2018 Goals

Alright, I gave this a lot of thought.  Here are my goals for 2018:

1. Walk 5000+ steps on 5 days of every week
2. Eat out only once a week MAXIMUM
3. 60 minutes of non-walking a week
4. Weight to 190 lbs

Over the last few years, I've found that the goals I can break down and measure in some way are the ones I do better with (over the super vague ones like 2017's "control my portions" - I didn't even remember I had set that as a goal). So this year the three goals I've set are measurable - I'll be keeping track of them all in the calendar I already use for tracking my steps.

Ideally, I would also like to make a goal about limiting eating junk food at work because this is something I consistently struggle with.  But I can't come up with any way to conceivably limit this and measure my progress.  So I'll have to leave this out as a goal for this year.

So here's my rationale for the 2018 goals:

1. Walk 5000+ steps on 5 days of every week

My original thought was to increase the number of steps I aim for daily (like going up to 5500, or 6000 steps).  And while my average daily steps in 2017 say I took over 5000 steps, I only made this goal during 21/52 weeks.  So I think I need to redo this goal in 2018, to better hit those numbers overall.  I know I've already lost this week due to being ill, so I'll be starting next week in earnest.

I will also need to keep a better eye on my daily steps with the intention of actively working towards the 5000 step goal every day.  Over this last year, particularly in the fall, I noticed that I walk (or not) without paying any attention to what my steps are at.  I need to make more of an effort to pay attention and work to move a little more this year.

2. Eat out only once a week MAXIMUM

This one is a weird one.  Over the last little while, I feel like I've been eating out more at weird times.  Like I'm hanging out with friends and they want to go through the drive-through; I order something because I'm there, even though I JUST ATE.

So for this goal, I'm going to count "eating out" as eating out at a restaurant or fast food place.  Having a meal at home/my parent's/a friend's is fine (as long as it's not like random fried freezer things we're heating - that will count as a meal "out").  Leftovers is fine.  Putting something healthy together to be reheated at work is fine.

*I'm going to track this in the same calendar I use to track my Fitbit steps.

3. 60 minutes of non-walking a week

Last year I attempted to swim twice a week (which if I swam for 30 minutes each time, equates to 60 minutes a week).  I stalled out badly in the summer.  And I ran into problems in general: if I swam twice a week, I had a hard time fitting in yoga.  Or skiing.  Or if I skied once during the week, how do I also fit in swimming twice?  So this year I'm going to open it up to any activity.  If I feel like swimming, I can go swimming.  If I want to bike, or snowshoe, or whatever, I can do that too.  If I go snowshoeing for a couple of hours, cool, I hit the goal for the week.  But if I swim for 30 minutes, I'll have to fit something else in, too.


I'm hoping that flexibility will work better for me than the rigid "twice a week" did. 

4. Weight to 190 lbs

 I almost didn't bother setting a weight goal this year.  Over the last like two years, my weight has stayed between about 210-205lbs.  I get it down to 205lbs, then back up it goes.  My overall goal is to get to a healthy BMI.  But after the last few years, I've honestly been getting discouraged because a BMI of about 24.4 is 170lbs.  How the heck am I going to get to that weight (AND MAINTAIN IT????) when I can't even make it to 200lbs?

But rather than focus on the huge goal, let's break it down.  15 lbs.  Let's see if I can do that this year.  I don't have to do 40 lbs.  I don't have to do 30 lbs.  I don't have to even do 20 lbs. 

So that's it.  My goals for 2018.  Wish me luck as I work at being more active than last year.  Ideally I want to build good habits that help me lead the healthiest life I can.  I'm hopeful that this year's goals will build off of last year's goals

One final note: I'm going to define success as 80% of the time with goals 1-3.  I know that life happens sometimes (heck even this week I got sidelined because I'm sick).  So I will aim for 100%, but as long as I hit 80% I will consider it a success. :)