Setting Realistic Goals for the Journey

By Don Otis

What is on your “bucket list?” If you saw the film starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, you know what I mean. What do you want to accomplish in life? What habits do you want to change? As the old saying goes, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” In fitness, as in any area of our lives, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, change must be intentional.

As a personal trainer, I know how important goals are. We need to define them so there is no ambiguity. For example, I reached the summits of two 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado this weekend. My long-term goal is to do all 54 of them in the state. While it is a lofty goal (pun intended), it is achievable. Maybe your goal is to lose 15 pounds or to finish a 5 K run. Whatever it is, start now, start slow, and be realistic.

In two weeks, I will tick off another item from my own bucket list. It is the Pikes Peak Ascent. Ever since I first read about this race, I wanted to do it. It is a 13.3-mile race to the top of 14,110-foot Pikes Peak. I realized earlier this year that if I was ever going to get it done, I had better sign up for it now. What do you want to accomplish?  Write down some goals for yourself. Then, tell someone who will hold you accountable.

Bigger goals take littler steps. For example, if you want to run a marathon, you have to start with what you can do–shorter runs. You need a plan. You need direction. Because we live in an instant-everything society, we want our success to be easy. The things in life that mean the most to us rarely come easily. They take work. They require sacrifice.

A week ago I did a 10-mile training run at 10,000 feet in the pouring rain. It was no fun. I was cold and muddy. My knees ached. My quadriceps screamed. In reaching for any goal, we learn to push through discomfort and excuses. There will always be distractions. Expect resistance. Expect setbacks. Expect to feel lousy some days. Keep your eye on your goals. No one will ever care as much about whether you reach your goals as you do.

To get you going with goal setting, keep these principles in mind:

1.Your goal must be achievable. If you set your goals too high, you will become discouraged. It is better to set realistic goals that you can meet within one to three months. You can always revise and rework your goals.

2.Your goal must be measurable. Be specific. For example, “to lose weight” is not specific. It is better to say, “To lose 10 pounds in two months.”

3.You must have a plan. How will you lose 10 pounds in two months? Write it down. This can be as simple as saying, “I will walk 30 minutes a day five days a week.”

Be patient. Be consistent. Remember that anything new takes time getting used to doing. Our lives are short. Our bodies are wearing down, but God calls us to be stewards of this marvelous machine.

Don S. Otis is the author of Staying Fit After Forty and a personal trainer living in Canon City, Colorado. He can be reached at Don@veritasincorporated.com © 200

Summer Is Over, Now What?

By Don Otis

For many of us, summer is filled with activity. We take vacations. We get outside. Then comes the fall and we scramble to fill our woodshed or prepare our garden for the dormant winter months. Aside from shoveling snow, our winter workouts consist of channel surfing or shivering to stay warm.

I lived and worked in North Idaho for fifteen years. When I first moved there from southern California, it was an adjustment. I spent many of my evenings at a gym, playing squash, swimming, running or lifting. Then I discovered running outside, even in the snow. I took an old pair of running shows and placed about eight short flat-headed screws around the parameter of the sole. The screws give traction on the snow and ice, a bit like having studded snow tires.

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The Balance Between Long and Short Term Goals

What are your goals?  Yes, I posed that question last month.  Goals are an integral part of life.  They are vital to personal growth and development in every area of life – fitness, spiritual, intellectual, vocational, and even family.

Far too many people float through life without any goals.  I asked one of my sons recently, “What do you want to accomplish in school this year?”  He said, “I don’t know.”  Then I asked, “How about football?”  He said, “I don’t know.”  I said, “If you don’t know, I sure don’t either!”

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Weight Loss & Exercise

By Don Otis –

My youngest son is 25 and wants to lose weight. Last summer he flew out to Colorado and joined me for some rafting on the Arkansas River (yes, there’s an Arkansas River in Colorado for some reason), and climbing on one of our 54 peaks that rise above 14,000’. Now, he’s picking up another favorite activity: mountain biking.

As spring arrives and a mediocre winter passes, most of us look forward to the summer and the numerous activities we can do when it warms up.

