New Years Resolution 2013

A new year and new opportunities to change those annoying habits for a new you! I personally don't believe in crazy resolutions after one year I swore off chocolate. Temptation was around every corner but I was too stubborn to give in, and in the end I completed it, over an entire year without any brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or even m&m's and Oreos.

Chocolate. Nothing really compares.

Now that I look back, I should have eaten the damn chocolate because I tried to satisfy my sweet tooth with all sorts of sweets, soda and gummy bears, but nothing could quite hit the spot so I just ended up eating even more sugar. Oops, unintended consequences...what started off as a noble goal to eat healthier ended up with the opposite effect because I was so determined to succeed, I missed the big picture completely. Was it a success or failure?

What I do know is that I'm never doing that again. Never. Ever. Again.

I definitely believe in setting goals to strive for because its really the journey of trying to get there is what life is all about. With that in mind, a healthy life is one of my "goals". There really is no destination to it, I mean, can you really ever be too healthy? Another passion of mine is running. It's very goal oriented, you're always striving to beat your old time and distances. It's also filled with unlimited victories every time you PR.

I learned this approach at work to setting goals and it follows the acronym S.M.A.R.T.

S - Specific
What exactly do you want to accomplish?

M - Measureable
How will you know if you reach it or not if you can't measure progress?

A - Attainable
Aim high, but be realistic and don't set yourself up for failure.

R - Relevant
How is this goal REALLY going to make a difference?

T - Time-based
You must have a due date or it is just wishful thinking.

So for 2013 my Heath and Fitness goals are:

1. Run a mile in under 6 minutes. (PR is 6:28)
2. Finish a half marathon race. (My longest race thus far was a 10k)
3. Be able to see my abs. (Seriously, I know they are under there somewhere)
4. Try to cook at least 1 new healthy recipe a month. (you gotta eat)

What do these goals have to do with becoming healthier, you ask? The healthier I become, the faster and farther I can run. The stronger and better that I run, the healthier I become. Boom...synergy! In electrical engineering we call that an infinite feedback loop and it leads to infinite gain. By focusing on something I enjoy I am implicitly becoming healthier. The real question is how can I not succeed?