Snowmageddon! Not Here in Texas! Need Some Motivation to Reach Your Fitness Goals?

Forget Snowmaggedon! We live in Texas (Thank God!) and it’s late winter or early spring, depending on your outlook on life. This means its 70 degrees one day and 30 the next. Be flexible! Get your run or walk done! Move forward towards your goals! A loop around the lake or a few miles on the treadmill will get it done! It could be worse, my peeps in Rhode Island are getting about 3 feet of snow today!

As we have talked about in the last few blogs, we are on a quest to run 2015 miles in 2015! Art and I have teamed up to get it done. That means we are accountable to each other to get 3 miles a day each done! We are actually doing very well and I feel the consistency is definitely helping my fitness level.  I feel stronger and more empowered since I have a teammate. I’ve even lost a couple of the holiday pounds! Yeah!

So here are a few suggestions to get you motivated to reach your own fitness goals:

1.     Grab a partner! It’s not square dancing, but having a partner really helps to get you off the pillow and out of bed in the morning. If you don’t have someone who has similar goals, then find an accountability partner at work or on Facebook. Check in with them and have them help you reach your goals! Keep a log or make a blog to track your progress!

2.     Buy a new pair (or two pairs!) of running shoes! There is nothing like breaking in a new pair of shoes to get the bounce back in your steps!

3.     Leave your watch at home! Forget about pace and just enjoy your runs. Time is irrelevant; it’s all about getting it done! This is not a race with anyone except your inner slug!

4.     Sign up for a short race that in the next 6 to 8 weeks. We are signed up for the Dallas Athletes’ St Patrick’s Day Sprint triathlon followed by the Rock and Roll Half Marathon; both in late March. That’s enough motivation to get me out of bed since an untrained race usually is painful (for your legs and your ego!)

5.     Think pizza!  Every mile you run burns around 100 calories. That means a 6 mile run is worth two pieces of yummy pizza! Or one slice and two glasses of red wine or two beers! Bribe yourself!

6.     When in doubt, use a very visible accountability counter. Here is one girl who is saving a dollar for every mile she runs in 2015. At the end of the year she is going to buy herself something totally frivolous (or several pair of shoes!)

Just a few motivations tips for today! I’m finding the more I talk about our challenge, the more motivated I get to get it done! Our next milestone is 200 miles and we are on target to reach that by the end of the week!  February is right around the corner and to reach our goal, we need to average 168 miles a month as a team. We should definitely reach our January goal by Friday and almost to 200 miles by the end of the first week of February!

Keep running! Every mile forward counts! Never give up!

Resolutions: 2015 Miles in 2015! Why Resolutions Fail and How to Overcome Roadblocks

Did you make a 2015 New Year resolution? It’s January 18^th. How are you doing? I often have been quoted to say that I wanted to open a gym on January 1^st then convert it to a bar on February 15^th. Ha ha ha.  Funny, but not so far off. Nearly 50% of Americans make resolutions, but only 8% reach their goals.

Why is that? Resolutions fail for a myriad of reasons, but truly it’s usually because of the resolution itself. This year I have resolved to run 2015 miles in 2015! I’m actually doing this with my amazing man, Art Atchison, as a team because it makes it more realistic for us to achieve. The goal keeps us motivated and focused on being consistent with our running; while not making it such an onerous task that we would get discouraged and quit if we are behind our goal.

Here are some of the roadblocks to keeping resolutions! And how we help you run right past them!

1.     Too Big, Too Fast.  Just like I mentioned that Art and I are working as a team on our 2015 miles, this highlights a common problem with resolutions. Most people set unrealistic goals that set you up for failure.  Go small, and then ante up once you hit your goal. Taking baby steps will help you ore likely get to the end-goal. Answer: Set small, realistic goals and it’s OK to set levels of achievement.

2.     Too Many Resolutions. Reaching any goal takes focus. If you have a bunch of focal points, your concentration is scattered and you will be all over the place. It’s better to set one or two big goals to reach over the course of the year. Another option is to make several small goals to be achieved one at a time. This year we are running 2015 miles and ramping up for a PR in the Ironman 70.3 distance. These goals work together!

3.     Quitting Altogether When Falling Down.  It is inevitable that you will slip a little along the way. Art will tell you I fall down (literally) all the time. Some times the pillow wins! It’s OK. To err is human. To be lazy is human! What’s important is to get back up and make a plan to get back on track to achieving your goals. Have a contingency plan for when you slip knowing ahead of time that reaching your goal will take focus and continued effort. Noting worth having comes easy!

4.     Resolutions That are Too Vague. It’s amazing how many people set resolutions to “get in shape”, “to run more”, “to get faster”, “to lose weight”, or “to be a better boss”. What the heck does that mean and how do you track it? Tracking your progress keeps you focused. You need to make SMART goals. S is specific. M is measurable. A is achievable. R is result focused. And T is time bound. It is important to be able to track your progress and be able to measure your success.

So again I ask, it’s January 18^th; how are you resolutions doing? It’s still early. Sit back and think about your goals, write them down and discuss them with the people closest to you. Most goals require teamwork and reinforcement from your close family and friends to be achieved. Have an accountability team. Track your progress!

Art and I are doing well, we have reached our first 100 miles; 1915 to go! The last 18 days have not been all roses. The pillow has won a few times, but I’ve made it up in the afternoon. Work and children often get in the way. I’m making all my excuses in my head, then dismissing them or finding a work around. We have calendar in our home that we track our progress. I have my friends and patients following me. My goal is very public, so I’m more likely to reach it!

Happy Running…..share your goals!

Happy New Year! Can You Run/Walk 2015 Miles in 2015? Yes You Can!

I was challenged this morning by an ultra-marathon running friend to run 2015 miles in 2015. At first I thought that sounded like one of those resolutions that is like a gym that turns into a bar in February. 2015 miles! That's almost 6 miles a day!

Then I realized that walking counts and that if you average 10,000 steps a day at 2,000 steps roughly equaling a mile, then I probably walk at least 5 miles a day at work before I even tie up my running shoes.

Turns out this is not a novel idea. There is a whole group of people who have signed up for a virtual race that lasts all year long! Sounds like a blast! I'm in! And you can go solo, tandem or a team to get it done! For more info on the virtual race and how to join in on the fun, click here.

So I logged 4 miles on the treadmill today....too cold and wet outside for this girl! That means I have 2011 miles to go......and perhaps I need to buy a pedometer and or FitBit! Run Happy!

Happy New Year 2015!