March was a great month for us. We met some great people and have had a chance to share our story with all you. We are blessed! Everyone has a story BUT not everyone gets the chance to share his or her story with the world. We don’t think we are special or did something that someone else hasn’t already accomplished but our situation is different because someone found this blog. One CNN article put us in the spotlight to inspire and motivate others to lose weight and move to a healthier lifestyle.
With that being said, we wouldn’t be at this point without setting some goals along the way. It is very helpful to have a long-term goal, but it’s also important to set short-term goals along the way to fight off defeat and lack of accomplishment. Every thing is a success so set mini goals that will eventually lead to your overall goal.
Angela’s goals for April 2013:
1. Obtain my certification for Group Ride. In January I was given the opportunity to teach cycle classes at my gym and at the end of the month all cycle instructors attended training for BTS Group Ride! The time has come for me to get my certification and I can’t wait. I absolutely LOVE Group Ride and I know all my class participants will love it too. I’m ready to get the ball moving and share Group Ride with everyone. It’s a great calorie burn and it constantly lets you set your own goals for class. I love that you can push yourself harder with every class that you attend.
2. Focus more on my strength and resistance training. I use to go to Group Power every week, but I’ve kind of slacked off of going. I then tried doing some stuff at home and it was great. I would like to get a healthy balance of doing a group fitness weight training class and doing things at home. Later this week we will blog about the importance of strength training so this goal will better make sense to you then. All in all, I must get back in there and building some muscle.
3. Try a new group fitness class. Group fitness is very close to my heart because it allows you to interact with other people. I truly feel that if you make your workout social, you’ll have more fun working out. I’ve tried most of the group classes offered at my gym and do love all the ones I’ve tried. I attend Group Kick, Group Centergy (yoga), Group Core and Group Power on a regular basis, but I haven’t given Zumba or Group Groove much of my attention. I will admit that I tried a Zumba class when I was larger and didn’t like it much. But I see people in those classes having so much fun and I just think I may not have given it a fair shake. I am willing to give it a try again. Luckily, it’s April and all BTS classes have new releases so it will be fun to start a new again with new routines!
4. Keep running on schedule. In March I ran 69.2 miles. That is the most amount of miles I’ve logged since I’ve been running. Why was it possible for me the run so much? Besides running two half marathons, I started running on a schedule. I made more time to run and it just felt good. I love getting out there to run just because I want to and it just makes me happy. Sometimes I wish I was plagued with my IT Band but I did it to myself because when I first started running I wasn’t prepared! This time last year I was sidelined with my first running injury and it completely sucked. Since then, I’ve done my research and have learned how to take care of my runner’s body. I’ve come a long way since then. The races lined up this month include the Austin 10/20 and Green 6.2! With the Green 6.2, I’m hoping to quality for the Houston Half Marathon in January 2014. I still have that overall goal of running a marathon in December!
5. I hope to become a little bit more social. Where we started the year and where we are now are totally different. On January 1st, we didn’t have any local friends and now we have a butt load of friends…and it feels good. I struggle with being social because I just don’t have time for it. I’m extremely busy and have to plan in advance for certain things but I think my tight schedule keeps me from being social and making new friends or even letting people get to know me. I feel like I’m always running somewhere, so this month I want to take the time to be social with these great people. I’m a tough shell to crack and people won’t really get to know me unless they hang out with me a little longer.
Willie’s Goals for April 2013:
1. Drink More Water: In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that my water consumption is slowly becoming less and less. Just the other day, I went almost half a day without drink one sip of water. For the month of April, I’d like to make a change, so I want to drink at least 8 cups (8 oz) of water a day. It’s something I’m not very mindful of while working or even at home. It may be a good thing to set a “water alarm” so I can remind myself to drink water.
2. Run the Austin 10/20 Race: On April 14, Angela and I will be running the Austin 10/20 race. What is the Austin 10/20? It’s 10 miles with 20 bands playing along the race route. This will be my longest race to date. I’ve done three 5K races previously and my run time has gotten better with each race. My goal for this race is just to finish it. Although, I’d really like to finish the race in less than two hours but I will be happy to cross the finish line and receive my first race medal. Wish me luck!
3. Try a “new” activity outside of the gym: For the past two years, my workouts tend to be held in the gym (other than running). I’d like to try something different. I recently found out that a group of adults in town have put together a game of kickball on Sundays. I’d really like to try it out. I haven’t played the game of kickball since I was a little kid and it sounds like fun.
4. Get more sleep: I’ve always had a problem with sleep. For the long time, I used to go to bed after midnight and wake up around 6 am or earlier for work. I’ve got better with it but I’m still going to be around 11 or 11:30pm. For the month of April, I’d like to be in bed by 10pm and asleep no later than 10:30pm. It’s a challenge but I will work on it.
5. Finish reading Jillian Michaels’ “Slim For Life”: If you didn’t know before, I’m a big Jillian Michaels fan. I’ve read all of her books and I’m a frequent listener to her weekly podcast. I’ve had her newest book, “Slim For Life” since it was released back in February. I haven’t taken the time to sit down and really read it. I’d like to finish the book and maybe do a book review for the website in the new future.
Willie and I have both set some goals for the month of April and we ask you to do the same. Write down you goals so that you know what you’re working for and at the end of the month see if you’ve met your goals. We look forward to seeing the goals people will set for themselves in the comments. And please also remember, a lifestyle change is journey of mind, body and soul so all goals for the day/weeks/month/year don’t have to be health or fitness related. It’s about creating a balance in your life. Remember to set reasonable goals that are obtainable but not too easy where you don’t have to work for them!
Please share your goals for the month of April with us in the comments! We are interested to see what you want to do this month and how quickly you achieve your goals!
