He shoots, He scores, He made the game winning goal.

     Been looking at goals recently. Not the World Cup kind, but fitness goals. I think (as does everyone in the fitness community it would seem) its vital to your success to have clearly defined goals set when you start your fitness journey. For myself I have a list of long term, short term and ongoing goals. You can even think of them as challenges. These goals are all about you, and what you want, what you're looking to do. They should be obtainable yet challenging. So here are my goals.

     Short Term :  (within 30 days) 

- Increase my overall time spent at the gym. Do more sets and reps. Going to shoot for 3 sets 15 reps, of different weight exercises.

- Lose 8-10 pounds in a month Roughly 2 pounds a week. 

- Increase my cardio to 45 minutes. As well as how far I go on the machine. For example do the equivalent of a 5k in 30 minutes.

- Clean up my diet, making it as healthy as possible, but not doing any fad diets. Organic and real food.

- Use the free weights at the gym more and the machines less.

- Hike.

      Short Term:  (within 4 months)

- Visit Montreal with friends for a guys weekend. 

- Run the Insane Inflatables 5k and run it in less time than past 5ks.

- Run the Color Me Rad 5k and run it in less time than past 5ks. 

- Play as much frisbee golf as I possibly can and improve my game. 

- Hike a few trails. looking at doing 5.

     Long Term: 

- Hike the John Muir Trail when I turn 40. Be at the top on my birthday. Take the 25 day hike with friends. 

- Run in as many 5ks as I can and within one year run a 10k. 

- Run the Boston Marathon by the time I'm 45.

- Do an Ironman competition.

- Hike the Appalachian Trail, again with a group of friends.

- Once a year take a trip to somewhere for a hike and backpacking with a group of friends. 

     On Going:

- Constantly improve myself in anyway that I can.

- Look for new challenges.

- Inspire people.

- Write about my progress in this blog. Possibly turning this into a money making venture.

- Have as much fun and enjoy life as much as I possibly can.

     Now you may notice that not all those goals are fitness orientated, but hey they are my goals. Your goal can be to reward yourself with a new pair of shoes. Or a new tattoo, whatever will help you get where you're going. What goals do you have? 

That moment.

       All heroes start their journey to greatness somewhere. Usually in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Pete Parkers started when he geeked out and went to watch a lab experiment. Ned Stark had no way of knowing that welcoming his oldest closest friend into his home would bring complete ruination to his family. He would have lost his head if he knew.....oh .....wait. Young Bruce Wayne could never have imagined the ramifications that going to the movies would have on his life. My point is that little random events can often lead to much bigger life changing events.
     So where did my journey start? Lol to be honest its hard to say. I guess the point that made me think about going to the gym and getting in better shape is when a friend asked me if I wanted to go the gym with him.  Go to the gym? I had made a very successful career in high school of avoiding the gym. Being an extremely overweight shy guy locker rooms were terrifying to me. ( Plus being a teenager you never knew when you would throw a bone. I mean the wind blows the right way and you're excited. I don't know how teenage boys function at all when most of the time there is very little blood in the head.....the one on their shoulders. But I digress.) But I decided to go, shocking even myself.
     When we got there I felt so out of place that it wasn't even funny. In the locker room I made a careful case study of the inside of the locker as I changed, making eye contact with NO ONE. Then when we went into the gym itself, its how Robin must have felt when Batman first showed him the cave. "What are all these machines?" "How do I use them?" "And Jesus I hope I don't make a fool of myself". Were all thoughts that went through my head. I kinda just shadowed my buddy as he went about his routine. It was fun but nerve wracking. I was convinced everyone was looking at me. They had to be thinking "Whats this fatso doing here?" I again avoided eye contact and spoke to one but my bud. I went a few more times with my friend and ended up getting my own membership there. I didn't enjoy it but I still went sometimes. I received a surprise when I took a fitness test and I was told that my bulk was 80% muscle. I showed my friend the results as I was still unsure of what all the fitness mumbo jumbo meant. But yeah I was stronger than I looked. I wont be lifting any cars over my head, nor do I have the proportional strength of a spider but ok.
     I was still unsure of what I was doing and felt out of place but I was assured that everyone felt the same way.  Another friend pointed out that the mirrors in the back weren't so people could watch you, but so they could watch themselves. Turns out we are all vain. l kept feeling like an ill fit. Then out of nowhere it hit me. Just go. Who cares if you don't fit in. You can't be exceptional if you want to be like everyone else.  So I put on my Batman Under Armour shirt hopped on a machine and did some cardio. I stopped worrying what I thought people were thinking about me and just went to it. And I have loved it.
     So thats my turning point. When I agreed to go the gym with my friend, I couldn't have known what it would eventually lead to. Some awesome changes I have taken note of are the following.
-I have a lot more energy. Like I drive myself nuts with looking for things to do to eat up some energy.
-My back is no longer sore all the time.
-Im in a better mood.
-I sleep SOOOOOOOO much better.
-Confidence is way up.
     Try it yourself. Start working out at least 10 minutes each day. And you will notice a change. Also what was the turning point for you in your life? What made you choice to live a healthier lifestyle? I would love to hear from you. Peace out.