The Beach is a Blast!

1This past weekend I was in Fredericton, New Brunswick for a beach volleyball tournament. I only decided three weeks before the tournament that I was actually going to go and I was still on my “I’ve just become single” party mode, which was also the reason I decided to go to the tournament, and I had put on a few “fluffy pounds” as I call them (that little bit of fluff around the mid-section that hide your abs). Two weeks out I started to hit the gym at least once a day (twice a day a few times), I ran every morning and I ate clean as well! Two weeks really isn’t enough time to see a lot of progress but I was bound and determined to drop that fluff in two weeks.

With all the hard training and eating well, I managed to get to a point where I was “OK” with what I looked like, but I was nowhere near what I actually wanted to be at (is anyone ever happy with how they look?). As I write this, I realize that my goal wasn’t realistic at all. I had been drinking beer and eating like crap for the past 3 or 4 weeks and to all of a sudden turn around and try to lose 5-6 pounds in a two week span after treating my body like that, wasn’t going to happen no matter how hard I trained. People try to do this kind of thing all the time to fit in those jeans or that dress before a big event and unfortunately a lot of the time it’s in an unhealthy manner. What you need know is that if you’re going to set goals for yourself in anything you do, not just in fitness, make sure that they’re realistic and that you’re not setting yourself up to fail. Setting your goals too high and in the end failing can set you back further than when you started.

2Overall, the tournament was SO much fun! My team ended up losing in the semi-finals (there were 16 teams) and I wish we had of won, obviously, but I’m glad I went and I’m glad I had the confidence to get the shirt off and get on the sand. My new goal is to eat healthy and train like I was for those two weeks for the next two months. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, which makes it hard to stick to it, but I’ve got my mind set and I have full intention to reach my “I’m happy to have my shirt off all the time” stage again.

I don’t usually do this in my posts, but I’m going to ask you to take a minute to comment on here and tell me what your most recent goal was/is. Have you attained it? Is it realistic? If it isn’t/wasn’t attainable, did you realize you set it too high and have adjusted it? It’s your turn to share… Hell, it’s your turn to brag about your goals!

Filed under: Blog

haligonia: Books: “Summer Shorts” – don’t have time for a whole book? A great collection of summer essays http://ow.ly/2f3vn

Kitesurfing at Conrad's Beach, Nova Scotia.

Switching gears in the (FL)atlantic