This week came a milestone of which I am proud. 730 days in a row of logging my daily fitness goals at MyFitnessPal.Com. It could just as easily have been 800 days in a row except for that one day two years ago when Cheryl and I had been out house hunting a few weeks before our move to South Florida.
Setting this mark was significant for me because of the kind of week it was. It was the same annual conference where I missed that day two years ago. Hotel food. Schedule totally different than usual. Long days making it difficult to follow my usual routines.
When habits are tied to personal lifestyle goals it is easier to adjust the daily routine to stay the course. I didn't gain weight this week, nor lose any, and I still managed to find time to get in some exercise. MyFitnessPal allowed me to maintain; in years past this kind of event would have easily added five or six pounds.
In these last two years I dropped about 45 pounds. Actually, I did that by this time last year. Today's weight is about the same as it was when I attended this conference last year. I know because I track my weight and my body fat percentage and my waist line and several other markers. During this time several people have "friended" me on MyFitnessPal, and a few have been somewhat consistent, but most have not. Like falling stars, they burn bright for a while, and then you don't see them. Occasionally a few return, usually promising to "stick with it this time" and I message them that I am cheering for them. Then a few days later I see something like "FallingStar101 has not logged in for three days."
What I have noticed is that many folks have set a very short term goal - lose weight - instead of setting a lifestyle goal to be healthy. Here is all you need to do:
- Make A Decision to Be Healthy
- Be SMART
- Take Action
- Be Accountable
- See Results
Decision. Your situation won't change unless you first decide to do something different.
S.M.A.R.T. Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound goals. Don't worry about the realistic part; if your goal is achievable, it might just take a little more time than you first thought.
Action. Eat differently, smarter. Exercise. You don't have to know the calorie count of everything you eat or how to use the equipment at the gym. You can learn those things as you go. First, take action. Eat a little less and exercise a little more.
Accountable. Find a friend who will encourage you, and also ask how you are doing. Especially be accountable to yourself by starting a fitness diary, or use MyFitnessPal like I do.
Results will come. Trust me.
PS: This morning I noticed that MFP says I have logged in for 735 days in a row. YEAH!
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