Friday, January 30, 2015

Mile Markers on Road to Good Health

I don't know about you, but huge, looming goals on a distant horizon scare the bejeezus out of me. I'm working on an E-book for a client and I can't think about the total word count goal because I break out in hives. Instead, I have a goal for a set number of chapters every week. Sure, I still have to turn in all of the work to get it done on time, but these smaller, more manageable chunks don't trigger my anxiety.

When I used to think about getting fit and healthy, I used to look at my total weight loss goal. That was 70 pounds in June 2012, and 55 pounds in June 2014. To be fair, I did have a baby somewhere in there. Looking at a goal that's 50+ pounds away is really hard. You just can't see it, or visualize what you will look and feel like once you get there. That's why I set a few different milestones for myself along the way.

Milestone #1 - Pre-Pregnancy Weight

Mile Marker Sign Image - Life with a ParasiteThe first 25 pounds after Z was born pretty much fell off me. I was banking on breastfeeding to help me take off the rest, but the sleep deprivation led to some pretty wonky hormones, so in spite of damn near round-the-clock nursing, the extra weight stayed on until Z started sleeping through the night and I had the energy to start working it off.

15 down, 40 to go, reached in September 2014

Milestone #2 - Pre-Marital Weight

The early days in a relationship are awesome! But those early days also typically involve a lot of dining out and meeting for drinks. Oh, and it means less time at the gym because there's someone you'd rather be spending time with.

10 down, 25 to go, reached THIS WEEK!

Milestone #3 - Pre-Quit Smoking Weight

Obviously quitting smoking was a good life choice, but it came with a bunch of extra pounds. That was a decade ago, so it's really not a viable excuse any more.

Distance to milestone: 15 pounds; Target date: March 2015

Milestone #4 - The Final Goal

Inside the healthy range for my height and now something I look at as completely attainable.

Distance to goal: 25 pounds; Target date: June 2015

At every milestone there is something to celebrate and therefore a reward. For the first milestone it was a gym membership at a place that has child care so I can get some time to myself a few times a week. For the second milestone, it was a cute dress to wear out for my birthday dinner with The Husband in a couple of weeks. A cute dress in a MUCH smaller size.

What do YOU think I should do to celebrate the next milestone and the final goal?

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