500 Minutes

I'm constantly reading books to try to help myself with my goals - not just weight loss but my writing and exercising, self-compassion and social anxiety.  I read recently of a person who spent so much time thinking of ways to improve that she had analysis paralysis and I was like "That's me!"  Not that I have stopped the reading and analyzing :)

So, in my current book for making your goals finally happen, the writer suggests making a doable small goal toward your bigger goal.  So I am making a goal of exercising for 500 minutes by August 3, 2013.  That's two weeks.  Which means more than 30 minutes per day.  Or, to be more precise, an average of 35.71 minutes per day.  I can do that!  I mean, I haven't been doing nearly that, but I can do it.  I'm physically and mentally capable of achieving that goal.  And it's a difficult enough goal that I will feel like I really accomplished something while also being short term enough for me to maintain the momentum.

The reason I decided to do an exercise goal is because another book I've been reading (I've got 4 going at the moment) suggested thinking back to the last time you achieved a goal and what it took to get there.  Thinking back to all of the times I successfully lost weight, even if just 5% of my body weight, it always started with exercising.  In fact, really thinking back and considering it, I would start exercising and within a couple weeks I would get motivated to eat better and while I stuck to my exercise, I continued my weight loss.  Not all steady as she goes, consistent weight loss (me? consistent? ha!) but, you know, that up and down two-step that eventually equates to weight loss, like the sputtering engine of an old car that finally catches, but still occasionally sputters and shudders and shakes.  That's how I lose weight - like a car from 1910.  And I don't go faster than 25 MPH either.  And I have trouble going up the hills. 

Anyway, so I have my goal and I have my calendar on which to monitor my goal and I have my commitment (read above) and I have a plan.  I come home from work and I exercise, before I do anything else.  Walk, bike, exercise dvd, yoga, pilates, gym (if I remember how to get there), whatever strikes my fancy on that particular day.  And for the weekends, I can do whatever whenever, as long as I do it.  I can even work up a few extra minutes to make my weekday workouts a little shorter, if I want.

After I'm all done and have met my goal, I'm going to bake a cake.  (Yes!  A cake!)  Okay, I know that we're not supposed to reward ourselves with food, but you know what?  I think food is important and I think we CAN reward ourselves with food, but in moderation.  I mean, everything is motivated by food, right?  Animals are motivated by food.  Kids and babies are motivated by food.  Why can't overweight people share that same joy in living?  Let us eat cake!! (Just not the whole thing.)  I mean, really, I haven't been able to eat something really, really yummy completely guilt free in two decades.  Two decades!!!  And where has that gotten me?  Not a size 2 I can tell you!  It's time to put away old thoughts and try something new - like eating what I actually want.

So that's my plan.