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Last spring at Get Rich Slowly, I wrote about the 101 things in 1001 days project (which I learned about from dienu.com). I drafted my list of 101 goals on March 25th, my 38th birthday. I updated my progress for a couple of months, but it’s been a while since I took a look at how I’m doing.
It’s probably no surprise that the financial goals on my list have seen the most progress. On the other hand, I’m far far away from completing most of my health and fitness goals. Here’s the list I set for myself:
Health and Fitness
14 goals
1. Give up sugar for a week 4 Jun 07
2. Eat only home-prepared food for one month
3. Eat vegetarian for one month
4. Get cholesterol to healthy levels
5. Have a colonoscopy doctor discouraged this
6. Complete a marathon
7. Complete a 100-mile bike ride
8. Play a team sport
9. Do 100 push-ups
10. Bench-press my body weight
11. Complete a one-mile swim
12. Maintain a weight of 170 or below for six months
13. Drink only water for one month 31 May 07
14. Give up alcohol for three months 31 Jul 07
There’s no question that these goals are ambitious — and I want to complete them by the end of 2009!
The real trouble, though, is that I’m having a hell of a time getting my act in gear with my diet and fitness. I know what I need to do, but I’m not doing it. It’s a problem.
Mac and Pam came over for dinner the other night. Mac’s looking slimmer — it’s obvious that his efforts are beginning to pay off. But I’m not able to string together more than two good days in a row. In order to meet my goals, I need to begin exercising greater self-discipline.
This morning, I weigh 207.0 pounds and have 33% body fat. This is exactly the same place I was two weeks ago. Obviously, nothing has changed. As I’ve done many times before, I tried to keep a web-based journal of my progress, but this lasted only about 24 hours. For some reason, I can’t make myself do it. I’m going to switch to a small notebook that I’ll carry in my back pocket. I’ll transfer data from this to FitDay whenever I have time.
I know this all sounds defeatist. I don’t mean for it to be. I’m not giving up. I’m just searching for the trigger that will get me going.
Happy New Year everyone!
Mac
10 responses so far ↓
1 J.D. // Jan 1, 2008 at 10:37 am
My family has a history of cancer. My grandmother died of colon cancer. One of my cousins died of colon cancer at the age of 46 last summer. My father and his brother both died of other forms of cancer at about age 50. Basically, everyone in the family is scared to death of cancer now. Some of us have been able to lobby our doctors for colonoscopies, but others have not.
My doctor tells me that none of the family history is strong enough to warrant such a measure. Mac’s wife, Pam, is a pathologist, and she concurs. So does another friend in med school. So, I’m not going to worry about it. Instead, I’m hoping to change my lifestyle to reduce risk factors I can actually control.
2 Don J // Jan 1, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Just wanted to say that the back pocket notebook is a great idea for weight tracking. I think it really is key to track every day, and having to get to a computer right after weighing in doesn’t work for me at all.
Keep at it! You can do it!
3 TosaJen // Jan 1, 2008 at 12:04 pm
JD said: “In order to meet my goals, I need to begin exercising greater self-discipline.”
Discipline, schmiscipline. Self-discipline and willpower are terms we use to beat ourselves up with. Then we feel bad and blame our failures on our innate inability to control ourselves. It’s like being mad because you can’t hold your breath for a day or two. Stop that! Now!
Eating well and moving enough need to become the default actions even when we don’t feel like it and don’t have the time or energy to think about them. That means that the easiest thing to do in most situations needs to be to eat well and move enough. I make an effort to set up my life to make eating well and moving more easier and eating junk and sitting around harder (or at least, less appealing). Y’know what — it works, most of the time. I still find situations that break “the system”, but when I figure out what’s not working I fix it. Repeat. My usual sig line is “Making the healthy stuff easier and the unhealthy stuff harder.”
Yeah, some things you can’t fix (parties, IL’s house, etc.), but those are exceptions. Most of the everyday situations you can change to support your health . A wise person told me that it’s what you do most of the time that counts.
