October in the Rearview Mirror

Star chart legend: * = done, O = fail, ? = I’m not sure if I reached this goal, and V = I didn’t do this because I was on Vacation.

October was a little novel for me in the goal-setting department.  I set not only fitness goals as usual, but I also set a number of health and life balance goals, as things were feeling a little wacky at the beginning of the month.  I wanted a calm, productive month, and on the whole I’m pleased with how things went.  Though I admit, I didn’t nail all my goals.  In a few cases, my goals were derailed by outside forces that were too annoying for me to pause and fix.

But such is life.  I can regroup for November, especially since tomorrow we have 25 hours to work on our goals!  Hip hip hurray for Daylight Savings Time in November! 

Fitness Goals:

* Gradually increase my run length to 40 minutes.

Verdict: I have no idea how I did on this goal, as my watch’s battery died in October.  Then I discovered that timeless running is really pretty awesome.  And now I still haven’t replaced my watch’s battery or bought a new watch!  However, I did run a lot in October until the last week, when I was on vacation.  (See Figure 1 above for evidence.)

* Take my bike to the bike shop for its annual check-up.

Verdict: Fail.  This was really a scheduling fail.  The bike shop closes at 6 PM, which means I have to either 1) leave work between 5:30 and 5:40 to get there before closing or 2) take my bike to the shop during the workday or on a Saturday.  The truth is that it’s inconvenient for me to be without my bike.  I like convenience.  But my bike’s brakes need some attention, so this item is going back onto the list for November.

* Write and make good use of the monthly star chart.

Verdict: Yes, I did this and pretty well, I think!  It’s a relief, as I didn’t do so well on the first two goals (and apparently embraced the opposite of the first goal?).

Health and Life Balance Goals:

* Be in bed by 10 PM Sunday through Thursday.

Verdict: Yes, I did this reasonably well.  I didn’t chart it, but I do know that I didn’t feel as sleep-deprived once I made it a goal here on the blog.

* Get back into the habit of cooking something substantial at least twice during the work week (Monday to Friday).  Otherwise I feel like I have nothing but fruit, cheese, and pretzels to take for lunches!

Verdict: Yes!  I definitely had fewer days when I felt like all I had was snack-type food (I think of them as the “accessories” of lunch) to pack in my lunch.  Gotta keep up this kitchen momentum!

* Allow myself some snack and rest time after work (15-30 minutes), but spend that time on the couch, relaxing and not playing on the computer.

Verdict: Yes, I had fewer days when I relaxed by booting up the computer.  I’m so weak in the face of the internet’s endless amounts of reading material.  I need to continue unplugging more often in the evenings.

* Continue reading favorite blogs, but try to avoid too much aimless computer time.

Verdict: Yes.  I have a handful of blogs I read and comment on regularly, and it doesn’t take much time to keep up with those people and their sites.  I’m still spending more aimless time on the internet than I would like, so perhaps I need to set a daily limit to discourage myself from wasting all my time on the computer.

I’m working on my November goals, so stay tuned!