Mission Statement

I just turned 31 years old. The older I get the faster time slips by. Birthdays have a cruel way of putting that in perspective for me. I am now firmly in the adult camp. Throughout my 20s I have gained and lost the same 20 pounds but never made a permanent lifestyle change that would get me to a healthy goal weight. Maybe you can relate?

If now isn't the time to clean up some of the ragged edges in my life, when is? I'm choosing to make want this year about major positive growth. So I'm throwing down the gauntlet for myself publicly. Really, what would my life look like if I wasn't always worrying about my health & my weight? Day by day, I will share my journey here. Here are my personal goals:

Run 1,000 miles this year
Yeah. I'm not a runner. But I am in awe of the lean joggers I see running from the sedentary safety from inside of my car. It seems almost like a miracle to imagine myself so light on my feet with breath to propel me through a long run. Even as a youngster (a husky youngster, I admit) I couldn't run in PE class. So this would be a HUGE accomplishment for myself. I did the math and I could run 1,000 miles this year is I ran approximately 3 miles per day. I'll log my journey here, every purple faced, shin splinted moment of it. I invite anyone reading this who would like to to join me in the comments.

Lose 31 pounds this year
Today I weigh 175 pounds. With a strong and frightening family history of weight related health problems including early death related to stroke, adult onset diabetes, and heart disease, I really can't use my youth as an excuse to be fast and loose with my health. I'm not in my 20s anymore. I'm firmly in my 30's and it's time to address my weight permanently and start a reasonable preventative regime. I'll publicly weigh in here (what am I thinking??!) and keep everyone posted on good weeks and bad. If anything in my story appeals to you, Join me. My challenge is to weigh 144 pounds by March 8th 2011.

Document my journey here
In the past, I have had a difficult time sticking to health plans & being consistent. I'm inspired to see what people can do when they work with the right structure. Has anyone else been watching The Biggest Loser?! I can't go on the Biggest Loser (although I do have some Jillian Michaels DVDs for at home workouts) but I can create effective structure for myself. This blog is part of that. Thanks for reading & helping me with the support I need to make this happen.