Health & fitness goals

Tracy at Fly On Over has started a monthly equestrian fitness blog hop, and I couldn't be happier to participate.

Several years ago, I was a somewhat thinner person.

In 2006, at an equestrian team competition in the first
(and last) Tailored Sportsmans I'll ever own!

In the present, I am a somewhat overweight person.

In November 2014.

I've written about working on my fitness previously. The process is ongoing. In the past, I have had serious trouble dedicating myself to a good diet and regular exercise. I enjoy cooking and I like eating healthy foods like vegetables and lean meat. I also enjoy the convenience of picking up Chinese food after a long day. I don't not enjoy exercising, but it's not my favorite when it's really cold, really hot, really windy, or really early in the morning. 

However, I've taken a hard look at myself, and set some goals this year to become a fitter person. 

• Eat a clean diet, even when eating out. I'm nearing the end of my second Whole 30. I don't mind doing it- after all, I like cooking, and it isn't a big change from how I normally eat. After last March's Whole 30, I totally backslid and resumed eating Whataburger like it was no big deal. It doesn't help that Johnny and I hideously enable each other- if one of us says, "I feel like the taco 12 pack and quesadillas!", the other is very likely to say, "SOUNDS AWESOME DO IT DO IT DO IT GO!" (We are supportive like that.) Anyway, the biggest thing Whole 30 does for us is limit how often we eat out. As we transition back to "normal" eating, I really want to continue limiting how often we eat out. I'd also like to continue to be mindful of what I'm eating when we're out to dinner. (Honestly, does ANYONE have self control around the onion rings?)
• Exercise daily. The Athletic Rider Fit Club Facebook group has helped me with this tremendously. Every day, exercises are posted. They don't take long, and should be supplemented by other exercise, but sometimes they're all I do. It keeps me doing some kind of purposeful movement every day, which is great.
• Jog every other day. This has been going really well. I'm in week 3 of Couch to 5K and feeling good. I've completed the program before, only to totally stop jogging because I don't really like it. This year, I want to continue to jog every other day. It's easy, it's free, and it doesn't take an obscene amount of time. And I always sort of begrudgingly enjoy it after a few weeks.
• Yoga weekly. I discussed in last week's Friday Five that I've been watching the Yoga With Adriene Youtube channel, which has been great. I love how yoga makes me feel- I love feeling strong and focused. I find that the more I do it, the more it helps with my riding.

Now, I hope I'll eventually lose the extra weight, and I think that if I stick to these goals, it'll happen. But weight isn't my primary concern- it's an added bonus (and one that I'm sure will come if I put in the work). And come on- I know we're all hoping to look as good as possible in breeches this year!