2012 included me hitting several fitness goals and milestones. I achieved and then blew through my body fat percentage goal of 10%, getting down to sub-7% (if only for a few days). I went from not running to running 4+ miles in a single go and loving it the whole time (or at least overall). I also started newbodi.es, and have been really fortune to help others while also growing tremendously through the work I've done on myself. I also had ab muscle definition for the first time ever. Lastly, while it may sound like a negative, I had double hernia surgery. The positive in that is in how I did afterward. The fitness level I had when going into the surgery, and the way I approached my recovery lead to a fast recovery and great health overall.
Fantastic all around.
On the opposite side of the equation, I really only have one thing I'm unhappy about. No, it's not scrubbing my first official race due to back pain. No, it's not my hernia surgery. It's not the minimal sleep I got most nights. It's really just the tear in my left lateral meniscus that I had operated on at the end of December. I'm just over a week post-op right now, and am generally doing ok, but am anxious to be doing amazingly well. I'm anxious to get back into cardio the way I was in September when my knee became an issue. I haven't gone without good, intense cardio work in a very long time, and I feel out of sorts or at least not myself. I've done ok, and have generally stuck to my weight target (still between 175 and 180 on any given day), but my body fat has crept back into the low teens. With that, the stage is set for 2013.
I had a goal after getting back into running post-hernia surgery. I wanted to do five 5K races by the following summer. I would have done that easily if not for my knee injury. I didn't let failing on that goal get me down, and I won't set that as my goal for the coming year. No. Instead, my goal will be to return to the fitness level mentally and physically that I had going into my hernia surgery. That means:
- Stay <180 lbs="lbs" li="li" weight="weight">
- Return to <10 body="body" fat="fat" li="li">
- Regain Definition in my ab muscles
- Read every book I bought in 2012 but haven't started
Beyond that, I'm not going to sweat it. How I get there isn't a concern. I have a year, and I need to remember that. I don't need to push myself on getting back into cardio too fast and prolong my knee recovery (or risk re-injury). I don't need to starve myself. I need instead to build a healthy, active life that yields a strong level of fitness and health that inspires my wife, son and those around me to do the same for themselves.
The last one is really crucial, actually. All the books I bought in 2012 are inspirational books. Some are self-help-y (like "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor, and some are stories of personal journeys (like the three Dean Karnazes books I have), but all are valuable to achieve my goals.
What are your goals for 2013, and how has the past year impacted those goals? How will you enlighten.your.body.
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