#FitReaders Check-In: January 13th, 2023

#FitReaders

This year I wanted to not only better my fitness but have some accountability and note my progress. It has been a while since I've done this, but I wanted to start with my goals and how I am doing. I don't expect perfection but I think this will motivate me to do better. I'll be doing this biweekly if anyone's interested.

Goals

• Squat 135 lbs (that's the bar and two 45 lb weights which seems like a miracle to me)
• Drink 64 oz of water every day
• Eliminate or heavily reduce dependence on frozen foods
• Meal plan / make cooking a habit
• Add more fruits and vegetables into my diet
• Bench 45 lbs
• Exercise in the morning on working days (whether it's a workout video or dancing)
• Lift heavy weights twice a week on days off
• Walk an average of 50,000 steps
• Gain 10 lbs

My goals for the year feel lofty but I have been able to consistently work out in the morning at least three days a week in the past. I used to be more conscious of drinking water but I hardly notice that I am drinking barely any water anymore. I'm squatting 95 lbs now (90 at the start of the year). And the steps have been the easiest part this far.

Here are my goals for January and how I am doing so far:

• Squat 100 lbs (currently at 95 lbs)
• Drink 36 oz of water a day (2/31 days) - 
• Cook two meals (0/2)
• Bench Press 30 lbs ✅
• Lift at least 5 days (2/5 days)
• Exercise a total of 15 days (3/15 days)
• Walk 6,000 steps a day (12/31 days) 

Update: I realized I wasn't even measuring my water goal correctly. I want to drink my water bottle contents 1 1/2 times. My water bottle is 24 oz so my real goal has been 36 oz. Since that's higher than expected I'm not surprised I haven't been hitting it. I'll keep it at 36 oz and just adjust my mindset.

I wasn't planning on posting this today (well actually tonight) because I was kind of annoyed by how little it seems that I've been trying with exercise videos and drinking a basic amount of water but I want to improve and I know this will help me. The meals thing is also annoying but I do have plans this weekend as long as I don't overwhelm myself I'll be fine. I am surprisingly doing well with lifting even though I missed last week. The bench press is something I knew I could do but it's still very difficult for me. The steps are going really well. I was so disappointed that I missed one of the days by less than one hundred steps but that's fine. I'll be bumping up my step count each month so missing one day isn't a bad thing. Overall, I want to step up my water and exercise game. I need to keep an eye on things and don't let them go by the wayside.

Do you have any fitness/health goals this year?