1 Month Update, Setting Some Goals

Alright peeps, it's been one month since I decided to get real with myself and get in better shape. I started out doing the 30 Day Shred after work. There are three levels to the workout, I started on level one. After a few weeks of that, I added in a short run in the mornings before work. That is when I really started feeling different. I started to have more energy and my Shred workout started to become easier. I am still running in the mornings and am trying to add a little distance to my run each day. And, I have moved to level two on the Shred. I've only done the level two workout 3 times so far and it is THE HARDEST WORKOUT I have EVER done!!! I really think I might die!

So...one month later and I know the big question is - have I seen any results?? Well, I've only lost 3 pounds but I feel more toned and my energy level is way up. I had Josh take some pictures of me one month ago and we just did another set of pictures this morning so I could compare. I can definitely see some improvements, especially in my back. After seeing a picture of my back one month ago, I just about puked! Haha, I really had NO IDEA I had so much back fat! I am SO HAPPY that is starting to go away! I thought about posting my pictures as I progress on here but my hubby said that is a little too personal. Plus, I don't know if I'm ready for the world to see my back fat. Ha ha!

There are only good things to come from here on out, so I will definitely be sticking with it. But, I think it is important to set goals for yourself. So, I have set a few goals in this getting back in shape challenge to myself. I thought long and hard about it because I really didn't want to be unrealistic. I think if your initial goal is too far out of reach then you become disappointed when you don't make it and give up all together. If you set a smaller, more attainable goal, then when you reach it you should feel like you accomplished something and that will add more fuel to your fire! This has worked in the past when mine and Josh's goal was to get out of debt. Instead of selecting the credit card with the largest balance to concentrate on, we chose the one with the smaller balance even though the larger balance had a higher interest rate. That may seem backwards but by choosing the smaller balance first, we had an attainable goal and it really felt good when we got it paid off. So good, that it inspired us even more to pay the 2nd card off. Now here we are a few years later living debt free (except house and 1 car)! It still feels SO GOOD to know that we stuck with it and achieved our long term goal but I don't think we would have done it so easily if we hadn't started small. I got a little side-tracked there, but I think you get the point! Ha! So....my first goal is to lose 5 lbs by the first OU football game. This has given me 5 weeks to lose 5 pounds, which is completely realistic. We are one week from kickoff and I have 2 more lbs to go! I think I might make it, but I will have to be a little tougher on myself this week.

My second goal is to lose 5 more lbs throughout football season. I DO NOT want to feel like I am on a diet. I HATE the word diet. I DO NOT want to cut any foods out. Since I've started this challenge, I have had a brownie (or two), ice cream and cake. BUT, I have made a vow to myself that if I allow myself to eat something that I know is not good for me, I HAVE to workout extra hard that day. So far, it has worked. I have held myself accountable for everything I have put in my mouth and I haven't felt restricted on what I can and can't eat.

My third goal is to maintain my weight (which will hopefully be 10lbs lighter) throughout the holidays. Let's get real folks....there is NO WAY to lose weight during the holidays! Am I right?! So, to tell myself to lose weight during that time would be an unattainable goal. But I think if I come out in January without gaining any, I will be doing good!

And that's as far as I've gotten. I will re-access the way I feel and look at that point and decide if I need to make more goals or change the way I'm doing things at that point. What are some of your tricks to achieving your goals?