It's June 1. Six months into 2010. Six months since we entered the New Year with all sorts of health and fitness resolutions.
I will eat more fruits and veggies. I will drink less beer and wine. I will lose 10 pounds of fat. I will gain 10 pounds of muscle. I will run my first 15k. I will stop hitting snooze and get to the gym. I will become a superhero of strength!
Well, a hurricane season later, how's that workin' out for ya!?
I ask because I know that while I have achieved many of my goals for 2010, or am close to it, I have fallen short of other goals. I bet I'm not alone. It is, unfortunately for this Badass journey, human nature to become complacent.
That whole "drink more tea and less coffee" resolution? Well, I drink more tea - but I haven't really cut down on coffee. I simply drink more hot liquids. (Not so great when you have a bladder the size of a pea, by the way!)
I ran one 5K and did well, but haven't made it to a 15K. And that summertime figure competition? If it happens, it won't be until the fall. I have, frankly, gotten lazy with my diet - a few potato chips here, chocolate there. Not enough seafood, and not enough oatmeal. Sigh.
But I'm not going to give up or deem myself a failure. Nor should any of us in the Badass Army.
The No. 1 rule on the road to Badass is this: Keep reevaluating your route. Did you come out of the gate too fast and hit a wall? Did you get sidelined by something beyond your control? Was the goal you set, in hindsight, unrealistic? Did you simply get lazy?
If the answer to any of these things is yes, take a chill pill and sit back. It's OK. We all stumble.
As you head into summer (Yikes! Shorts and bathing suits!), be honest with yourself and where you are. Be honest about where you want to be, where you should be, halfway into a new year. And adjust accordingly.
You know you can do it. You know you want it. The fact that you're reading Badass Fitness is a sign that the determination is in there. Just summon it.
The mark of a true Badass is being able to find a new route toward the finish line. We have to avoid falling into ruts. We have to keep pushing, even if that push comes after a period of just sitting on the sidelines.
So my challenge to you this week is this: Make "New Half-Year Resolutions." Maybe they're the same ones you made six months ago. Maybe they're new. But make a list. Stick it on your computer, on your fridge, in your wallet or purse. Anywhere that ensures you will be faced with that list often.
Then stick to it. You've got six months. Make the most of them. And then maybe when December 2010 rolls around, you won't have to resolve to eat better or lose weight -- you'll have already done it!
And really, how Badass is THAT?!
Coming tomorrow: Upper body sidelined or limited? Focus on that Badass, and make it Bootylicious!
