How far should I go with my fitness.

mikeyrp

I was reading a rather provocative post yesterday on 'anything in moderation is not OK' and it got me thinking - what happens after I reach my two goals:

My goal weight is now only 6lb away, and I'm running 10k in under 50 minutes.

The thing is - I'm finding the whole target/goal thing rather addictive and I can see myself wanting to do a half marathon next year, and maybe loosing another 7 lb if I'm not 100% happy with what I see in the mirror (I intend to do this on maintenance calories through exercise only) ... but what then?

The reason I bring this up is the poster in this topic suggested that no 'junk' food was acceptable - that anything which which contained any artificial ingredients or GM was bad for you and that eating any of it - even in moderation - was unacceptable.

If we are honest with ourselves we know that this is true - but its a step too far from my mantra of 'happy and healthy' for me to follow in this path.

I can see me falling into a similar same trap: As she got used to eating healthily she decided to strip out more and more 'bad' foods until nothing was acceptable. I love food too much to do that - but I also really enjoy exercise - so - I can see myself working to get continuously farther and faster with running, or listing more weights etc.. and it will take time and energy, and I will feel bad if I don't average over X km in a week etc...

So - how do I stay motivated to stay where I am - with weight and with exercise? How do I get excited about running the same distance in the same time week after week? This problem might be a year away but I'll hit it eventually and this is where I fear I will fail. Your advice is much appreciated...

mikeyrp

BUMP - I would really be interested in your replies...

plantboy2

Hey Mike

I suppose this just comes down to personality and how you rationalise things to yourself. If it is body image that you are concious of, then you can never be 100% happy with what you've got - we are all too self-critical, so you might always be setting yourself goals. Maybe you should focus more on lifestyle than goal-setting once you have reached your goals. Just keeping exercise and healthy eating as part of life rather than needing to get to an end point. That means your exercise doesn't have to be running the same distance time after time on a treadmill, but could incorporate anything active, and you don't have to be hung up on calories as long as you are aware of what you are eating (I have to say, GM negativity is all media hype - a lot of our food is already 'genetically modified' and the world would be starving without it!). Staying motivated is hard unless you are enjoying what you are doing, so join a club, take up a new sport or fit something else into your life that will keep you interested. That's my tuppence anyway....

Everything in moderation, including moderation

Tankplanker

Competition and charity events? I'm on a very slow build up to an event on father's day next year.

As long as you keep track of your heart rate and listen to it and your body then there shouldn't be a problem if you keep pushing yourself. Humans are capable of the most amazing things, but only if we let ourselves do them.

smessom32

bump

pandafoo

hey mikey, congrats first of all on being so close to your goals! it's great to set goals, but i think the danger comes in becoming obsessive over them, and feeling guilty when you get off track a bit. maybe "obsession in moderation" is a good thing, but i'd rather have as little of it as possible!

i'm relieved to hear that you don't plan to cut out all enjoyable unhealthy food - i visited the thread you mentioned, and the OP seems too extreme. at least you just want to keep your fitness and motivation intact. here are some suggestions for new goals that you can set without getting bored or off track:

-try to find ways to become more efficient in your workouts (if you had a choice, wouldn't you rather work out for a shorter duration, or exercise fewer days a week, but STILL achieve the same results?)
- find new sports/fitness activities to set goals around. for example, i'm excited to move to newport beach soon, because i get to try all these water-based sports
-set a goal of maintaining your weight WITHOUT logging onto MFP. see how good you can be at eyeballing food portions, getting enough exercise, etc. without having to be tied to your computer all the time. listen to cues from hunger/body. besides, since you and i both travel a lot for work, this is a goal that is very worthwhile to pursue!
-find a friend to train for a fun event, such as a sprint triathlon

hope this gets some ideas flowing!

mikeyrp

Thanks All - some great ideas here...

I think maybe joining a running club is the way forward - then it becomes a case of seeing my friends rather than working out... Pleanty of time to think about this

Just_Dot

Try other distances, perhaps? A triathalon? Congrats at being so close to your goal!!

callipygianchronicle

Interesting discussion. I don't have any answers. I have thought about the mental obstacles I might encounter when I reach a weight/clothing size/body appearance that I'm happy with. Hopefully some others will chime in for you.

FryingPanda

I would say it is a question of the type of person you are and more importantly being healthy AND happy. You've obviously made some life style changes and are close to reaching your goals. So when you reach those goals setting new ones would be a great thing, but I think in setting those, I'll call them long term goals, you should think about staying both healthy and happy. If cutting out the "junk" makes you happy, maybe it should be a goal, but if you are like me, I like a little junk once and awhile and it is a reward for the hard work I have done.

I read what that person you mentioned posted before and it is great for them, but not for me. I think the people that have posted thus far have mentioned some great ideas, and the running group sounds like a great one also. I am kind of a "it's the Journey, not the Destination" guy. As long as I am having fun and moving towards a goal, I'll always keep traveling.

KellyBurton1

I join a running club and love the motivation! I also made new friends and put the fun back into excerise for me. As for cutting out junk, thats no, I enjoy food. and if I can have something once in a while it would be pretty sad.