POST #4: GOAL POST

"You must have long-term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."

-Charles C. Noble

I don't want to have any failures, short-term or otherwise, but we all know that life gets in the way of our plans sometimes.

But plans are the only way to succeed with fitness - especially prior to a big date (like your wedding date, ahem).

What are your goals? What's your timeline?

For me, I have until August 4th, 2012, to fit into the gown of my dreams (it's a Claire Pettibone, thereby making it the best kind of dress ever). That's exactly 267 days, or 9 months away from today.

Nine months??? you ask. Yes, I will spend nine months getting ready. Not two weeks or six weeks or two months. You have to start as early as possible, otherwise you will just be crash dieting, not changing your fitness habits.

Though, of course, there always things you can do in the last few weeks leading up to your wedding to give you that extra boost. But let's start back here, in "just engaged" land. We're not quite to "let's look like Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts" land. We'll get there later.

For now, let me share some of my goals:

Goal #1: Lose a total of 11 inches by August 4th, 2012.

*"Lose a few inches?! But you're already skinny!" Go read my "You're Already Skinny" post. I'm not trying to starve my muscle off here. I'm trying to slim down and tone up. Inch loss is a good indicator that you've succeeded in this endeavor - not weight loss.

Goal #2: Be able to lift 12 pound weights through a whole workout by August 4th, 2012.

*I am an utter weakling. I've always wanted to be able to heft around 12 pound weights during a workout. It would make me feel pretty bad ass.

Goal #3: Wear a bikini at the beach without a cover-up by next summer, 2012.

*Blah, blah, blah. Don't give me that hoopla about feeling good in a bikini now. Don't want to hear it. I know there are other beach cover-up types out there too! Let us unite and throw the beach covers into the ocean together next summer.

Pretty simple but well-defined goals. A good goal should include a definitive/quantitative intention with a deadline. That way you can measure your successes on the way to your end-goal.

Feel free to share your goals. I'd be interested in seeing what other brides/fitness types are trying to accomplish.