Need a goal for weightloss

[SquirrellyMama]

I need a goal. This post might be odd and many people probably won't understand. That's fine.

I need a goal to lose weight. I am not talking about a number, but something to keep me motivated. 

An example would be training for a marathon. For the record, I do not want to train for a marathon, just using it as an example. 

Anyone have some ideas? I want something that will take it away from weight loss and more about being healthy and attaining a useful goal.

My boss had a goal of doing a bikini competition. Again, not something I'm interested in. Just an example.

Things I do like for exercise are walking, kayaking, paddle board, aerobics, swimming, ice skating. 

Kelly

[Ottakee]

What about a 5k walk/run?....if you can already do that, maybe a faster time?

Any special place you want to hike, paddle board ECT?   I have a super lofty goal of paddle boarding on lake Michigan....ideally at sunset.

[Laura Corin]

I just started walking a local long distance path. Whenever I  have time I'll do a stage. I hope to do the whole thing before winter. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

There is an app that gamifies walking by turning it into a goal with a sort of mystery audio story that goes with it.  The app is called "The Walk" and the goal is to walk the length of the island of Great Britain I think.  For a certain number of steps, you unlock various segments of the mystery story.  I've never used it, but I've used and enjoyed the same company's similar app called "Zombies, Run!" (which can also be done as walking, rather than running).  

There has also been a challenge going around during covid about climbing Everest- someone has calculated how many flights of stairs equals a trip from base camp to Everest and people are recording their progress up the peak!  

I like the App Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen, which encourages eating healthy foods through a very simple checkbox system.  I get a lot of silly satisfaction checking off the boxes.  It involves no weighing or measuring or restriction, just trying to check boxes whenever you eat a food from one of the 12 healthy categories on the list.  

 

[regentrude]

Long distance backpack.
Special mountain summit that's hard enough to require intensive training.
Long distance kayak trip the full length of a river.

Edited August 18, 2020 by regentrude

[mom2scouts]

 Since it seems you enjoy outdoor activities, I agree that a goal of a long distance backpacking, kayaking, or biking trip might help. It needs to be something that will challenge you a bit unless you lose weight. What about being in shape for a hike into the Grand Canyon or another difficult National Park trail?

[PrincessMommy]

48 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Long distance backpack.
Special mountain summit that's hard enough to require intensive training.
Long distance kayak trip the full length of a river.

I was going to suggest something along these lines.

[Zoo Keeper]

Well, because I'm a geek like that (according to my teens...) I'm doing the Walk to Rivendell (Lord of the Rings related, if you don't know).  I track my mileage and mark where I am on a map of Middle Earth.   It helps. 🙂 

[73349]

I would check the mileage of some large trek (like from here to my birthplace) and try to do its equivalent in a challenging length of time... maybe by my birthday, or some other significant date. I'd track it where other people could see, because that makes me less likely to slack off.

[Wheres Toto]

I've been doing virtual challenges through Run Motivators.   A couple were 5K's, a couple are to finish 100 miles in a given amount of time, some mini-ones like 19 miles in a given amount of time.

I'm going to be honest but I do it for the t-shirts.  Dh makes fun of me for it, but it works for me.   I'd feel too guilty getting the tshirt if I didn't actually finish, so it motivates me to do it. 

[Katy]

I follow someone on YouTube who just did fitbit's 100,000 steps in one day challenge.  It worked out to 42 miles for her I think.

There's also plenty of inspiration on YouTube for middle distance hikes, like Grand Canyon's Havasupai Falls looks great to me, only 5 miles but 7 hours to hike to a gorgeous spot you can't get to by vehicle.  Or the slot canyons at Zion National Park.

Anyway I'm listening.  I'm also someone who does better with a goal than a habit.

[PinkTulip]

My exercise of choice is a rowing machine at home. I have calculated how many miles my children are away at college, and am “rowing them home.” It will take me about a year to row enough meters to get them “home” from 3 different states, but it keeps me motivated to think about my kids. 

[KungFuPanda]

My daughter recommended the Chloe Ting workouts. They’re free and the website makes it really easy to click the next video. I’ve been too lazy/intimidated to even start, but you sound more motivated than me. 🤣

[Carol in Cal.]

I started HIIT in April with the goal of getting my heart to its 30 year old point (I’m twiceish that).  Surprise, surprise—I started to lose weight, with no other changes.  It’s pretty nice.  Also, I have been getting more fit, which I wasn’t sure I could after the Cipro-related tendon weaknesses, so I’ve set a goal to get to a gorgeous hiking spot by the end of the Fall that I haven’t been able to manage for years.  

