I did it! I reached my Going Nowhere goal! I walked 500 miles in 2005!!!

That feels really good. I had a goal, I took steps to work on it, and I got there. Awesome!

I'd love to report that I lost a bunch of weight, that it was all blood, sweat and tears as I gloriously worked my way toward the finish line. I'd love to report that I've learned to eat well and cook at home and overall, have made a ton of progress in the fitness department.

However, that is not the case. In fact, I've gained ten pounds back from the thirty I lost, for a net loss of 20 lbs over the past two years. That's still a loss, so I'm happy the scale's not tipping the other direction. But I still have a ways to go before I get to where I would like to be. And I plan on working on that.

As for the mileage, school and my workplace are both quite large. It's difficult not to rack up at least two miles on the pedometer every time I go to either place. So rather than busting my ass to finally reach 500 at the very end here, I just went to work and came home and said, "Hey, I'm over the 500 mile mark!"

Like I said, it feels good, but I think I'd feel spectacular if I had really had to push myself.

So that's what I'm going to do in 2006. It's time to step it up!

I'll hit 500 miles without even trying to, just from school and work. I could just not count those miles at all, and count only fitness miles. But, I like to give myself credit, to monitor my progress, to be excited by even the smaller levels of activity I do (such as walking around campus). So, I am going to count every mile! Every walk at work and school, and every mile accrued on the elliptical in the gym, and every fitness walking mile I rack up in my own neighborhood, or in the hills as I hike. I'm counting it all, and I'm aiming high...

In 2006, I'm walking 1,000 miles!

I'm really excited about this! That averages out to about 3 miles every single day of the year. And I should be walking at least that. Four miles is around 10,000 steps, and they say that walking that daily is optimum for great health. And damn it, I want great health!

My corresponding goal for 2006 is to visit the gym at least 100 times over the course of the year!

We'll see how it all works out, but for now, I'm incredibly excited, and I see it all as within my reach.

This will be the year that I cook at home more often than not, that I lose these extra inches and extra energy storage deposits that I've been carrying around for far too long. This will be the year that I bust my ass at the gym, that I get down to the shape I'm most comfortable at, and stay that way!

I feel especially optimistic about getting it right this year, because this will be the third year I'll be working on these things, and three is my lucky number!

In 2004, I increased my exercise after a while of being sedentary due to plantar fasciitis (super painful foot issues). (Weight lost: 10 lbs; Miles walked: 400)

In 2005, I continued trying to exercise regularly (and not always succeeding), and realized the impact my eating has on my weight. I lost 20 lbs by loosely following the South Beach Diet. I think I'll go back to that way of eating. (Miles walked: 500)

And finally, in 2006, I will meet my goals by working hard throughout the year, and combining exercise with eating right to get myself to where I want to be.

1,000 miles and 100 gym visits in 2006! This is going to be fun!