Having a goal matters. Every five years, I try to set a goal that seems like a “stretch goal,” or something I will be unlikely to reach without a lot of effort. Further, I find motivation from writing out my goal. It is as if writing it becomes a contract with myself. It is a commitment to attempt to be the person who can aspire to remake myself back into the fit person I was before MS. It is also a challenge, and I hate losing.
Five years ago for my 40th birthday, my wife gave me a gift of a trip to Yellowstone so I could run a half marathon and see Old Faithful that was on my bucket list (things to do before I die). Of course, running a half marathon there is no joke. It is a long run at altitude. So for months before the trip, I trained as hard as I could in the D.C. humidity. My brother-in-law who went with me asked, “what if you can’t finish the run? Will it still have been worth all the effort?”
I told him the answer I still use when trying something hard, “Failure is not an end point. It is simply a way of measuring my next attempt.” I finished the run in the top third of all finishers. I may have fallen a few times, but I finished thinking “not too shabby for a 40 year-old.” The effort paid off, and it would have paid off whether I finished or not. Having the goal gave me a purpose to keep running when I was tired or just didn’t feel like it.
Now as I approach my 45th birthday, the question was what shall I set as my “stretch goal.” With Covid 19 upending all of our lives, it may seem petty to think I need some physical goal. Travel is out as three of the six in our family are high risk patients. I needed something that would stick in my head and keep me moving. Then my little kids were listening to some old kids music, and I heard “It’s as easy as 1,2,3 baby you and me…”
The “4,5,6 challenge” is on! In October when I turn 45, I will have 6 pack abs. That challenge is just what I need to keep working out and even doing the 10 min ab burn at the end of the workouts. After 28 days with Chloe Ting, I am on to the “Beach Body on Demand” 21 day fit routines. Dropping the sodas down to at most 2 per day, eating healthy, and walking/running after our four kids has me well on the way. If I don’t have the 6 pack abs by the time I am 45, I will certainly have a healthier body than when I started. However, I plan to reach this target. I already went from 234 lb in March to 197lb now.
