Goals, Not Resolutions

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. They're always well-intentioned, but not very practical, at least in my experience. Emotionally driven, accompanied by lots of enthusiasm, and then they fall flat in a few weeks or (if I'm lucky) a month or two. Instead, I prefer to set goals for each year. The trick, I've found, is to make them concrete: measurable, and with time goals. For instance, if I want to save money, I'll set myself a goal of $X by June 1, say. That way, when the date rolls around, I have an easy way to gauge if I've met the goal.

So here are my health and fitness goals for 2007:
1. Lose the last 50 pounds by December 31; this includes smaller goals of 10-15 pounds at different dates through the year.
2. Return to a healthy diet. This one's harder to measure, but my plan is to consume 1800-2000 calories/day, with no more than 30% of the calories from fat. In order to lower my cholesterol, this includes less than 14 grams of saturated fat and 200 milligrams of cholesterol daily.
3. Continue walking at least 20 miles per week. I also want to walk at least 1 and preferably 2 half-marathons in 2007.
4. Add cross-training and strength training to my exercise regimen. This is something I've struggled with in the past. My goal by the end of the year is to have 1-2 days of cross-training (biking, swimming, etc.) and 2 days of strength training per week.

As you can see, I have some tough goals to meet. But I'm also confident I'll get there. The key, for me, is patience, mostly with myself. And to realize I have a whole year to get there, not just a few weeks. I'll post updates as I go through the year, including progress reports each month.

Here's to a healthier 2007 for all of us!