In July I shared that there were several positive life changes I planned to make.  Some of them I have been successful at maintaining, and others I will need to give an extra push for.

In July I wrote that I planned to make sure to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing something I found relaxing.  So far I have been successful with this goal more days than not. Lately I have forgotten to make a point of giving myself this 30 minutes, but looking back I think that despite the lack of mindful push, I have still been making this goal.

My nutrition was another large part of my life changes, and perhaps one of the more important ones.  I have been doing a fairly decent job at keeping with my goals as set by my nutritionist. I have been eating every 3-4 hours, making sure to have protein and a small amount of carbs in each meal and snack, and have been doing the required meal prep each Sunday.  My afternoon snack has made my drive home through the city much more bearable. It’s hard to get to angry at traffic when I have a nice little snack of nuts and dried fruit to keep me company.

The next goal was to start back at going to the gym.  I have not been as successful with this as the other goals.  I have taken a look and noticed that I did not have a specific number of days or amount of time at the gym planned.  While in addiction recovery programs I learned about SMART goals. Part of SMART goals is to be specific with the goal.  I am going to give this goal another try and give myself a more specific plan.

My fourth goal was to take probiotics every day.  This has been the easiest goal to achieve. I ordered the probiotics on Amazon and have been taking them each morning.

When setting goals, it is important to hold yourself accountable and to also check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you are following your plan.  While doing this check-in I have noticed that I have not been doing well at getting back to the gym, and as such have decided to make it a SMART goal and try again.

SMART Goal: Exercise

Specific – I will go to the gym for 40+ minutes at least two times a week and take at least a 20 minute walk on a third day.

Measurable – Each day I go to the gym or take a walk I will record the date, amount of time spent, and exercises completed in a notebook.

Achievable – This goal is achievable.  I have done more than this in the past and know others who accomplish this.

Result – The results I hope to get are an improvement in mood as well as feeling physically stronger.  

Time-bound – Although this is a goal I hope to continue, I am going to check in again in two months and see how successful I have been at achieving the goal and see how it has made me feel.