The journey is the goal

I promised I would write a post last week all about my big plan. Only, I lied. I didn't have a big plan. Just the plan to make a plan. And it didn't happen. Then life happened: I got swamped at work. A tick bit me. I got sick. And you know what? It's no excuse. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is NO EXCUSE. Why? Because life always happens! And that's the thing of it all ... I've finally figured out where I went wrong. 

The journey is the goal. 

All this time, and by that I really mean ALL THIS TIME, I've been focused on this goal of getting to my healthy body weight and maintaining it. And that has been my mistake. All this time I've been dreaming about and obsessing over a number on the scale. That number meant success. That number has been my goal. Well, I hit that number and then lost it. I lost sight of what I'd worked so hard to achieve all because I was focused on the wrong thing.

The JOURNEY is the goal. 

Remember when it was about making lifestyle changes? Well, that was the right way to go about it - only I did it with the wrong goal in mind. Instead of that magic number on my magic scale, I should have been focusing on turning myself into someone who could maintain a healthy lifestyle moving forward. Not just when she wanted to lose weight, but always. Even when life happens. And I was there! During the big 50n50 push I worked out 5 days a week, at least. I walked more than ten miles a week, at least. I ate healthy foods 80 percent of the time, at least. And silly me, I didn't even know I was where I needed to be. I was in shape. I was fit. I was healthy. And I lost it.

The journey is the GOAL.

When life happens, you can't stop living and that's what I let happen. I let the stresses in my life take over and I lost sight of the life I want. I want a life where I can sign up for a 5k on a whim and go run it. I want a life where I fit into a size 6 and don't look like a stuffed sausage. I want a life where I don't need help opening a pickle jar.


So, here it is. My official goal. Get back in shape. Get fit again. Get healthy. Now, how do I do that? It's easy enough. Prioritize myself and my health back into my life. Work out because I love my body, not because I hate it. Make the act of working out be the goal. Every day. If I spend thirty minutes working out then I achieved my goal that day. Easy peasy! Seriously. As I do it each day, my body will change. I will get healthier, stronger, happier with myself. And in that is the goal. The journey to a healthy life involves a step every day. So I need to take a step. Every day. And that is what I mean when I say:

THE JOURNEY IS THE GOAL.