Planning for 2011: Habits

Makes sense that the hardest part of achieving goals–developing good habits–has been the most difficult for me to write about.

It’s easy to say that I want to hit 190 by the end of 2011 (a loss of 20 lbs), but it’s hard to commit to the necessary daily habits. You have to have both, though: the goal and the habit.

Without the goal, the habit is sheer white-knuckling. It’s about will-power, and after a while that’s just plain not enough.

To use the weight loss example, the taste of being at a particular weight and fitness level has to be there or else the taste of donut holes and bloomin’ onions will always win out.

When that vision of being slimmer, more nimble and flexible, more in shape, goofing off with my kids, running around a playground is embedded in my mind, the daily challenge of exercise and healthy eating choices becomes less of a challenge.

If I fast forward another five or ten years and evaluate my current choices, how likely is it that I’ll be playing sports or riding bikes or then fast forwarding 5 years playing sports or riding bikes with the kids? And If I shoot forward 30 years, what kind of 70 yr old man will I be if I stay on my current trajectory?

The 70 yr old Brett isn’t the result of what I do when I’m 70. He’s the result of what I start building into my life now. I’m not 25 anymore. It’s imperative that I realize that each small, daily decision, compounded over time, will produce certain results.

So… my habits, sprinkled with a few personal challenges (sometimes I work well with 30 day at a time challenges):

Fitness: 3-4 runs or walks a week. If I can get 2-3 hours of light cardio going, I might not be doing an Ironman, but I won’t be a lazy sack of potatoes either.  I need to develop a strength training plan. I’m normally pretty old school (love old-fashioned bench press, squats, bent-over rows), but don’t have easy access to equipment. It might be time to find an exercise ball and some dumbbells.

Eating: My current challenge (for the month of January): No burgers, fries, sausage biscuits (or chicken equivalent) or hash browns or anything like that at a fast food or quick food restaurant.

Faith: Memorize Romans this year. I had an old method of Scripture memory–pick a small to medium passage and repeat it every day for a week for seven weeks, introducing a new passage each week. After the 49 days, you repeat the passage once a week for 7 weeks, and so on. I’ve not done the math, but if I get through a big chunk of that great Epistle, I’ll be the better for it.

Family: It’s all about growing closer. The only way to do that is quality time. I’d like some individual time with each child once a month. It’s hard to have serious conversation with the 2 yr olds, but I want face time with them. And my daughter, in particular, needs the time.  2 date nights a month is what the doc ordered for me and my wife. It’s so easy to revolve ourselves around running a house and taking care of the children.

Whether you call them resolutions or habits or goals or whatever, these are on my list this year (and scheduled for monthly review–along with a few others).

Here ends my planning for 2011. Now it’s time to hit the sack so I can get up tomorrow and get a run in.  You know, it’s 11:45 and I want to get up at 4:50 to get a run in. Let’s add ‘go to bed by 10:00pm’. Nothing good happens after 10:00.

Happy New Year!