Update #3

Hey folks out there in e-blog land........I have created my vision board : )  It is too cute too!!  I have small wallet size copies all around to remind me daily of what I am working towards.  I have an abbreviated vision board this year because I am targeting a very specific area of my life.... MY HEALTH.  In general I am considered a pretty healthy individual,  I am not overweight and I exercise 1 to 2 times a week.  I have even run several 5k's and typically have a good amount of energy to do the things I want to do.   But I have a hidden secret.....My eating habits are CRAP.  There, I said it.  I get nowhere near the amount of cardio, water, green vegetables or fiber that my body needs.  And the older I get, I REALLY realize how important it is for me to treat my body well.  My metabolism is crawling now, I already had hormone issues, and if I had not started this laser hair removal, I would have a full grown beard.  Not sexy.  So I have made a conscious goal this year to get my body used to being treated well, so that it just won't accept anything else. 

So what does that entail?  First...WATER.  I absolutely must give my body the fuel it needs to survive.  I sometimes add a little Crystal Light to my BubbaKeg(by the way, they are the BOMB for meeting your water requirements) when I need some pizazz.  But I have researched and found that I need 10 eight ounce glasses of water daily to remain hydrated and flushed.  Now some of that can and will come from the foods that I consume, but to have a daily goal of 10 glasses is the right start.  Have I done it yet?  Not quite.  But I got the BubbaKeg and I just came up with the goal last week so give me a minute to put it in practice  :) 

Second....CARDIO.  I am actually very good at my resistance training.  I typically go 1 to 2 times a week and use the weights, but I only do it for 30 to 40 minutes.  I am not in the gym all day...I have important things like eating, shopping, happy hour and sleeping to do.  And please forget getting up in the morning(as has been suggested) and starting my day off with a good 40 minute exercise.  The bed feels too good.  But after further review, it appears I am doing the proper number of sets and full body exercises necessary for strength training.  I was even told that my 40 minute rule was good because I don't take long breaks...... usually 30 seconds and I'm on the next set or exercise.  But where I am dangerously lacking is cardio.  I hate the treadmill and elliptical.....I try running but I can't stay consistent.  That's why I am aiming for 4hrs of cardio a week.....I can chop it up however I want to....an hr here, 20 minutes there, 10 minutes over there....JUST GET IT IN!!!  I'm good for 2 weeks in a row achieving this goal.  Wish me luck that I keep up.......My body has never gotten to that place where I feel funny if I haven't worked out......I want to get to that point.

Third....NUTRITION.  Did I mention that I my eating habits are crap?  They really are.  The only times I eat a balanced meal is when I get the daily special from Deli on the Green, when some girlfiriends and I get together and have dinner or when mother is in town or I visit her.  I have passed the fast food junkie stage....that's not my issue.  My issue is that I don't prepare fresh green veggies and my meal combinations are weird.  Who eats bologna and cereal for dinner?  I do.  salami & crackers with cream cheese and jelly?  me again.  a bag of that minute garlic & herb rice?  you guessed it again ME.  WTF?  why the face?  Why do I find it so hard to make and eat a balanced meal?  I love veggies......I just hate making food for myself.  And then I get tired of the leftovers.  That's why one of my goals for this year is to try a new recipe a week.....just to get me in the habit of actually preparing food and not just throwing whatever is fast and in the kitchen together.  This may be the hardest to accomplish.  Maybe I should invite a different friend over for dinner  once a week....that may also encourage me to keep my house clean........hmmmmmm

If I accomplish my goals I get a prize!!  How am I measuring this goal?  By body fat/BMI.  Forget what the scale says but to get my body into an energy producing, fat blasting, hydrated machine.  I really don't know how else to measure, this seems to be the best way.  My target date is 6/30/11 because I MUST stay consistent.  I have a very realistic goal and looking only to drop 3% BMI, but if I don't set my goal until the end of the year,  I will be lax until after the summer.  As I stated earlier, I have made a conscious goal this year to get my body used to being treated well, so that it just won't accept anything else.  Perhaps that will flow to other parts of my life as well.......