I could fill up a few pages with examples (and have, in other contexts), and I’ve already talked about how vegetables get to my house (CSA and thoughtful shopping) and how exercise happens (5-10 options possible at any time, anywhere — pick one or feel lazy/dumb).
No willpower/self-discipline required. Just problem solving. It sounds like your wife is supportive and your worklife is going to become very self-directed, so you’re in the optimal situation to set up your life for the healthier.
Happy New Year!
4 Whitney // Jan 1, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Hi–there are a lot of quality books on the tenichalities of weight loss available, but one that I would recommend if you’re saying, “Damn, why don’t I just do the things I know I should do?” is by a pair of psychologists, called _The Ten Hidden Barriers to Weight Loss and Exercise_.
It’s not a how-to but it does provide good insight into “why or why not.” I haven’t lost much weight since I first read it, but I beat myself up a lot less and celebrate the successes I have had (more fruits and vegetables, less meat, etc.), which I think is one of the first steps. Best wishes.
5 JBohlinger // Jan 1, 2008 at 3:02 pm
If you want to run a marathon, the rest of the goals will seem easy. In fact, if you just start with that one, I am betting you will be able to do the rest.
Pick a marathon. Train for it. You can start now. There are training programs that have you run less than 3 miles at the start and will get you to the end.
If you want to eat veggie, write a meal plan out, shop for it, and then DO IT. Don’t say that you would like to someday do it.
If you don’t know how you are going to do it, it will not get done. It’s that simple.
6 Ryan S. // Jan 1, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Hey J.D.,
Fancy meeting you here
I have to some extent the opposite experience as you: I’ve been more successful losing weight than dealing with my finances (although my financial situation is pretty darned decent). I also have some of the same goals as you, some of which I’ve already done (I did the last two Honolulu Advertiser Century Rides–100 miles on the bike) and some I’m still working on (targeting the Honolulu Marathon this year). Good luck and I’ll do whatever I can to help you out!
-
Ryan
http://uncommon-cents.net/
7 Brigid // Jan 2, 2008 at 10:12 am
I’ve completed three marathons so far and I highly, highly recommend Jeff Galloway’s method of run/walk cycles. My last marathon (Detroit, Oct 21, 2007) I ran two minutes with a one minute walk break between. I completed it in 5:34. My fastest time was 5:17 Disney 2006.
I’m still about 20 pounds overweight, but it shows that you don’t need to lose weight to do some really incredible things. My motto has always been anything worth doing, is worth doing badly. This only meaning that anything worth doing is usually pretty tough and no one does it well right off the bat. If it’s easy, it’s not a challenge and it’s not worth writing about.
8 Dr. Pam // Jan 2, 2008 at 3:58 pm
JD - maybe the colon cancer scare is enough to get you to go vegetarian for your month. Vegetarianism is associated with decreased risk for many cancers, but none more than colon cancer. Also, you might look into taking an aspirin or ibuprofen tablet every day to decrease colon cancer risk. you could probably find good (ie. trustworthy) info about both without much difficulty on-line.
9 Rich // Jan 3, 2008 at 12:40 pm
JD, I’m a longtime GRS reader who just found this site. (I’m also a vegetarian cyclist training for my first marathon in November–my first 5k was in October). At the end of college, almost five years ago, I was roughly 100 pounds heavier than I am now (which is about 30 pounds heavier than my ideal weight. Getting fit slowly works. Best of luck!
One quick idea: try traineo at http://www.traineo.com. You can even put a widget on the site to show how many calories you’ve burned this week, pounds lost, pounds until goal, etc. It’s been a big help to me!
10 Kris in JP // Jan 5, 2008 at 11:15 am
Maybe you could hire a personal trainer? That way you will absolutely go exercise because you are paying for it. Whatever you need to do to make it happen. Also, yesterday in the WSJ there was an economist who said that if you make a bet that you will lose weight, and the financial hit will be big enough if you don’t, you will probably lose the weight.
Don’t think you need to make a bet to lose weight? Then make the bet. You aren’t going to lose the money.
Maybe the two of you could up the stakes if you are serious?
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