by Mollie Millington | Jan 15, 2019 | SMART goals
Holy cow how as it already the middle of January? This month has flown by primarily due to my book release. With the help of a great PR, I have been spending my time outside work taking part in interviews (like the one on Thoughts and Pavement blog), writing articles about health and happiness (see Net Doctor for the scoop), and sending tips to various other publications (will share links as I get them). I have been loving nearly every minute of promoting my book, but found that to balance it all, I had to cut back on sleep. This was a bad choice because I have been hungry all the time, breaking out in spots, and generally grumpy. I am back to normal life after a lighter workload over Christmas. In order to help me focus my attention and balance all of my interests, I have come up with a few goals for 2019.
Most of my goals this year are around building my blog and personal training business. I am at a good place with my day job and happy with how I am progressing in terms of strength (as long as I don’t get any more injuries). Tonight I make a return to #tracktuesday with Advent Running and I cannot wait. Last year, from January until August or so, I went to track every week religiously, which helped me bag a sub 25 minute 5K at the Lilac Festival in my home town (100th place with a gun time of 24.54, net time 24:48. Boom). I look forward to seeing similar progress this year.
For personal goals I have:
- 4 hour marathon by end of 2019 (with in Tokyo 2020 and Boston 2121)- I might need to shift focus more to this goal and not blogging in June if I don’t see a massive improvement in either area.
- New half marathon PB– I have a half in February, March, April, and May. I can’t wait to see how I perform since I have been following my Function360 strength training plan since November.
- Declutter– This will always be an ongoing thing for me. My husband has developed a few new organizational systems for me in our flat as he doesn’t like an untidy mess (I swear I know where everything is!). We are going to have an extra cupboard put in for my adventure stuff and have added in a few more storage baskets in various places to hide my stuff away. I am also working on a better paper filing system because I love bits of paper!
For my business, I want to:
- Finish nutrition course by 1 June 2019– I am over halfway done. Everyone at Future Fit Training are really supportive and check in with me once a month to see how I am doing. So far, I have finished Behaviour Change Coaching and Nutrition and Weight Management modules. I still need to submit my case study and complete Childhood Nutrition & Obesity Prevention, Nutrition for Sport and Exercise, and Pre and Postnatal Nutrition. These are shorter than the ones I have completed. I just need to set aside time and get it done.
- Gain competence in video editing- A guy at work has been very helpful teaching me how to do a few things. There will definitely be a learning curve with this one but I am excited to learn something new.
- Blogging SMART goals-
- Monthly new blog series post. Stay tuned!
- Schedule 4 social media shares per new blog post
- From July, learn how to use Pinterest effectively
- Tidy fitness writing page by 1 March
- Go on Pinterest once a month for 30 minutes
- Create one workout video a month for YouTube
- Check broken links once a month for 2 hours
And in both areas, I need to learn to say no and value my time.
I don’t talk much about behind the scenes of blogging as I would rather inform you about health and fitness topics. If this interests you, or there is another topic you would like me to cover here on the blog (such as writing an e-book), please let me know in the comments below. I want to make sure you are getting as much as you can to develop your personal health and happiness by visiting this site.
What goals go you have for 2019? Let me know in the comments below or use the search box to the right to see if there are any posts that can help you achieve your dreams.
This post contains an affiliate link which costs you, the buyer, nothing additional. It helps support the running of this blog though. Thanks for understanding.
by thinkmarsh | May 5, 2017 | exercise, running, SMART goals, strength, WMM
|
| At the London Marathon red start |
As you read on Monday, the London Marathon has come and gone. It has been my sole focus since mid-December, so to have it gone is a bit unsettling. I still have my long term goal of qualifying to run the Boston Marathon in 2019, but it seems so far away and I am not really happy with my London Marathon performance. Yes, I got a PB, but deep down I feel it is because I didn’t stop and use the bathroom as many times as I did in Berlin. I also didn’t stick with my goal of 9:30min/miles. Friends warned me not to start off the London Marathon too fast. I did though (the cheers are infectious!) and tried to rein myself in. Near the start of the race, my splits were estimating I would finish in 4:15:00. But my body just wasn’t strong enough. Hips and legs started to hurt at mile 16, which was 10 long miles from the finish line.
This has always been my problem during a marathon and I know how to solve it. Is it fear that keeps me from strength training? Lack of time? Self-sabotage? I have all the kit I need, the knowledge of the exercises, free access to a small gym, a membership to an online gym with tons of video resources yet there is a mental block.
After every marathon (or usually 2 weeks before), I swear I will lift for the next race. My butt shouldn’t be lazy. My heels should come up to my bum when I run not barely lift off the ground, right?
It comes down to how badly do I want it? How much am I willing to give to reach Boston, to finish a marathon feeling strong rather than limping around for the following week, to fit the expected aesthetics of a personal trainer (another one of my insecurities)?
