The last day of 2012

Well it's the last day of the year.  A lot of people are recommitting to their health and fitness which is great.  I am more successful if I make short term goals so I'm going to try to prepare all/most of my food in January.  I guess the real goal is to avoid (over) processed food and eat three meals a day (dinner).  Should be a fun attempt.  I have a food processor, a blender, a juicer, a nu wave oven, a nu wave cooktop, a George Foreman grill, a crock pot...  I can make anything.  I should be catering not eating out lol.  It is also partly a financial decision.  Ideally I'd like to spend $300 a month on food max.  It is completely doable when I cook.  Much harder when I don't.  I am usually really tired when I get home in the evenings, mentally if not also physically.  This is what makes cooking dinner hard.  I'll have to experiment with ways to get over that hurdle.

So resolutions are daunting for many, but even if you can't accomplish all your goals I still think there is growth in setting them.  Here are some things I've learned about achieving fitness goals:

1. Set a small, reasonable goal.  If you want to lose 50 lbs that's a great goal but set something small that you can accomplish on the way so you can have a sense of achievement at some point.  Then use the momentum to keep it going.
2. Make your goal about the journey, not the destination.  It's easy to fall into the numbers trap ("I wanna get back to 150 lbs"), but if you focus your energy on the path to get there ("I'm going to work out three times each week"), the goal feels much more tangible and the numbers will follow.
3. Don't try to make too many changes at once.  The keys to healthy living are a good diet and exercise.  Consistently.  It's easier to be consistent with small changes.  Despite my addiction I can give up sugar for weeks at a time because I don't give up salt or processed food at the same time.  When I am craving a donut I just eat Cheetos Puffs lol (true story though).
4. Moments do not have to define days or months or years.  If you are not any closer to your goals on July 1 than you were on January 1, don't be discouraged!  The year is not lost!  You don't have to be miserable about it until 2014!  Recommit and get going :o).
5. Always remember success is not final, failure is not fatal, it's the courage to continue that counts. It's ok to fail.  Adjust your goals and continue the journey.

Wishing you health and happiness in 2013!