Goal Setting and Weekly Challenge

I think that before starting a goal, it is important to know where you are starting from.  Here is where I am currently.  I want to start with three things that I love about myself.

The starting point.

1.  I have a killer smile.
2.  My skin is pretty awesome and low maintenance.
3.  I love to laugh at just about anything.

Positive, positive, positive.  But trust me, it is hard.  This picture is from the beginning of the month at my dear friends' wedding.  I had a blast from beginning to end and only cried a little because love is beautiful.  Weddings are awesome.  This picture is beautiful and I look beautiful, but, truth be told, I also think I look awful.

Next is where I want to be and how I want to improve myself.  Notice my word choice in that sentence.  IMPROVE myself.  I do not want to change myself, I am already awesome.  But like a fine wine, I certainly can get better with time.  Here is where I want to be and three things I want to improve upon.

Senior year of college me.

1. Drink more water.
2. Move everyday.
3. Incorporate more veggies in my diet.

These goals are attainable and reachable.  I would love to set a weight goal, but I think that can be silly and detrimental.  Obsessing over a number is not going to make me happy.  Do not get me wrong, I love watching that number fall, but that is all it is, a number.  The number I want to attain is fitting back into my size 4/6 jeans.

Numbers and looks can be deceiving.  Look at the picture of where I want to get back to.  There is plenty that is unseen.  You probably cannot see the hives all over my legs from stress, those shoes did not fit by the end of the night due to the swelling.  My slightly orange legs and Jersey Shore hair were the tell-tale signs of my hott mess express days.  But still at "my number."  I was not healthy at all.  Keep in mind I do not regret a thing, I think some people need to have a crazy period in their life to figure things out.

In my first picture I love what I see from the neck up.  But in my second picture, I like what I see from the neck down.  I am in an awesome place right now and it is time to let that be seen on the outside.

This morning I did weigh myself.  Turns out I gained .2 from last Monday.  I am not too distressed because of some other factors.  I can chalk it up to not drinking enough water.  Besides, today is the new day one!  With that being said I also took my measurements!  This will be more beneficial to getting into those jeans.  Take measurements of each upper arm, thigh, waist, hips, and your chest.  Remember that a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same amount.  A pound is a pound no matter which way you cut it, HOWEVER, muscle is LEANER and takes up less space!  Do not be tricked by that number!  I am sticking to weighing in on Monday mornings ONLY.  Your weight fluctuates throughout the day and the week quite naturally... get those measurements!

CHALLENGE TIME

Every Monday I will start a new weekly challenge.  Feel free to join me!

This week's challenge involves adding in the movement goal.  Let's be real for a minute, exercising is the WORST.  I have a full blown internal argument with myself everyday.  No more excuses!  This week we will start small.  Celebrity trainer Kit Rich uses the mantra of 3 Miles OR 30 Minutes EVERYDAY.  Extra snaps if you can do both at the same time #fitgoals.  It is totally manageable and not extreme, which is right up my alley.  No need to get crazy, just get better!

I am an avid Fitbit user, add me!  I am going to get up (gulp) EARLY for the rest of this week and knock out my three miles.  Throughout the course of the day I will definitely get more, but it is a great benchmark to start from.  More movement in Weight Watchers means more activity points, and more activity points means more YUM!

If I can keep this up for the week, I can better celebrate Jessica's birthday (that is her in the college picture!).  The plan is to enjoy both wine and cake.

Check in with me throughout the week and tell me how you got your movement in.  I will be walking all week long.  Tomorrow will come with my first recipe, somewhat healthy chicken cordon bleu!

Get moving!