So the Motivation Begins...

With a new year/season upon me, I have watched my New Year's resolutions quickly pass by and become yet another statistic of ridiculous but failed attempts to better improve myself. I proclaimed to never eat sugar again, never let another sip of soda pass over my lips, and I'm pretty sure I said that I would give up dairy and something else. Notice something about my resolutions? They are all about food. I figure if I give myself the "all or nothing" option that it would help me to stay away from all of these things that really aren't that great for me. I'm trying to lose the few pounds that I managed to put on during my hiatus in the off-season that lasted a little too long.

Over the past few weeks, as I watch my friends get back into training schedules and signing up for races, I am still finding it hard to get motivated to train. This week I have successfully completed all my workouts but one (Sundays are hard to drag myself out of the house). Even though I have done that my eating has not been what is could or should be. I did well for a few days but eventually self-sabotage kicked in and I am back to square one.

I believe that to truly change you have to be willing and ready to be successful. I suppose I just wasn't ready to give-up the candy bars and diet coke. I feel strangely different today (after I ruined a perfect 3 day attempt to get off of sugar) and much more motivated than before. So I'm posting it here that I am ready to change my eating and get back to training. They say to post it somewhere that people can see it, it helps to keep you motivated when other people know what's going on.

I love the atmosphere that comes along with triathlon. It is an atmosphere that is unlike any that I have ever come across with overwhelming amounts of support, so much knowledge, and great people to train with. Along with that there is an obsession with performance, results, race weights, and numbers. With most people that I meet there is a thought process to get lighter, because theoretically the lighter you are the faster that you can go. I got sucked into that, focusing solely on what my weight was and not focusing on my results. Yes I love to win races, but the main reason that I compete in triathlon is to be healthy and to keep my weight under control.

So my vow for this upcoming season is to train to be healthy, to be fit and toned, and to compete with a uninjured, well fueled body. I will eat to live NOT live to eat. So here are the guidelines that I am setting for myself:

1. If it didn't have a mother or come from the ground, I will NOT eat it.
2. It is time for my beloved soda to stay on that grocery store shelf, permanently.
3. Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.
4. Avoid dairy, I'll make sure to take my vitamins instead.
5. Ride my mountain bike at least once a week, even if it's just for fun.
6. Post on my blog how this escapade of mine is going, the only way to keep myself accountable is to tell others what I'm doing.
7. Get STRONGER!

So there it is, the goals that I have set for myself starting on January 9, 2012. It's time to take myself and my training to the next level.

Oh and don't be afraid to ask/nag me about how it's going. That's a great way to keep me motivated.