Happy Monday! I know we haven’t reached February just yet and I don’t mean to jump the gun here, but it’s Monday and what better day than Monday to set your monthly goals? Before I go into those I wan’t to go over last week’s workouts.

Workout Recap Week 1/23

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 40 min stairs and TIU leg workout/abs
Wednesday: TIU Rush workout and Abs
Thursday: Off
Friday: 3 mile run – straight!
Saturday: 3 mile run- straight!
Sunday: Off

Call me crazy, but I can honestly say that I genuinely miss running. I know! Insane, but it’s true. I hopped on the treadmill Friday and set out to do a three mile run (I’m not going to mention the donut I ate earlier that day – yes, full size donut) like I used to and was so happy that I actually completed it with no walk breaks!  After my run I felt spectacular and realized I need to get back into my running routine because it’s been way too long. I finished in 34 minutes, which is my average time and I’m totally okay with it.  My first mile is at a jogging pace and I gradually increase for each mile. Saturday morning I did the same thing and had energy for the rest of the day, however I did pull a hip muscle – or so I  believe- and took Sunday off so that it could heal and that it did!

Looking at my calendar for the month of January, I can say that I have averaged 4x a week workout. I’m not going to complain about it because its 4x more than I did last year and like I always say, “any movement is better than no movement!” Okay, back to today’s topic: February Goals. Many of us have set resolutions for ourselves, but I find that revisiting them monthly really helps keep you on track and in general, setting smaller goals at a time are easier to reach! I’m going to try to be as specific as possible for the next month…

February Goals:

1. Grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday
2. Prepare lunch and dinner for the week ahead of time
3. Run 3-4 days a week (3 miles and maybe a long run on weekend)
4. If I’m going to cheat on the weekend… only one day/one meal not all three

That’s it. Four simple, realistic, and very manageable goals. These goals are specific, easy to remember and definitely doable – it’s just a matter of mindset! I believe goal number 4 will be the hardest one for me, however it can also be an incentive (even though we should never reward ourselves with food) to be super good the other 6 days of the week.  And who knows? Sometimes when you know or allow yourself the option to be “bad” you might not even want to anymore Oh, the psychological games we play!

Quote of the Day:

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson 

You’re probably thinking “what is this girl talking about,” but there’s a reason behind my madness. It’s a psychological thing – for me at least- where you want to start fresh or get back on track on the first of the month or on a Monday.  It’s common to feel that way, so for the sake of my psyche (or our psyche) let’s pretend today is Monday, December 1st.  I even changed my handbag to make the start of this month more official (might not make sense for you, but it does for me – I’m weird!)

As I stated in my previous posts, I plan to continue this sugar detox all the way until Christmas.  Overall, it really didn’t feel like a major detox because I never felt deprived. You’ll be surprised how quickly your sweet tooth goes away once you cut sugar out.

December Goals Listed Out:

1. No Sugar until Christmas
2. 8 cups of water/day minimum
3. 5 days a week exercise – no exception
4. 12 miles total of running/week
5. Limit eating out to 1-2 times/week

Since it’s Monday in the first week of October, there’s no better time than now to list out your goals for the month.  I’m going to make a short and “attainable” list to keep myself in check. Also, it really helps keep you accountable when you put things in writing so I suggest you actually write them out too! (Make sure they are attainable because otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for failure).

October Goals:

• 45min to one hour of exercise or activity most days of the week (It doesn’t matter what -just get moving!)
• Wake up 30 min early a few days to do some cardio before work (I’ve done this before and it really helps keep your energy up throughout the day – it’s just getting out of bed that sucks!)
• Grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday to prepare foods for the week (so I can limit eating out.)
• Try new recipes!
• Stick to three meals a day (been on a snacking frenzy this past week and that needs to stop!)
• Work on my self-discipline!!!! (Halloween is around the corner and that = candy overdose)

Here’s a link to a really good article on how to build self-discipline.. read it!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1lZZ5T/www.pickthebrain.com/blog/self-discipline/

These are just exercise/health goals, but you may have other personal goals in mind too (be more patient, stay positive etc. etc.)  Whatever your pen and paper desires – just write it out!

“The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline” – TIU

Happy Halloween month and good luck to us!

PS: Registering for a 5k was one of my previous goals and I just registered for the Chicago Hot Chocolate 5k on November 5th! Woo hoo!