A full third of all Americans suffer from obesity. The lure of foods, snacks, sweets that are bad for us beckons from billboards, flashing neon signs, and even while standing in line at the grocery store. We can’t seem to escape the temptation. The one-two punch of combining revised eating habits with increasing your activity level is the best way to drop weight. If this is on your to-do list before the summer, here are some principles to keep in mind.

Be Active! When you run, you burn about 125 calories per mile. If you walk, it’s less. To find out how many calories you are burning for the activity of your choice, check your burn rate at www.livestrong.com. While any activity that gets the heart rate up is good, the more intensity you can withstand, the more effective the results. For example, if you typically walk at 3 mph, increase this to 4 mph (15 minutes/mile). I am a huge proponent of mixing it up so boredom doesn’t creep in. When you mix your activities, anything you can do (including a walk-run combination or climbing hills) will make a difference.

Watch What You Eat! The second component is your food intake. The worst foods for diets are fried foods, sweetened drinks, red or processed meats. The best foods are nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, or yogurt. I believe in moderation but I also enjoy my sweets as well. Don’t eliminate completely those food items that are less-than-helpful to your diet. Instead, limit the caloric intake from these foods. These “reward calories” can come in the form of cookies or other sweets but should be limited to half of what you used to consume.

Make Goals! As summer draws near, write down a few activity goals you’d like to accomplish before next winter. These can be anything from running in a local race, hiking a trail or looking good for a wedding or class reunion. For my son, knowing that losing weight will enable him to peddle or hike up steep trails provides plenty of motivation.

God has made us for activity. And much like a car manufacturer, when we put the wrong kind of fuel in our gas tank, we’ll see poor results or no results at all.

Waiting for the Spring Runoff

By Don Otis –

He was born in China the son of missionaries. In 1924, he competed in the Olympics, a Scottish runner who famously said, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Eric Liddell’s inspirational story was told in the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire.

The truth is that we aren’t all fast like Liddell was. Some of us are slow. We struggle and suffer through workouts and would rather do almost anything but run. There are, however, others who persevere through workouts in the winter and by spring start thinking about entering local races. It is a good way to remain motivated and do something with your hard work on the treadmill.

If you have never entered a race, there are many distances–5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), and Marathon are the most popular. There are trail runs, hill climbs, charity events, and everything in between. In my home town in Colorado we have a Blossom Festival 5K and 5 mile run on trails along the Arkansas River.

I want to encourage you to set some goals for this spring and enter a local race. There are many good reasons: having something to focus your efforts toward, the encouragement that comes from joining other people in a healthy activity, or discovering how you measure up to others in your age category. These are just a few benefits beside the obvious health payback. So, how do you get started? Here are a few tips.

1. Check with your local Parks & Recreation Department to find out if they sponsor any events in your community. Then, get registered. This is the first step–commitment.
2. Depending on the length of event you select (don’t sign up for a marathon if you’ve never done a race before) prepare yourself accordingly. If you want to run a 10K, be prepared to do slow training runs of between 6-8 miles.
3. Weekly runs should include one longer run, one tempo run (shorter distance at the pace you want to run on race day), some limited speed work (shorter intervals).
4. Cross train on off days or rest. Plan on running 4-5 days a week. You should do your long run and tempo run after a light day. You can swim or cycle on off days but don’t overdo these days. You want to feel fresh on days when your workouts are toughest.
5. On race day, go out slow and finish strong. The best runners understand that going out too fast will cost them dearly at the end of the race. We call these negative splits where the first half of a race is slightly slower than the second half. This requires enormous discipline on race day because you are rested and ready to go.
6. A few weeks before you race, go easy on weight-training. Rest more in the last week or two. Good runners know that going into a race fresh is part of the balance between a good time and a frustrating experience.
7. Don’t over-train. This means that you bump up your mileage or speed slowly. Your body must adapt to any new workload. If you want to avoid injury, don’t suddenly go from running 15 miles a week to trying 25 or 30.

In more than thirty years I have done more than 100 races of all kinds. I remember when my boys were small, they’d ask, “Dad, why do you go to these races because you never win!” It was one of those teachable moments. I told them, “I run to do the best I can.”

Comment below and let me know how your journey goes!

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