If I do that, my secret goal is to yo yo hike the John Muir trail.  There has got to be a way to do that with the local equivalent of Sherpas, I’ll bet.  And late in the season so there are no stupid dangerous river or snow bridge crossings.  Anyway, to work toward that I need to do more high altitude working out, so I’m currently enjoying trying to figure out exactly how to fit that in.  Also, I need to look into hiring that support or arranging it or whatever, because I have never actually heard of anyone doing that.  We’ll see.  Even if it doesn’t work out, working up to it is sure to be physically helpful as well as very scenic.

I love the idea of the Rivendell hike!  Must look into that.

Also, I am pretty concerned about what to do once it gets icy outside.  I want to keep this up, but am not sure how.  I have some exercise video DVDs, and Amazon Prime has some online workouts but I tend not to be able to keep up with even the slow ones.  Plus the HIIs I have been doing involve hilly terrain and some running, so that is hard to duplicate at home without equipment, which I am reluctant to purchase or dedicate space to.

 

[Kanin]

There was an NPR story this weekend about how goal setting using visuals (and one of their examples was exercise) helps with achieving the goals. They had examples like, when you're out for a walk, fix your attention on some landmark you can see - like the stoplight waaaaay over there - and remain focused on it. The people who did stuff like that walked 22% faster, or something (paraphrasing), and were more likely to achieve the goals. Anyway, the whole thing was pretty interesting, and made me want to set some goals in a different way. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/900994753/you-2-0-the-minds-eye

[Carol in Cal.]

BTW, in ‘Thinner Next Year’ there is a lot of support for setting those goals to work toward as a way to keep going.  I think they are called Kledges or something like that.  

BTW, that’s a pretty motivating and informative book if you ask me, although it’s not why I started this.  Why I started this is that I was SIP so it was more accessible (you don’t have to be as cleaned up for Zoom meetings as for in person ones), and also because I read about a study that said that HIIT works to youthify your heart when you’re 60 even if you were fairly (ahem) sedentary before that, but doesn’t work when you’re 70.  I don’t entirely believe that, but it seemed like I had a better shot at my age than I would later.  

Also BTW, I’m totally not doing everything that book says.  Red meat seems to be something that I need.  And if I worked out 6 days a week I’d probably keel over, although I can imagine gradually working up to more than 3 days.  But, I HAVE started to tilt more toward veggies and olive oil, and also am trying some whole grains that are new to me.  And I’ve made extensive use of the heart rate ‘zones’ part of the book, as well as assessed my heart recovery rate, which is not up to the book’s standard but at 12 beats per minute drop is something I hope to improve.  I think I have moved my hockey stick to the right as well, which is nice (ie moved my lactate threshold higher).  Which I totally would not have understood without that book.  Although it might be just that I have better leg muscles now, not really sure.  Or get less winded.  Anyway, it’s all good.  

[Slache]

Kayak race (Texas Water Safari )

5K (Couch to 5K)

Climbing

Completing a workout program. Beach Body offers T shirts for before and after pics.

A bike race if you want something different.

I just deleted my fitbit account to start fresh after baby. They give badges for every 5 pounds. I like that because it's more attainable than my actual goal. I brag about my 5 pound badges and my fitbit friends cheer me on like it's some grand feat I've completed. Good stuff.

Maybe think about your next vacation and see if there's anything there to train for. A hike or white water rafting. Maybe something at a relative's house that you visit.

[SquirrellyMama]

On 8/18/2020 at 4:00 AM, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

There is an app that gamifies walking by turning it into a goal with a sort of mystery audio story that goes with it.  The app is called "The Walk" and the goal is to walk the length of the island of Great Britain I think.  For a certain number of steps, you unlock various segments of the mystery story.  I've never used it, but I've used and enjoyed the same company's similar app called "Zombies, Run!" (which can also be done as walking, rather than running).  

There has also been a challenge going around during covid about climbing Everest- someone has calculated how many flights of stairs equals a trip from base camp to Everest and people are recording their progress up the peak!  

I like the App Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen, which encourages eating healthy foods through a very simple checkbox system.  I get a lot of silly satisfaction checking off the boxes.  It involves no weighing or measuring or restriction, just trying to check boxes whenever you eat a food from one of the 12 healthy categories on the list.  

 

I have Zombie's Run, I'll try The Walk.