10/22/2024
Accountability post
Those who were following, know that I set a goal for myself to drop 40 lbs by my 40th birthday (10/19). Around the halfway point, I had already dropped 22 lbs and was at my lowest weight in about 4 or 5 years. I was disciplined, I was focused, and I had a plan.
I can make excuses, and anyone that knows me well enough, knows I had several very good distractions this summer, but at the end of the day, I fell out of my disciplines and fell out of routines.
No one forced me to make certain food decisions, no one forced me to become complacent in my journey, no one forced me to skip workouts.
I went into this year with a plan, I was ahead of schedule for most of the year. When it came to implementing my own own workouts, I didn't push myself enough, as well as I opted to take days off.
The decisions I made, had me put most of that weight and hard work back on. While there were things that came up that took priority and precedence, I could've controlled what I consumed, I could've carved out 5-10 minutes a day of hard work, movement, and if the day allowed, I could've gotten a 30-60 minute workout in when I could. When my original plans changed, and schedules got thrown off, I could've made adjustments, and found time to get my movements in, found time to stretch and workout. Some movement, and even 10 minutes of a workout, is better than no movement and no workout.
Here's the beauty in everything. Even though I fell short of my goal, I know where my planning went off the rails, and I know what worked. So going forward, in my 40th trip around the sun, I can make better plans for this upcoming year, and I can refocus and strive to lose 40 lbs this year. I have the manual for what works, and I know what got me off my path to success, and I know how to get back on that path to success.
I have already started my journey, but here's to 40. This year will be a year of accountability for myself, I'm starting the journey sooner than last year, allowing myself more time to hit my goals, and instead of waiting to incorporate exercise, I have implemented exercise from go.
While my starting point last year was 244 lbs, and I got down to 222 lbs, my new starting point, as of my birthday this year, is 236 lbs. The only way to be truly accountable, is to be completely honest.
Again, my goal isn't just for losing 40 lbs, my goal is really to lose 55 lbs of fat, but add 15 lbs of muscle, for a net loss of 40 lbs. I may make adjustments here and there over time, depending on how my body is feeling and responding at certain weights, but for right now, this is my goal, this is my focus.
It is important to do assessments periodically as you go, for many reasons, progress being an obvious one, but you also want to know if you have any muscle imbalances going on, check in on different levels of soreness, but most importantly, to check in on how your body feels and is recovering from exercise, while also seeing how it is functioning at different points in the journey. Listen to your body, especially the older we get.
Set goals for yourself, make plans to reach those goals, and have strategic and periodic assessments to check in on your progress to know if your plan is working and what adjustments can be made. To be successful in this journey you have to be accountable and be honest with yourself.
Cheers to 40 and setting new goals! starts now!
