Goals. They say you gotta have 'em. I'm a bit of dreamer so my goals usually tend to lean more toward the fantastical persuasion. If I were re-decorating my bedroom, I can't re-decorate just one thing in my bedroom, like changing the look of the linens with a snappy new comforter and some bright linens. Nooooo...I have to be able to paint the walls, change the lamps, move the furniture, switch out the window dressing, and then be frustrated after a month of attempting these things and not getting any of them done.
 
One of the things I have learned at FIT is to have realistic goals. My FIT coach and I talked about how to avoid hitting a plateau, which I blogged about last week, and we came up with a plan. Last week I started doing more cardio on the dreaded treadmill and upped my calories. I'm usually good for doing about a 3-minute run before I have to slow it down and walk at a fast pace. I still have to get a full 30-minutes of cardio in, but I have to break it up in run/walk intervals. She said to just take it a little bit at a time - see if you can do 4 minutes. After that, 5 and so on. As I've said before, I'm amazed at the human body. I'm amazed that this 218-pound frame not only ran 4 minutes straight but the very next day ran 5 minutes. And the next day after that 6. And after taking a two-day rest, I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it at 6 or if I would have to take a step back and do 5.
 
I ran for 11 minutes. And I liked it!
 
What is also amazing is that of the 30 minutes I spent on that treadmill, only 6 of them were walked. That means 24 minutes of running. Folks, even when I played soccer in high school I never ran 24 minutes. And I played both halves!
 
As a result of the increased cardio, this week I keep pushing past the peak. I'm staying on my eating plan. I'm fueling my body to accommodate the increased exercise and taking my trusty appetite suppressants to make sure I stay on track.
 
My goal for this week is to run for 15 minutes. First attempt is tonight! Wish me luck!