This journey started the week of Thanksgiving and ended on Sunday, January 3, 2016.
Over the last six weeks, I ran over 115 miles and burned over 16,500 calories during a combined 18 hours of workouts. My weight goal was 184 lbs and I came darn close to hitting it. Give me one more week and I'll get there!! :)
What I learned during my six week sprint to lose 2 lbs during the most tempting stretch of food buffets the year has to offer is this: CHOICE RULES. Sure, I ran a lot and went to the gym, but what made the biggest difference were the daily food choices.
For example: I happen to LOVE Coca Cola. It would be very easy for me to drink 3 of those 12 oz goodies every day of the week. Each bottle is 140 calories and the weekly calorie count at a rate of 3 a day comes to 2,940. Multiply that times 6 weeks and you get....17,640 calories! More than I burned from my workouts. The sad truth is, I could easily drink a 6-pack of Coca Cola every day without trying.
My point? Just like my food choices directly relate to my expanding/contracting waistline, so do our money choices relate to our expanding/contracting net worth. Consistently make good choices and you'll have a good result. Get lazy, choose instant gratification in the moment and the next thing you know you've done the money equivalent of eating that huge piece of chocolate cake! :) Good cash flow management is one of the greatest determinants of long term financial success or financial failure. Start 2016 by reviewing your cash flow habits and consider changes in areas where you see inconsistencies between your choices and your goals.
In closing, whether its calories or money, the best way to effect positive change is to build habits that support your desired outcome. My workouts rarely get missed when I schedule them for first thing in the morning. After a couple of weeks of this practice, a new habit is formed and my body is on autopilot. Bleary eyed, I stumble out of the house and onto my run before I have a chance to think about it. When I reach that point of automation, momentum is now on my side as opposed to me sitting in my living room trying to convince myself to go to the gym.
Best Wishes for a Great 2016!!