...Ramblings

Whoa! I have been slacking on these posts. I hope you haven't been anxiously waiting to read my... well... ramblings. ;)

So, I've set the date for my Personal Trainer exam. 2/21/12! I'm so nervous. And excited. And terrified. There is so much information to know. So much anatomy. I'm a business major, this stuff is foreign to me. I can teach myself anything though, I was home schooled. ;) I'm slowly learning, and stumbling through the terminology. Why do all the words have to be so complicated? I sound like a little kid doing phonics trying to sound out the words. I still have a lot to learn but I will be ready by exam day.

Exam day isn't really what scares me the most though. It's what my future looks like after I pass the exam. People keep asking if I know what I'm going to do. Hmmmm... good question. I don't have that figured out 100% yet; that is what scares the crap out of me. I'm a planner. I like things to be planned out ahead of time and have no surprises. But I also knew what I was getting myself into, sorta.

I'm taking a break from studying (I've been at the library for 2.5 hours now and still have a while to go) to write this as my thoughts kept distracting me. I left the house because of distractions such as Coco, chores and TV. And of course, I brought a distraction with me, my racing brain. ;)

Well, more ramblings later this week. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my additional goals that I need to get written down. I'm still compiling them. There's a lot.

Love you all!

...Patience

It's only the 13th day of 2012 and I already want all my goals to be accomplished! I have no patience when I'm excited about something. I want it and I want it NOW. ;) I guess I should just chill and focus on my goals. There are still more goals to come - I haven't even formulated my health/fitness goals yet.

But here's a fitness goal for tomorrow: Finish the Big Dawg Challenge alive.

I'll be at Cincinnati Strength & Conditioning tomorrow participating in their 3rd OPT Big Dawg Challenge. I'll have to scale a few of the exercises, but here's tomorrow's workout.

1st hour: 5,4,3,2,1
C&J - 205/115#
MU's

(1 score = time)

2nd hour:
2K Row + Max DU's in 10 min

(2 scores = time for row and reps of DU's)

3rd hour:
15,12,9
R KB Snatch - 2/1.5 pd
L KB Snatch - 2/1.5 pd
Burpees - vertical body at top

(1 score = time)

4th hour:
12 min amrap
10 wall balls - 20/14# to 10ft
5 toes to bar

(1 score = reps)

Wish me luck!

...Setting & Achieving Goals

Oh no! I'm a day late already! I have a very good reason though. I was achieving one of my 2012 goals! Cleaning the office. It was such a mess and has been an eye sore for the past 12 months. The desk pad calendar was still on February, 2011. Yeah, it was a mess. It is now an office to be proud of!

Okay... back to what this post is suppose to be about: Setting & Achieving Goals. I LOVE setting goals. But what I love more is achieving them! It is an amazing feeling when you achieve a goal. You're missing out if you don't know what I'm talking about.

One of the most important things about goals is getting them written down. There's something much more official about a written goal versus one kept in your mind. Also, telling someone your goals will make you accountable - that's why I'm telling you. That said, here are my 2012 goals so far:

1. Schedule my Personal Trainer Certification Exam by 1/31/12 for no later than 2/29/12
2. Pay off debt (excluding mortgage) - this includes credit card, car loan & student loan by 10/31/13
3. Keep office (and the rest of the house, especially my side of the bedroom) clean by setting up a weekly schedule and sticking to it
4. Take more pictures and learn how to take better/more creative pictures
5. Find & sign up for a running/obstacle event
6. Read (not listen to) one "just for fun" book a month
7. Set specific health/fitness & nutrition goals (Yes, I just set a goal to set goals.)

I'm sure I'll have more goals to add to the list but this is as far as I've gotten.

If you're going to set some goals, here are some principles to keep in mind (taken from my Jan/Feb 2012 Women's Health Magazine but can be found on almost every website that talks about goal setting):

1. Specific: Vague goals leave too much room for cheating.
2. Measureable: You want to be able to gauge and quantify your progress for short-term and long-term goals. Set a daily, weekly or monthly goal.
3. Attainable: Before setting a goal, ask yourself if it's something you have the ability/skills to reach.
4. Realistic: Make sure your goal is one that you can actually reach based on your situation.
5. Time Sensitive: Set a deadline for your goals.

I hope you take a few moments to think about some goals and write them down. And, you can always share them with me. :)