Who's With Me? (A Flat Stomach)

So Round 2 has come to a close. For some, this round was a big success - people lost weight, kept their apartments clean, ran, read, sat up, pushed up and made themselves just a little better. For people like me, this round was a bit of a struggle. I got off track multiple times, I focused my time on other things like work and sleep and I did not reach my goals (and I took off quite a few weeks of email writing - sorry). But it is not all bad news - my stomach is flatter than it was in September and I think I could hold my own in an arm wrestling competition with certain people named Lydia.*

I spent some time disappointed with myself for missing my goals and then my wise friend Katherine chimed in:

I don't know. Goals are good… without them, I'd spend the vast majority of my life lazing about in bed eating pudding pops and watching documentaries about people who have three legs on Discovery Health. But, still, not all goals need to be reached every time. If I/you did that… it would just aggravate the rest of us to no end. Cut yourself some slack! The job and the holidays… just a lot going on!

Katherine made a good point and got me thinking about Round 3 (yes, there will be a Round 3!). I have a good feeling about Round 3 - people are already talking about New Years Resolutions and Who's With Me? is the perfect way to make sure we stay focused on our resolutions (at least for 75 days at the beginning of the year). Two people (Jocelyn and Travis) are officially in and I am excited to see who else comes on board. Given the holidays and my own travel plans, Round 3 will start on Monday, January 5th and will end March 19th (the last day of Winter). The same rules apply (they are included below in case you want to send them along to someone else). So declare your goal, tell your friends and get ready for January 5.

*When I say "hold my own" I do not mean I could actually win.

THE RULES:

The basic rules for picking a goal:
Our goals must be measurable and challenging (300 miles run, 4000 pages read, 3000 sits up sat up)

Our goals must involve an ongoing activity (losing weight is not an activity)

We must be able to achieve 100% of our goals even if we miss a day here and there (quitting smoking is out)

Our goals must be positive (visiting every bar in Tribeca is not positive and it is not challenging, trust me)

Our goals can't depend on other people's actions (Sorry, guys, 'three dates per week' doesn't work)

The point is this: We all have at least one thing we have been talking about doing for a while but have not actually done anything about it. The time is now.

Other things you should know:
1. If you wish to participate, you must declare your goal (to me) by Monday, January 5

2. The challenge runs from January 5 through March 19 (through the official end of Winter).

3. When you complete 50% of your goal, you will reward yourself with a small prize (piece of jewelry, new clothes, fishing trip). Lissa pointed out three months is a long time and we need a mid-point reward.

4. When we complete our goals, you should take yourself out for a nice dinner at a nice restaurant. Again, this is Lissa.

5. Once you declare your goal, I will make you a spreadsheet so you can track your progress and see what other people are doing. Some people think this is the best part of the whole thing.