I'm going on a journey...

Every journey has a beginning and this is the start of mine. Although it begins on New Year’s Day, it isn’t a New Year’s resolution; I have been developing ideas about, reflecting upon, and planning this since as far back as August or September of 2011. Starting this journey on New Year’s Day makes for an easy date to remember (“…was it March 23 of 2011, or May 21… I can’t remember…”), and because now is the time to start.

I am changing my eating habits, exercise habits, and sleeping habits all with the goals of learning how to live a healthier lifestyle and losing 100 pounds in a year. I don't think that a 100-pound weight-loss is unrealistic (although doing it in one year may be a challenge!). I know that my body would be considerably healthier 100 pounds lighter.  

Motivators:
My son. He is such a great kid and it's important for me to be the best role model for him that I possibly can be (especially since I am a sole support, single parent). I know there have been times when I could have been more active with him, when I could have prepared a healthier meal, etc. That is going to change. He’s a kid only once, I had better do things right.

My ‘old’ body. I’m not old, but this weight that I am carrying around is starting to make me feel old—I know the weight affects all aspects of my body: my joints, my heart, my brain… If I don’t change now, I can’t imagine what ‘old age’ will feel like!

Money. For every pound I lose, I am putting $10 into a specially-designated savings account. At the end of the year, half of the money saved will be donated to a charity that my son and I decide needs it the most; the other half will be frivolously spent on whatever we want to spend it on (maybe put towards a vacation, or something new for the house). 

An audience. Not only will this blog be a record of my ‘lifestyle journey’, but it is also a public declaration of my actions thus forcing me to be accountable for those actions. Also, maybe someone reading this will want to join me on my journey… I encourage you to do so… I have heard that there is strength in numbers (unless, of course, those numbers are ‘pounds of fat’ which, well, isn’t so very strong ;D ).

And so it begins… feel free to come on this journey with me. Offer insights, give feedback, come to the gym with me... who knows where we'll end up in a year from now?!