To bring things into focus, I have set myself three SMART goals:
- Complete 2 strength sessions a week for the next eight weeks
- Three rounds of 10 kegals and clams six days a week
- Run Chicago Marathon in 4:15:00 (8 October 2017)
As a #fitnessrockstar in
Julia B Fit’s online gym (where a free basic membership is available), I am fortunate enough to have access to most of her videos. There are a dozen programs or you can mix and match videos as you see fit. Julia recommended a few specific workouts for me that fit in my two sessions/week goal, as well as getting my body into better running shape. She has introductory videos for all the programs to give you specific instructions on each move. This allows you to ‘hit the ground running’ when you watch the workout. As a personal trainer, I find her combinations of movements refreshing. The body is continually challenged, no matter which video you watch. A lot of the workout can be done without any equipment or simply
dumbbells and a
yoga mat.
 |
| Working out in my narrow flat |
Don’t worry, I will keep busy on the other five days of the week. I have a few spin classes that I am taking at the Velodrome and RUNch sessions mixed in too. In June, I am taking part in the
London 10 Mile race in Richmond Park (anyone up for brunch?) so I need to keep logging miles. Something else is planned for July too but I will share more about that soon.
After the eight weeks of strength training, it will be time for me to start marathon training properly again. I am considering hiring a run coach to give me a bit more structure to improve my speed. If you have ever worked with a running coach, please leave a comment below on any advice you have for selecting one. Or if you have any tips on getting over the post-marathon blues, I would love to hear about them.
This post contains affiliate links. They do not add any additional cost to the buyer but help pay for the maintenance of my website.
by Mollie Millington | May 5, 2017 | exercise, running, SMART goals, strength, WMM
|
| At the London Marathon red start |
As you read on Monday, the London Marathon has come and gone. It has been my sole focus since mid-December, so to have it gone is a bit unsettling. I still have my long term goal of qualifying to run the Boston Marathon in 2019, but it seems so far away and I am not really happy with my London Marathon performance. Yes, I got a PB, but deep down I feel it is because I didn’t stop and use the bathroom as many times as I did in Berlin. I also didn’t stick with my goal of 9:30min/miles. Friends warned me not to start off the London Marathon too fast. I did though (the cheers are infectious!) and tried to rein myself in. Near the start of the race, my splits were estimating I would finish in 4:15:00. But my body just wasn’t strong enough. Hips and legs started to hurt at mile 16, which was 10 long miles from the finish line.
This has always been my problem during a marathon and I know how to solve it. Is it fear that keeps me from strength training? Lack of time? Self-sabotage? I have all the kit I need, the knowledge of the exercises, free access to a small gym, a membership to an online gym with tons of video resources yet there is a mental block.
After every marathon (or usually 2 weeks before), I swear I will lift for the next race. My butt shouldn’t be lazy. My heels should come up to my bum when I run not barely lift off the ground, right?
It comes down to how badly do I want it? How much am I willing to give to reach Boston, to finish a marathon feeling strong rather than limping around for the following week, to fit the expected aesthetics of a personal trainer (another one of my insecurities)?
To bring things into focus, I have set myself three SMART goals:
- Complete 2 strength sessions a week for the next eight weeks
- Three rounds of 10 kegals and clams six days a week
- Run Chicago Marathon in 4:15:00 (8 October 2017)
As a #fitnessrockstar in
Julia B Fit’s online gym (where a free basic membership is available), I am fortunate enough to have access to most of her videos. There are a dozen programs or you can mix and match videos as you see fit. Julia recommended a few specific workouts for me that fit in my two sessions/week goal, as well as getting my body into better running shape. She has introductory videos for all the programs to give you specific instructions on each move. This allows you to ‘hit the ground running’ when you watch the workout. As a personal trainer, I find her combinations of movements refreshing. The body is continually challenged, no matter which video you watch. A lot of the workout can be done without any equipment or simply
dumbbells and a
yoga mat.
|
| Working out in my narrow flat |
Don’t worry, I will keep busy on the other five days of the week. I have a few spin classes that I am taking at the Velodrome and RUNch sessions mixed in too. In June, I am taking part in the
London 10 Mile race in Richmond Park (anyone up for brunch?) so I need to keep logging miles. Something else is planned for July too but I will share more about that soon.
After the eight weeks of strength training, it will be time for me to start marathon training properly again. I am considering hiring a run coach to give me a bit more structure to improve my speed. If you have ever worked with a running coach, please leave a comment below on any advice you have for selecting one. Or if you have any tips on getting over the post-marathon blues, I would love to hear about them.
This post contains affiliate links. They do not add any additional cost to the buyer but help pay for the maintenance of my website.
Recent Comments