As one who spends a lot of time talking, thinking, and reading about wellness, I sometimes find that people expect my healthy habits to be flawless. They make apologetic comments while eating their dessert or sipping their wine: "I know I should eat better."

This always seems a little strange to me, as I'm usually eating my dessert or sipping my wine right along with them. I'm all about enjoying treats in moderation, not making foods "bad," and trying to make the majority (rather than every single one) of my choices healthful ones.

So lest you think that I have all of this figured out and couldn't possibly understand the challenges you face, I'm going to tell on myself and admit that I have completely gotten out of the habit of exercising over the past few months.

Although I haven't gained weight, my activity level has gotten way too low and that has affected my level of conditioning as well as my energy level. This came home to me last week, when I was playing baseball with my daughter and noticed that I was winded after running the bases twice. And I'm talking about playing baseball in our back yard, not on a regulation-size field.

So, knowing everything I know about physical activity, how has this happened to me? There are lots of reasons, some substantial and others silly. Here's one of the silly ones: I used to use a pedometer to keep track of my step count. I was doing really well with my goal of 10,000 steps every day ... until one day when the pedometer fell off my waistband just as I flushed. Yep, pedometer down the toilet. I replaced it, but the new one is larger and bulkier and I don't like wearing it. So I don't, and without that step count to keep me honest, I walk a lot less.

The point of this post isn't to give you all of my excuses for getting out of shape. The point is that even with the best of intentions and plenty of knowledge, life still gets in the way and obstacles present themselves. Now that I'm looking honestly at myself and I've noticed that my habits have slipped, it's time to make a new plan.

I tend to do better when I have a specific fitness goal in mind; in the past, I've used goals like a long bike ride, 10,000 steps each day, or a mountain biking trip to motivate me. It's time for me to choose a new goal. The first step I'm going to take is to brainstorm until I choose a goal that sounds exciting and fun. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Do you have a goal that you've lost sight of? How will you reconnect with it this week?
 
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