Setting goals

One of the things that I am sure is holding me back is the fact that I am setting long term goals which are not easy to measure and can make it difficult to stay on track. Setting a goal to run a first marathon in September is all well and good, but I need something short term that I can celebrate success with and keep me striving to reach that goal. I also set a goal to lose 40 pounds by the end of next year, but looking at the scale and not seeing results is frustrating. So I am making some changes to my plan here and now by setting small, measurable goals. 

Short term goals:

Starting today Saturday 11/28/15 I am going to eat a serving of fruit and a serving of vegetables at lunch every day through next Saturday (and hopefully continuing on after that but we are thinking small here).

Starting today I am going to stick to my training plan every day through next Saturday (again hopefully continuing on).

Intermediate goals: 

I am currently 176 pounds according to my scale (Honesty I feel is important). My goal is to be at 170 by December 31.

Longer term goals: 

Run my first half marathon in the spring. There are currently two I am looking at and I would love to do them both!

Run my first marathon in September 2016! I really want that 26.2 bumper sticker on my car!

There they are for all to see! Another goal I have is to have at least weekly blog posts to update my progress even if I am the only one who reads them. It’s going to be a long road and I have a lot of factors against me. (Time, motivation, stress, my tendency to stress eat, the holiday season). The biggest barrier that I have is me and changing these unhealthy habits that I have formed. I’ve said it before but this time I hope that I am going to stick to it because I am ready!

For my training program I looked around online and selected a program that I think includes all the qualities I need. I have added the link below for anyone who is interested in joining my little adventure. There are a couple different levels based on experience. I selected intermediate for myself. That's about it for today. Wish me luck!

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51132/Half-Marathon-Intermediate-Training-Program