Goals & Guidelines for 2012

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." ~ Confucius6 years ago I created a new post titled "Goals & Guidelines" which outlined in detail my goals and how I planned to achieve them. I was rereading past posts and thought that it was important to reapply that post to 2012, so here it is. This post will present my overall goals & guidelines for 2012, which focuses on 3 categories: Fitness, nutrition & mental health (BALANCE). I'll list my overall goals, followed by specific goals & the guidelines that I plan to follow to achieve my specific & overall goals.

At some point in the near future, I'll create a new post dedicated to each of the 3 categories outlining how I plan to accomplish the goals specific to that category using the S.M.A.R.T mnemonic.

Overall Fitness Goal: I would like to become far more physically active this year. I want to improve my cardiovascular capacity and my overall strength. As I lose weight I'm hoping my knee will be able to withstand more strenuous activities.

Fitness Activity Goals:
1. Complete the "One Hundred Push Ups Training Program"
2. Complete the "CIBC Run for the Cure"
3. To start rollerblading.
4. To start hiking (local trails).
5. To start Kayaking.
6. To start Snow Shoeing.

Fitness Guidelines:
1. To upload my BodyMedia collected data daily.
2. To burn +3300 calories each day.
3. To burn +750 more calories than I consume.
4. To get +60 mins exercise each day (50 mins moderate & 10 mins Vigorous).
5. To walk +5000 Steps each day.
6. To purposely park father away from my destination.
7. To allocate 1 day a week to rest.


Overall Nutrition Goals: I recognize that this is one area that needs to be completely overhauled in my life. The funny thing is that I actually well read & educated on the topic. My goal is to successfully use this knowledge and put it into action.

Nutrition Guidelines:
1. To log my meals & snacks daily. (Using BodyMedia "Activity Manager")
2. To drink 8+ 8 oz glasses of water each day.
3. To eat 5-6 times daily.
4. To eat slowly, chew more and enjoy my food.
5. To consume 5-10 servings of fruit & vegetable each day.
6. To reduce/eliminate Saturated Fat and Trans Fats.
7. To reduce sodium intake to below 2300 mg/day.
8. To prepare & eat more meals @ home, while reducing dining out.
9. To eliminate visits to Fast Food Restaurants when dining out. (Banned List)


Overall Mental Health Goals: In the past I've allowed stress to build up without a means of coping with it beyond the comfort of food... I've always been an emotional eater. My new goal is a two pronged approach. Firstly I need to reduce the overall stress in my life. Secondly I need to create new coping mechanisms to deal more effectively with stress. Achieving/following my above fitness goals/guidelines would be a great start.

Mental Health Guidelines:
1. To get between 7-8 hrs sleep daily.
2. To allocate +15 mins daily to reading.
3. To listen to music often.
4. To research & start practicing meditation/relaxation techniques.
5. To take 2-3 mins every hour or so to take few deep breaths/stretch.
6. To organize and complete a weekly To-Do list.
7. To maintain my blog & relationships online.
8. To keep contact with my friends & family.
9. To have 1 cheat meal & desert each week.
10. To leave work @ work.

P.S: Sherri wanted to know where the "Sherri" category was and I had to explain to her that she was an integral part of the other 3 categories.... to which her response was "but where is the buy Sherri presents goal?". It's going to be a long year....lol.

I plan to update/modify this list throughout the year!