Laying It All On The Line

In my last post I told you about my new year's resolution to weigh less than 120 pounds by the end of the year. It has been a very long time since I have been anywhere close to that weight, but never in my life have I been so far away as I am right now, so this is what you might call a real "shoot for the stars" goal. Now for the moment of truth: I lay before your eyes my "before" stats, with a promise to you and to myself that my "after" stats, come December 31, 2014, will be significantly lower, come what may.

• Weight as of 1/1/2014: 179.2 pounds
• Body fat % (according to my not-so-accurate but fairly consistent scale): 43.3%
• Measurements:
• Waist: 41.5"
• Hips: 44"
• Chest: 42.2"
• Right Arm: 13.8
• Left Arm: 14.5
• Right Thigh: 22.5
• Left Thigh:  22.8

As you may have noticed, I will need to drop at least 60 pounds during the year in order to reach my goal. No problem. That averages to only 5 pounds per month, and I feel completely confident that I can meet and even exceed that amount. It won't be easy, of course, but I am not afraid to work for it.
And whether I succeed or not, I will not stop working and learning and progressing, so whatever that scale says come year-end, I will be a success.

So what is your "shoot for the stars" goal? Do you want it bad enough to work for it, every single day? Come and take this journey with me, and we'll enjoy the adventure together (which is, of course, much better than going it alone)! See you on the road to realizing our dreams!

True Confessions: A 6-Pack and a 5-Minute Mile

I have a confession to make. I want a 6-pack. I have wanted 6-pack abs for as long as I can remember, yet despite my best efforts, this goal has always eluded me. Why is that? I even started my own “6 Months to a 6-Pack” program a couple years ago, complete with progress reports and pictures. What happened? After the first two or three months of seeing little or no progress, I just stopped. I gave up. I lost my focus, my motivation, and my determination.

I have another confession—I want to run a 5-minute mile. Not just one—I want to be able to run a 5k at that pace, and then a 10k, and then a half marathon, etc. By this point I am sure you are thinking, “She can’t even manage a 6-pack, and she thinks she is going to run a 5-minute mile? She has her head in the clouds!” And my response to you is, “Perhaps, but I can’t help it. I am a dreamer.”

The thing about me is, I have always been a dreamer. I dream big, but I don’t often see those dreams come true—at least not yet. I want to be married to my soulmate—I am still single at 36 years old. I want to be a millionaire—I am living paycheck to paycheck out of my mom’s basement as I try to pay off my debts. I want to own my own fitness and nutrition coaching business—I am working at an unfulfilling desk job because I haven’t worked out how to pay for the schooling needed for this drastic career change. I want a 6-pack—I have never come close to a 6-pack, not even at my most fit. I want to run a 5-minute mile—I currently can barely run a 10-minute mile. That’s 1 mile. Not a 5k. Not a 10k. Not a half marathon. 1 mile. Hmmm . . .

This week, however, I finally reached the breaking point. I am tired of not seeing my dreams fulfilled, and I am tired of not having the sexy 6-pack abs I have always longed for. So, the time has come. I am going to have a 6-pack by the end of the year. That’s right, it’s time for another “6 Months to a 6-Pack”, only this time I am going to succeed. I am committed. I am focused. I am motivated. I am determined. It’s time. More details tomorrow . . .