The first time I ran an entire 5K

Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser? It is very common in week 2 of the competition for the contestants to lose very little or no weight. That’s certainly a more extreme weight loss plan than I am doing, but it seemed fitting for this week’s results. Maybe there is a Week 2 ‘curse’ when it comes to goals. I think there are a few reasons this happens, whether the goal is weight loss or anything else.

• We set expectations that are just too extreme to maintain longer than a week
• We fail to make a back-up plan for obstacles like illness or schedule changes
• We don’t recognize the value of learning from the experience when we miss the target

I read an article today stating January 10th is the day most people give up on their New Year resolutions. It is another example of how little perseverance we exhibit and how unrealistic we are about the timeline for results. I hope you are pushing forward on the goals you set for yourself in 2013. They are year-long goals for a reason, keep going.

January Goals:

Complete 26 Days of My 90 Day Fitness Challenge

SkipperClan and I are working through a health program with a couple of friends of mine. I have the benefit of immediate accountability at home and the encouragement of girlfriends to help me succeed. This is something we have been planning as a group since we found out we were moving.

I learned a lot this week, but those results don’t show up on the scale. My number didn’t go down but I know the measurements did because my clothes continue to fit better. That opportunity I blogged about? It fell through at the last possible moment. There were several other disappointments. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing big in the grand scheme of things, but enough to derail my motivations on eating healthy and tracking food for a couple of days. {Hello, emotional eating anyone?}

I kept up with the workouts though, which helped with the emotions, and I came face to face with an important truth: even if I don’t log my food, my body will definitely count those calories. 

Complete Scrapbook for My Mom

One of my 2013 goals is to get more of our photos into albums, and I am excited the first one will be for my mom. I will be putting my stepdad’s photos and certificates into a one album. I will also make digital copies to share with family members. I have plenty of album supplies so this project should only take time, not money.

Done! Completing that album last week inspired me on another project, but it’s a surprise so I’ll share more next week.

Blog Consistently

Writing the last couple of years has reminded me how cathartic it is to me. Despite the benefits, my blogging remained sporadic and my journal writing sparse. There are opportunities I am not taking advantage of simply because of my inconsistency. To help me change this, I have been keeping better notes of my blog ideas, scheduling a few posts in advance, and contributing to another website.

This week I shared a few of my favorite bloggers, my review of the book What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend, and moments I cherish. I also completed my post for February for A Biblical Marriage. I am really enjoying this goal.

Have you ever felt like you hit a wall after initial success when working towards a goal?