Weigh 130lbs

I think the last time I actually tried to change the number that appears on the weighing machine was about six years ago in gym class. I think I did manage to lose some weight, but I don't remember how much.
In my recent memories, I have always remembered weighing in at around 140 lbs. On my light days I weigh around 139 lbs and on my heavy days I weigh around 141 lbs.
Sure, I've said to myself and to people around me, "I'm going to get fit and lose some weight."
..right. Like that ever happened.


Goal crazy that I am, I know that goals with a defined plan and a specific outcome are more likely to be achieved than those that don't. I, of course, neglected to implement that in my 'weight loss goal'.

My ideal number is 130lbs. Don't ask me why, I have no science to back it up; I just really like that number, it feels right to me. 

That's ten pounds. 

I commit to weight 130lbs by September 2012.

So there's my specific outcome.

It's not hard, it averages out to less than a pound a month. Tim Ferris,[http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/ ] mentions that there are you can lose weight by optimizing any of the three factors t: exercise, diet, and drug/supplement regimen.

To me improving [if not optimizing] exercise and diet make the most sense. I am going to go with a very common sense approach with titbits from health and fitness articles/research I look up over the course of the year.

The Plan

I hardly ever exercise. I know I should, and when I do, I enjoy it. However, I rarely ever do it. I may get started and keep it up for a week or two...and then it kind of fades into oblivion again. 

At the same time, I despair over my lack of a flat stomach and a behind that could probably do with some toning. I could also do with some stamina-building-blood-circulating-heart-enlarging cardio. I need to follow my own advice: if you aren't going to do something about it, stop complaining, or..do something about it!**

My latest class in the week ends at 5 pm. From past experience, I know that unless I bring a snack to the class, within an hour of that class ending, I usually want dinner. Not eating before exercising also promotes the burning of body-fat [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37492881/ns/health-fitness/t/get-rid-fat-dont-eat-workout/]. So taking a very light snack to eat before/during the class to stave off hunger, then heading to the gym for an hour, and then going home to dinner sounds like an good plan. 

I know from personal experience that I'm better at adhering to a daily schedule than a schedule that calls for something to be done only a few times a week. So I will do this everyday: finish my last class, head straight to the gym for an hour, and then go home to dinner.

When it comes to improving my diet, cutting out junk food is the first thought I have, my personal vice is Coca-Cola, I drink it excessively...I almost wonder if I'm not causing undue harm to my insides with all the poison Coca-Cola probably contains... never-mind calories. So I will do my best to limit Coca-Cola in my life..no more than two 500 [or is it 750] mL bottles a week.

Eating when I'm bored, I do that a lot, is something I definitely need to limit. My, not so common, common sense tells me that it's probably wise to eat only when I'm hungry, and to stop eating when I'm full. Sure there are exceptions: feasts and/or occasions where we overindulge a little bit, however, it shouldn't be a frequent occurrence. Drawing from Tim Ferris' philosophy, I'll limit my overindulgence to once a week at most.

I try to eat a healthy amount of carbs and protein, incorporating vegetables, meat, and grains into my diet as best as I can. I am not a very accomplished cook, though I fend for myself pretty well and can even whip out a fancy dish once in a while as well. I do enjoy cooking, in general, so I will try to be more conscious of the kind of food I prepare and try to make it as healthy as possible. Not too greasy, not too much starch, a lot of protein, definitely have some greens, etc.

So there you have it, a wordy and fleshed out plan to help me reach my goal of 130 lbs. This is not a hard goal in the sense that it seems an impossible goal to reach in the target time frame, rather, it seems more than feasible, I mean, it's just ten measly pounds, right? Yet, it is hard in that this is not something I have ever done before : deliberately improve my health in a specific and measurable way.

The more I think about this upcoming year and the goals I've set for myself, the more pumped I get for September to arrive. Something to give a very tiny amount of excitement to everyday life. =)

** I feel that tackling my tummy and not so toned behind is too ambitious for now, when I've never ever managed to affect my body deliberately. This year's Weight 130lbs goal can be a stepping stone towards the very long term goal of having a flat tummy and a nice[er] behind..so I do retain my right to complain. =D

Writing a 1000 Word Post Twice a Week

I like to write. 

Or maybe I like the idea of writing. 

Or maybe I like the idea of liking to write. 

I haven't really figured out which one it is, yet. Regardless, I firmly believe that I do not write enough. The snotty voice in my head repeatedly tells me, I'm not disciplined enough, I'm too fanciful, my head is always up in the air, my writing is complete and utter trash and my dream of crafting wonderful words that have people gripping the edge of their seat as they ride the emotional high of their lives will remain just that, a dream.

Again and again, every artist and every successful person in the world will tell you that practice is key, specifically, daily practice. If you want to write better/well/at all, write everyday. If you want to be a good swimmer, swim everyday. If you want to be a memory athlete, practice memorizing everyday.

Everyday.

Lazy and undisciplined as I am, I decided that if the very vague phrase 'write everyday' was one of my goals, I'd probably crash and burn within the first month, or the first week. No lies.

That's where this blog comes into the picture. 

I've tried countless times to maintain a personal blog and have failed every time. Each time there was a different reason. Lack of purpose, no posting schedule, too narrow a topic, too busy a posting schedule, little to no interest in topic, too vague a topic and the list goes on.

So I'm trying something very radical this time. Something I've never done before.

I'm blogging about me and my goals.

I love setting goals. I create goals obsessively. Nevermind achieving the goals I set, I  get a thrill from just setting one. I have lists and lists of goals. Some goals show up on practically every list because I've never managed to reach them, some show up once because I thought they were cool and then I never give them another thought, and some are long -term goals that are nowhere near in sight of the horizon yet. 

So what better idea than to marry my [questionable] love of writing to my [obsessive] goal-setting habit?

I know right?!

Everyday Twirls is a public log of my goals, the process, and the [hopefully] achievement of those goals. It's not a new idea, it's as old as blogs are, and it seems to have worked for many people. Helping them write AND achieve their goals.

On your right, you'll find my list of 12 goals to achieve in a year beginning September 1st. September marks the beginning of a brand new school year and it brings with it fresh energy and great momentum, so it seems natural to start my goal-year then as well.

The great thing about the nature of many of my goals is that they can provide a constant stream of writing material. 

So with that in mind, I have committed myself to writing a thousand word post twice a week. 

That is not to say that I can post only two times a week, but that two of my posts must be at least a thousand words, and there must be AT LEAST two posts a week, Sunday and Thursday. It's not a very hard goal to reach but enough to make me sweat a little. Harder goals are more exciting to achieve than [very] easy ones.

2011-2012 Goals

Sept 2011 - Sept 2012 Goals Write two 1000w articles weekly Weigh 130 lbs Read 52 books Project 365 Listen Give proofs of love Get straight A's Get dressed everyday Finish Cook a weekly special meal Complete a Programming Project Be the best Feast Coordinator I can be