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When I look back at the Good Health-A-Thon I think that I could have done more, that my partner and I could have done more. I think that we didn't set S.M.A.R.T. goals, that we really didn't set goals at all. I think that we didn't really give it our best effort. And then I remind myself that just because this is the end of the 2009 Good Health-A-Thon it doesn't mean that it's really over.
The things that we wished we had done, the goals that we wished we had made - they are still there. Just because this initial push is over doesn't meant that it's the end. We are not going to rest on our laurels (lazy laurels though they may be) - we wanted to do things like eat healthier and move more for a reason and that reason doesn't go away now. The Good Health-A-Thon set us up for the rest of the year. We know what we need to do.
Working out together hasn't exactly been a boon to us. We have different goals and different styles. He can exercise early in the morning while I'm still a sleepy lump. Just because we won't always be exercising together doesn't mean we'll never exercise together. Fit After Thirty offers advice for couples that want to work out together and I really liked what she had to say about this.
We could not (and should not!) work out every single day with each other. Instead, we’ve set aside a weekly time (as outlined in our previous post) to jointly exercise. If another time slot avails itself during the week, super. But, at the very least, we are assured a one-hour walk (although our walks do typically exceed that time-frame).
A one hour walk seems almost doable. We have excellent walking trails near us that we shamefully have not used. (We've lived here for almost a year.) With the weather improving all the time (yay!) a once a week walk sounds good. It sounds doable.
Jae just figured out what her fitness goals are for the year and she's discovered some relationship benefits along the way.
Lastly, goal number three is just something I've always wanted to do. When ever I see a runner I get a little tug of envy but I always thought I'd have to be skinny to run.
[...]
So while I haven't actually run at the gym, I have been going to a local park with E and D after E gets off work and we go running. Or rather, E runs, D rides his bike and I walk/run. It's been nice getting out of the house and it's been getting us talking, not necessarily just about us and our relationship but about everyday things that we'd stop talking about. And being out without any distractions we've been listening to each other too. It's been really sweet.
Snoodling's made a connection about her goals and why she doesn't always accomplish them. The catalyst for this discovery? She looks at what she wants to accomplish when her husband is out of town and what she actually does get done.
Yeah, I have a tendency to crater under pressure. And then I want to berate myself for not accomplishing goals that were too lofty to achieve in the first place. Self-sabotage much? I don’t think I realized until today that by not being realistic about my goals, I set myself up for defeat and give myself an excuse to not even try the next time. I’m not saying I shouldn’t push myself to do more than status quo, but I think I’ve realized that by not giving myself room to succeed I have more than enough room to fail.
By not giving myself room to succeed I have more than enough room to fail... I think that sums up a lot about fitness. You have to give yourself room to succeed and that's not something we did, either individually or as a couple during the Good Health-a-thon. This is despite the fact that we had the best of intentions. Going forward we have to give ourselves room to succeed, however it is we decide to define success.
How did you and your partner do with the Good Health-a-thon? What did you learn? What are you carrying forward into the rest of 2009?
Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.
