It’s Almost February…What’s your plan?

Are you on track to reach your 2013 goals?  How was your January?  Did you kick off the New Year as you wanted?

-OR-

 Have you hit obstacles and road blocks?  Tell me your story?  What’s your plan and how will you reach your goals?

I would love to hear about your successes and struggles over the past month and about your February goals.  You can post a comment below or send me an e-mail so we can set an action plan and get you on track.

To be honest I have enjoyed logging some miles and workouts this January with mild temperatures and mostly sunny skies.  My planning on the other hand has not been fantastic.  I seem to have way too many coals in the fire and setting my own goals and event calendar has not been at the top of my list.  I did not have anything on the books until this evening.  I just registered for the Race for the Place 5k.  My first event of 2013 will be a 5k road race supporting St. Lawrence Place here in Columbia, SC.  I signed up because my wife and boys wanted to run J.  That’s right, my family put our first event on the calendar – I Love it!  I plan to write more on the benefits of involving your whole family.  I would also like to hear how you include your family in your fitness events and plans.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/images/13racefortheplace.pdf

Join us February 9th

Road Warrior...Business Conference

Kauai, Hawaii | Made Some Time for Fitness

I had a business conference in Hawaii this past week and although our schedule was busy with meetings and entertaining I was still able to log some miles and hit the gym a few times.  Here are a few of the highlights from my workouts this past week.  The views were breathtaking and inspiring.  I logged 1750 meters of swimming in the Pacific Ocean, 66 miles of cycling (rain or shine), and 32 miles of running.  The awesome scenery helped me realize just how important it is to get out and see the world on foot (or bike) even if you are "too busy."

The view at mile 3 along Lawai Road (above)

Mile 11 photo opportunity from nice tourist like myself (above)

Waimea Canyon

Ride along the Pacific Ocean (dozens of rainbows)

"Live Life To The Fullest" (random side road)

Sunset from balcony - post ride (made it back before dark :-)).

I am very happy to be home with my family and to share this experience with each of you.  I hope to have a whole series of  "Road Warrior" stories throughout the year to help share my story as a travelling salesman who finds a way to make fitness a part of his life regardless of the obstacles.  Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year! Resolutions…

There is lots of talk about New Year resolutions so to change it up a bit let’s kick off 2013 with a plan to achieve better Focus, Fitness and Faith.  It’s estimated that only 40% of resolutions are maintained or achieved past 6 months.  If we put some energy and effort into these three areas of our lives we can accomplish new levels of greatness.  Let’s create new habits that will enrich our lives for the long run.

Focus - Finding Focus can be tough.  In today’s multi-tasking world this is more difficult than ever.  How do you find yours? As we begin a new year it is a great time to spend some time thinking about how you can create better focus in your life.  I find my best focus while running, riding and swimming.  Other ways I find focus include writing, listening to music, practicing yoga and reading.  Challenge yourself to focus on what is important to you.

Fitness - Record your baseline and set some realistic benchmarks for all levels of your fitness.  Think beyond physical fitness and include goals for financial, mental, family and your community.  Set SMART goals.  Create a plan to reach your goals and be ready to work hard.  It is best to set goals with different deadlines.  I recommend setting a goal for each of these areas to achieve by the end of today, the week, the month, mid-year, end of year, 2 years, and 5 years.

Faith – This is a very important yet very personal aspect of finding balance in your life.  Today I want to share the below blessing with you.  This Irish blessing made an impact on me this past weekend, may it stick with you throughout the year.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

May the hand of a friend always be near

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.