At the start of 2016, I set a few New Year’s Resolutions. I have never really taken New Year’s Resolutions seriously or followed through with them before. I haven’t kept up with all my resolutions this year, but I have kept up with my health and fitness resolutions. After three months, I am very proud to have hit my initial goals: to lose 25 pounds and run a 5k in 25 minutes.
To accomplish this, I was conscious of my diet and exercise (weightlifting and running) three times a week. For my diet, I aimed to eat at least 500 calories less than my total daily energy expenditure (calories out) with an emphasis on eating a lot of protein. For my workouts, I followed the Stronglifts 5×5 program while following the Couch to 5k program for running.
I have lost 30 pounds, ran a 5k in 24:37, and have surpassed novice strength benchmarks. I have enjoyed this process much more than I expected and plan to keep going. My new set of goals are to lose another 10 pounds, hit intermediate strength benchmarks, and I have considered aiming for a 10k.
While I allowed myself to fall into poor health and fitness habits a few years ago, my work over the past few months has me back in shape. It is a very powerful feeling to be in control of my body and change it to my goals. I hope to further solidify my new healthy habits for years to come.