My younger brother lives in California, while the rest of the family resides on the east coast. He enjoys visiting us, but does not like to fly. Last year’s summer adventure taught me a lot about setting goals and maintaining perspective on my journey to a healthier life. More after the jump.
WHEE (Weight, Health, Eating and Exercise) is a community support diary for Kossacks who are currently or planning to start losing, gaining or maintaining their weight through diet and exercise or fitness. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are working on your weight or fitness, please -- join us! You can also click the WHEE tag to view all diary posts.
Last summer, my flight-averse brother convinced me to fly out to LAX, hop in his car and drive in with him. While my goal was to get back home to Connecticut, we certainly did not take the most direct route. We left LA at 9PM... and a short while later we watched the sun rise over the Grand Canyon. A trip through Monument Valley in Utah, then a beautiful run across Colorado on I70 brought us into Denver just in time to catch a Rockies game. In the morning, we headed north for breakfast in Cheyenne, then celebrated the fourth of July with the presidents at Mount Rushmore. Visits to Wall Drugs and the Mitchell Cow Palace, Notre Dame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were must-see-stops on our trek back East. In total, we traveled 3,650 miles over four days – about 800 miles more than we would have if we took the most direct route.
Fast forward to this year (yes, there’s a WHEE angle here, I promise!)
Stepping on the scale in January, the numbers climbed to heights never before seen... 231 to be exact. Normally, when I entered "diet mode" I would set my sights on a reasonable goal. Ten pounds. Maybe 15. Something I could knock off in a month or two, because I knew my attention span was limited.
Thinking about this recent cross-country trip, however, I decided to set a "long-distance" goal. I would lose 70 pounds and get down to 160—a weight I have not seen since the summer before I took a job working at a deli back in 1979.
And like that cross-country trip, while I know exactly where I am going—my final desitination—I am not obsessed with getting there in the shortest possible time. There are days when I am in high gear (salad for lunch) and moments when I am off the beaten path (cough, Coldstone, cough). I have days when I am making progress (on the treadmill at 5:30AM) and moments when a detour is in order (let’s sleep in today).
The point is – setting a long-term goal has made it possible for me to measure my progress using a more realistic yardstick. In my past efforts to get healthy, when I would look to lose 10 pounds in a month, I would weigh in every day. Any "detours" would lead to instant discouragement. (You failed!)
Now when I weight myself in, ups and downs are expected on a day-to-day basis. And if I lose only two pounds this month, that’s two pounds closer to my goal.
I will get to 160. My final destination is in sight. I can see it on the map. And if it takes a bit longer to get there, well, I guess that’s just part of the fun.
How about you... do you have a long-term goal? Does it help provide some perspective?
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