as a result, I have a couple more followers - another added benefit. I am also currently working on having some guest posts on topics I find interesting.

The truth is that as 2013 progresses, I am probably going to set more goals. My fitness goals are evolving as I evolve. I mentioned yesterday that I am reading Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives. This morning, I read that "Goals are an extension of our visualization. They are the specific outcomes we visualize for ourselves". Isn't that the truth? If we visualize never crossing a finish line or not being able to complete a hot yoga class, we won't be able to do it. If you see yourself crossing the finish line, you'll do it. The secret to accomplishing goals is visualizing and committing to them.

So what about you? What fitness goals have you set for 2013 and how much progress have you made toward them?

Modified

You may have noticed fewer posts dedicated solely to running. It's because I have modified my fitness goals. As mentioned in previous posts, I joined the gym and have a Trainer. Years ago, I never would have done that. I owe my evolving fitness goals to running. Running has given me the confidence that I needed to try other things. When I started running, I didn't like it one bit. The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it and the farther I ran. The farther I ran, the more confidence I got. Yeah I can run 6 miles, what now biatttchh?

So back to fitness goals. When I decided I wanted to be a runner, I thought hey I'll lose a little weight. To be honest, I haven't lost any weight running. My body also hasn't drastically changed since I started running. I'm okay with that, I didn't really expect a big change to begin with. I'm happy to be part of the running community, happy to have built my endurance and impressed with the confidence I gained running. But I want more. I want to be strong. I've always been skinny fat. Not very skinny but certainly not fat. I guess you could describe me as mushy. My mushiness increased after having Little Beast and I'm sick of it. I don't much care about weight. I'd be perfectly okay with staying the same weight but I want strong arms, legs and a strong core. It's because of these new fitness goals, that I started having my Trainer do Crossfit workouts with me. I'm not at a CrossFit Box yet but I'm working on getting there. I admire the crazy workouts crossfitters do and how much strength they have. I love the feeling of pride you have after an unbelievably exhausting workout.

That said, you can't just jump into CrossFit. Well I can't at least. The WOD (Workout of the Day for you not crossfitters) the other day was the following: Run 1 mile, 100 pushups, 200 situps, 300 squats, Run 1 mile. Seriously? That is insane! Obviously no one can jump right into that so workouts are modified according to your ability. My Trainer does CrossFit and is aware of my desire to try it so we do modified CrossFit workouts 3 times a week. Along with that, I plan on running 2 days a week so my running schedule is modified as well. My next 5K is on May 19 so I have been working on my 5K time and putting long runs on the backburner for now. After the 5K is complete, I will go back to long runs on Sundays. I'm actually looking forward to it. Nothing beats the feeling after a long run!

This was my workout yesterday -

Jump rope - 60 seconds
Medicine ball clean (crossfit lift) - 10
Hand release push ups - 10
One hand 15 pound cleans - 10 each side
Mountain climbers - 60 seconds
Box jumps - 15

Total sets - 3

It was insane. I was pouring sweat. And I was really proud of myself for completing it! Hubby showed me how to do a box jump recently and it was really tough for me. You'd never think it was that hard. Well yesterday I did so much better! That was until Hubby and Little Beast came to the gym and I saw them. I nearly fell off the box! Ha! Leave it to me to be clumsy when people are looking at me.

After yesterday's workout, Hubby took my before pic. I am not publishing yet but I will take another one after my 24 gym sessions are up - roughly the end of June. Then I will take one after 2 months at a CrossFit Box. Whether I see a difference or not, I know I am getting stronger and that matters more!

Because working out is only part of the puzzle, I have started eating better as well. I have to say it is a slow process. It's tough when you have a long commute, get hungry the second you get home and have tons of snacks in the house for your toddler. But I'm eating more frequently and eating healthier and once I figure all that out, I'll post my daily meals for you all. Right now, I'm not where I want to be yet - working out is one thing, eating healthy is much harder! I love pizza. And I love cupcakes. I am substituting for eggs, chicken  and rice cakes with almond butter. Don't get me wrong, I'm not off pizza completely and I'll never be but I am working on having only 1 cheat day instead of 7!

Until my next crazy workout,
Renita