GOAL! Setting my goals for the next year.

12 Week Body Transformation, Pre-season task 3



Goals for 2011

The third 12 Week Body Transformation Pre-Season Task is GOAL SETTING, now I love the theory of goal setting and I have trained people in goal setting in the past, I definitely encourage it, but you know, there's those excuses again, no time to set goals? Not worth it if I don't think I can achieve them? oh and so many more. So i sat down and did it, and added my comments on what I need to do to make those goals a reality.I've started but I'm finding it difficult to see beyond the 12 week program. I'll be back to revise these as I go along.


1 month goals (by 21st March 2011) and how I will achieve them


Run/walk 10km in 1hr 20 minutes Keep running 3 x per week, build up to 5km run by end of pre-season (21/02/11). Introduce ‘long run’ tomorrow (30/01/11) starting at 40 mins run 8 walk 2 (DONE). At current pace 10km should take around 1hr 20 so adding 10 mins per week (at 8+2) should get there comfortably without injury. Want to be able to run 5K easily by the 29th of Feb to start ½ marathon plan.
Get into a stretching habit after training Stretch every time until it becomes automatic Learn new stretches, maybe find a stretching DVD? Develop a regular stretch routine for upper/lower body, post run and post gym. Stick a big STRETCH sign on the fridge and the bathroom mirror.
Try a new sport or class Going to book a badminton court and play with Sam one day when the girls are in daycare. Can book 4x1hr for $50 on special during February.
Lose 4kg – taking me to 68kg Follow 12WBT eating and training plans, ignore negative self talk, fight off excuses. Find training buddies virtual and in real life.
Introduce 8 new dishes to our family mealtimes This should be easy following the meal plans , need to adapt them a little for the children and resist eating the difference. I want to introduce more veggies, more pulses, more fish in particular. Make time to shop at the market – maybe a regular time with a friend?
Eat 3 serves of veggies EVERY DAY Buy a wider variety of veggies, eat some vegetarian meals, allocate more time for cooking, do some cooking in advance to have veggie dishes in the freezer. Frozen veg are ok some days but should mix up with other veg too.


3 month goals (by 21st May 2011) and how I will get there


Half marathon (29/05/11) sub 2:12 for a pb Make time for long runs, increase to 4 runs per week, follow Hal Higdon running plan and 12WBT for strength. Get up early and run before it gets hot in Mar. 12 week training programme to start on 28th of February!!! Run with Sam when possible for tempo runs and with the pram if necessary. Get over fear of running with the pram, it's not too much hassle and we can end up at the park.
Run 10k in 60 minutes Consistent training, running hard not just cruising along, start tempo and interval training as soon as I can run 30 mins without stopping. I need to be able to do this to get a half marathon pb!
Swim 1500m in 30 minutes General fitness, swim at least once a week. Losing weight should help with this as should upper body strength work. Renew swim pass.Try a new or different sport/class each month Squash, tennis, trampolining, dance class, maybe do a week’s trial at a gym to try out some classes one week. Try a Zumba class and a Bodypump class.
Lose another 5kg taking me to 63kg Follow 12WBT eating and training plans, ignore negative self talk.
Look good in a size 10/12 Eat well and tone up, especially arms, shoulders etc.
Introduce 8 more new dishes to family mealtimes Should be easy with meal plans, but determined to increase the variety of what we eat, particularly eating more veggies etc.
Eat 5 serves of veggies per day at least 5 times per week Just do it.


6 month goals (by 21st November 2011) and how I will get there


Maintain weight Give up chocolate and sweets, keep on healthy eating plan
Maintain fitness Join the gym for variety if budget allows
Melbourne Marathon 2012 (09/10/11) – Marathon sub 5 hours Keep running consistently after ½ marathon, 20 Week marathon training plan to start immediately after half marathon (should be 22/05/11). Plan babysitter in advance so that we can both run.


12 month goals (by 21st February 2012) and how I will get there


Maintain weight Keep up healthy eat plan, Give up chocolate and sweets
Maintain fitness Just keep training. Set new goals for motivation, try new sports and classes.

Was I really that thin?

Crunching the numbers has got me thinking a bit. Was I really once 56kg? I lived in stones and lbs when I was in the UK. Wow! I must have been almost skinny.

I have no recollection of ever being skinny, well not since I was about 8 and accused of being bony, but in my 'adult' life, nope, pretty sure I've never been skinny. Although at 56kg I can't have been huge, that's for sure. That's right down near the bottom of my healthy range.

It's a bit of a shock to me now to work this out. This must be where our body image problems start. I mean, I must have been thin, but I never thought of myself as thin. I had lost weight that summer, getting fit for the start of my undergraduate degree studies. I worked in a swimming pool over the summer holidays, double shifts whenever I could get them, made good use of my free access to the gym in my lunch breaks, and lived on a diet of chocolate and chip butties (I wonder if that would still work now). Every so often, well actually quite often, the chocolate vending machine would spit out doubles, I'd eat both in one go, no problems. So it's not like I was 'dieting' to be that size, just busy, and 19. Other than at work I was living at home, so the rest of my diet was pretty healthy, but I don't think I deserved to be that thin.

I asked Sam (my husband) this morning, he says he doesn't remember me as 'thin' either, certainly not fat, but not thin. Not 20kg different than I am now. It's not that I've ever considered myself to be fat, even now, when I'm borderline for dropping out of the overweight category and into the very overweight with my BMI of 29.

Weight Watchers

There are hundreds of weight loss programs out there, from calorie counting, to meal replacement shakes to ready prepared meals, so why Weight Watchers. Well, apart from it being one of the biggest in the world, there are a number of reasons.
I've used it before with some success and know others who have too
It has great online tools and access
and as part of their offering they are giving away a booklet called 'makeover secrets' well, it's like it's meant to be, how could I resist.

According to Weight Watchers, at 163cm tall (5'3") and 76kg (12 stone 1lb/169lbs) I have a BMI of 29 (oops) my 10% goal is 68kg and my healthy weight range is 53-66kg.

So I have 10kg to lose to be healthy, and 20kg to lose to be at the thin end of the range.

Easy, now I have three goals to aim for, 68kg (110stone 10lbs/150lbs - 10% weight loss), 66kg (10stone 6lbs/146lbs, healthy weight range) and 56kg (8stone 11lbs/123lbs, a bit skinny?).

So is it realistic? Well, I was 56kg (8 stone 11lbs/123lbs) when I met my husband in 1996 (and 73.5kg/11 stone 8lbs/162lbs) when I married him in 2003. So it is somewhere I've been before, and although I'm older now, maybe I could go there again?

And weightwatchers recommend an average of 1/2 - 1kg per week, so 20kg in 52 weeks should be 'easy'...

So here I go, phase one of my makeover program underway.

New Year, New Start, New Me?

OK, so it's not really new year, but it's almost my birthday so a new year for me is about to begin.

This is going to be my 'year of the makeover' I'm going to do a makeover concept practical for my PhD project. Why? well, why not? I have nothing to lose except a few kilos, and maybe, just maybe, I'll learn something about myself, or even something of slight academic significance.

I'm committed, I can do it, erm, well I think I can, but I guess that is part of the process.

Oh, and I'm going to use to learn blogger well into the bargain!