Goals!

Greetings!

Today I hit the gym super early, as I love to do, and gave my all on a biceps/back workout. Normally I do three back-focused exercises and two biceps-focused ones. Today I threw in a third biceps exercise, the hammer curl, to give my little arms some extra workout. I’m finally noticing a change in their appearance, and it’s motivating me to push harder!

Yesterday I talked about my goals. Let me share a little more about them.

Short term goals:

•          Lose weight and get down to 150 lbs.
•          Be more comfortable in my favorite clothes.
•          See ab definition when standing relaxed.
•          Attain a cut between my bicep and my shoulder.
•          (Recently added) – Run a 5k.

Goals 1 + 2 – Since starting this program a month and a half ago, I have lost roughly 8 pounds! I don’t have an effective means for measuring my body fat %, but I know that it has gone down too. This is exciting! Because of this 8 lb. difference, my clothes already fit better. Perhaps the most enjoyable change is that my pants no longer feel so tight that I must loosen them whenever I’m sitting down (yeah, I was doing this).

Goal 3 – Hello abs! It’s been far too long since I’ve seen you guys. When standing relaxed, I can now visually make out the top four abs. When I flex, there’s no denying it. Every trainer will tell you: “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.” This is true, since most of us store fat in the midsection.

*SpeedyTip: Want great abs? Start by changing your diet. All the ab exercises in the world won’t remove the fat stored on top of them. All the work you’re doing is certainly making those abs look sensational, but if nobody can see them, then what’s the point?

Goal 4 – I can finally see where my bicep meets my shoulder. They curve in slightly before they meet. I think this increases the biceps’ appearance of size. At any rate, I’m happy with what’s going on.

Goal 5 – Oh golly. The mother of all goals. I registered for a 5k! I hate running! I hate cardio in general, but running takes the cake. Mmmmm…cake….

This is the coolest cake in the world...

Focus! I decided that I want to be a runner. I decided to take something I hate and make it something I love. So far, I don’t love it. I certainly don’t hate it as much anymore, but I definitely don’t love it. In the spirit of setting goals I figured, “Why not set a running goal, Speeds?” “Because I hate running, Speeds.” “You should work on that.” “Okay.” “Well, that was easy! Let’s do a 5k!” “@#%&#$%!!”

This is currently where all of my attention is. I have boosted my cardio significantly in an effort to quickly condition my lungs to withstand the punishment. To my credit, it’s going well. (Not “going good”, because “good” is not an adverb. Read the SpeedyTips at SpeedyEdits.com for more information on that.) Here’s an image of my “Speedy’s ‘Get Ready for the 5k’ Conditioning Plan”.

Surprisingly enough, I’m enjoying all of this running. Setting a small goal and accomplishing it sends “good feelings” to my brain.

Do you like “good feelings”? Well, why not set a small goal and get after it? Make it a goal to take a 15-20 minute walk after dinner every night for an entire week. After seven days, think about what you’ve accomplished. That’s an easy goal to reach, and may just be the first goal you take to changing your life.

Who knows?

How about sharing your goal with me? I’ll stand by your side and encourage you until you reach it.

Till next time,

Cheers, and stay motivated

S