Small Steps

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

You know, I appreciate self-help books. I've talked about them enough. They all emphasize the same thing, it's important to set goals. They stress setting small daily achievable goals along with monthly, quarterly, seasonal and yearly goals. Essentially, your life needs to be a map of interconnecting points that represent goals. Let's call this your road to the stars. After all, if you aim for the moon, at least if you miss you're still among the stars.

The last I wish I could take credit for, but I can't. It's a quote I saw on a shirt recently, but I need to get one for myself.

Anyway, as I was saying, setting goals are good things but there's a problem with goals. They are great when you achieve them, disappointing when you don't and life seems to look at my goals and laugh silly.

Yes, laugh.

For example, one goal I set years ago was to start a regular workout routine three to four days a week. I ended up with walking pneumonia a week later and it took six weeks before I fully recovered enough to be comfortable walking the garbage out much less working out.

I set goals to manage my workday down to the hours of between 8 and 5 so that I can spend more time with my daughter and not always have work on the back of my mind. She and my husband both get the flu and in less than 24 hours, I'm behind and playing catch-up for a week.

Discouraging no?

I like to set goals, I'm still a big proponent of goals, but I plan my goals with a really good sense of humor. I.E. Okay, what will derail me cause what does not derail me makes me more efficient!

My walking program took a beating this last couple of months. My husband is a contractor and he's been slow on getting work until recently, so I had to ramp up my own work schedule to try and compensate for it. As such, little bit by little bit, I let my exercise program be eroded out of self-defense and needing more sleep. I am the first one to know that's wrong, but hey - I'm human.

Three weeks ago, I got everything back on track. My workouts were climbing back to where they should be, my workload improved. I know for a fact I work better when I am exercising regularly and then both husband and daughter come down with the flu. Not a light flu, either, a mind numbing, brutally exhausting flu.

But I was managing to take care of them, keep them comfortable and comforted, work and be moderately successful with my workout and other issues. So imagine the amount of laughter I barked forth with on Saturday when I put my foot down on the side of a bone and rolled it. That' right, rolled it. I sprained my foot so bad that it is impossible to put my weight on it.

I spent most of Saturday with my foot elevated and under ice. I'm wearing a foot support right now to help ease the ache and to make sure it doesn't collapse when I stand on it. But I'm still walking - a halting, limping gate, but I'm walking. I'm just not walking to work out.

But I will not be defeated. Do you know how much exercise can be performed OFF your feet? I am finding out.

So take small steps, you may stub your toe, but you can still take those small steps! I'll be sharing some of my workouts here to help you out if you perform the fun that I did with my foot! Yes I'm calling it fun, because I would rather laugh than cry.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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