Basically, I've decided to kick some ass and get into really good shape this year. I've also decided to blog about it, because what better motivation than some accountability? It's also a much better way for me to keep track of my progress and set some concrete goals, rather than just trying to store all that info in my brain. Ain't nobody got time for that.
THE WHAT:
Super general goals: Lose some weight, gain some muscle. Simple as that.
To break it down further:
1. Lose 15 pounds, without losing too much muscle mass.
2. Lose said weight without going insane in the membrane. A healthy relationship with food and healthy eating habits outweigh any weight loss. Woohoo!
3. Be able to maintain said loss. Maintaining is harder than losing, imo. We'll get there when we get there.
4. Have some semblance of some abs. They're there.... just shy. Hiding under some fat.
5. Do an unassisted chin-up by June 1.
THE WHY:
Well, a number of reasons. I have a bunch of awesome stuff going on this year, and I want to look good and be fit for them. I'm going on a cruise (!!!) in the middle of February (which, dang, is coming up REAL fast), then cosplaying something (dunno what yet) at PAX East in April, then doing Tough Mudder (!!!) in late May, then going to the beach at some point during the summer, and doing summer-y things. Then a very good friend's wedding in September, and then after that, nothing, because at that point the northeast turns into a barren wasteland of snow and despair.
I'd also just like to prove to myself that I can do this, dammit! Chyeah.
THE HOW:
Super general: Work out, eat healthy, eat less.
Breakin it down:
1. Doing 30 minutes of some form of cardio 4 times a week. It's a long cry from my marathon running days, but for now, it's more than what I've been doing in the past few months.
2. Lift weights. Plank. Do some chin ups. Rock out in general.
3. Track my food intake. I do best when I'm actually measuring things out and tracking everything. Neurotic, maybe, but at least to start, it leaves out the guesswork of how much a cup is, and how many calories those crackers are, etc. I'm using My Fitness Pal for this, which works pretty well.
4. Minimize my weekend pizza/alcohol/junk food intake. I'm not about to cut it out completely but I don't need to go balls to the wall when it comes to downing bacon pizza and chugging beer. Mmmm... bacon pizza.
5. Cook more healthy meals. I'm not going paleo or nothin, but I'd like to get some more "real food" in my diet, rather than just Lean Cuisine meals and protein granola bars. I'm subscribed to Cooking Light, which is cool. I'm also subscribed to this thing called the internet. So there's no reason for me to not find some legit recipes to make.
THE WHERE:
At my brand-spankin new (to me) gym, Planet Fitness. Although it's been dubbed the gym franchise that "celebrates mediocrity," (no heavy dumbbells, a barrel of tootsie rolls to dive into on the way out (so far I've managed to decline) and tanning machines), I've found it's got everything I need. No, I don't tan. I'll leave that for Snooki. But I do like me some treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, stretching/ab work area, and weight machines. And TEN dollars a month?? That'll do, pig. That'll do.
Once the weather gets warmer and my knee stops being stupid, I'll take to the great outdoors and actually run again. Since we are permanently in the Arctic here these days, I'll save that for later.
So far this year (as in, the past 2 weeks), I've been doing great. Lost 2 pounds already to bring me to 151. Ideally I'd like to be 135, and I don't mind it being a longer process, so I'm actually expecting things to slow down a bit. I'm aiming for a pound a week or less on average. Next post I'll get more into my current stats and what progress has been made so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment