Goals.

As I prepared for this deployment, I spent a little time thinking about goals. Even though I work much longer hours here than at home, there is still plenty of time for other activities. Some people focus on schoolwork, others on fitness, and some people spend their free time drinking and socializing. I decided to do a little of each.

 Accordingly, the tentative title for my goal was 100/100. That stands for 100 drinks/100 miles. However, as I worked along towards my goal, I realized that the 100 drinks part is counter-productive. Why bother working out and eating clean if I’m only going to drink at the end of the day? Therefore, I am dropping the drinking.

 On the running front, as of today, I’m down to 85 miles to go. I run 3 miles, 3 times a week and swim on the opposite days. That gives me 6 solid workouts a week, with one day to rest. I plan on upping the mileage weekly as well. My goal is to both increase endurance and drop my 5k time. Over time, I’d like to get somewhere near the 25 minute mark.  Right now I’m around 28 minutes. How awesome would it be if I got good enough at swimming to do a (short) triathlon?

In addition to running and swimming, I’m focusing on eating clean. That means not only eating healthy overall, but dropping several “bad” foods from my diet. In an effort to achieve my most defined abs ever (which really isn’t saying much), I’m eliminating all carbonated beverages. This includes diet soda. I’m sticking to water (with or without Crystal Light added) and skim milk. Overall, I already am a healthful eater, but I want to really concentrate on cutting out the junk.

 Today I had one of my best runs ever. By that I mean that I was able to up my speed continuously and finish strong, all while still feeling fairly comfortable. In my opinion, the key to running success is music. I downloaded a few songs this week and added them to my playlist. I think they’re motivating, so if you’re looking for some new additions, I recommend:

1. Anything from the new Coldplay album
2. Give It 2 Me– Madonna
3. Moneymaker- Ludacris
4. Maneater- Nelly Furtado

I also have a few dieting/healthy eating tips to pass along.

1. Instead of blended coffee drinks, try plain iced coffee. You can even add skim milk and a little sugar without consuming nearly the amount of calories and sugar in traditional blended drinks. At home, I make a pot of hazelnut coffee, put it in a pitcher, and store it in the fridge. That way it’s always ready to drink! Way cheaper than Starbucks- and since I don’t buy soda, it’s a low-fat, low-cal caffeine source when I’m dragging.
2. As I mentioned earlier, drinking water is key. There is a huge variety of drink mixes out there that you can add to “mix it up”- I particularly like Crystal Lite Sugar-Free Iced Tea with Lemon. It’s delicious!
3. If you’re craving ice cream (or something equally bad for you), try just a bite. Usually that is enough to make me happy without wrecking my day, eating-wise. Try eating a spoonful of ice cream or only a few fries. I find that eating 3 fries now is better than denying myself and downing a whole serving later.

Do you have any diet/fitness tips you'd like to share?