Phase 1 Review - Phase 2 Goals

I am happy with the fact that I have not faltered ever since I began this personal quest. I have steadily done all of my workouts and have maintained a 100% clean diet for six weeks straight. Those are the positives. The negatives have to do with a certain lack of passion, focus, and intensity I've been experiencing lately. I am approaching this as a job; a must-do chore, and not an all-consuming effort that captures all of my energy and passion.

I do not want to go through the motions anymore. I want to push myself harder and push the limits of what my body and mind can do.

I am 1/3 of the way through the first round of the 90-day fitness program I am following. And though I see myself getting slimmer and stronger, I fear that I may not be progressing as quickly as I could. I spend most of the day sitting on my rear end and putting off my training until I could no longer wait and am forced to train. My meals are scattered throughout the day, often going 5 hours or more between meals. This is all proof that I am allowing the edges to blur a little; that my focus has waned. If I don't take action now, this can spiral out of control.

Ironically, though, my motivation levels are still high. I simply know deep down inside that failure will not - cannot - be an option; that I must succeed no matter what. This overwhelming feeling is what allows me to overcome the daily temptations to indulge in fatty foods or skip training. So intense is my committment, that these thoughts are barely entertained - if at all. But though "motivation" may be high, passion is definitely lagging. I must do something about this, because without passion, motivation will eventually fall by the wayside.

In an effort to right the ship, I will pursue difficult goals and correct lazy behavior throughout the 3 weeks I have left in Phase 2 of the training program. Phase 2 is intended as a period where one is to push themselves and make dramatic gains. I'm off to a good start considering I've lost nearly 4 pounds this week. But in order to ensure that progress continues, here are the changes/goals I will be implementing during the next 3 weeks:

1. I must lose 11 pounds during Phase 2 in order to stay on track. This will require that I lose over 3.5 pounds per week. Definitely a tough challenge.

2. I will begin gauging intensity in all of my workouts on a scale from 1 to 10. I will post this level of perceived effort in all blog entries every night. I am setting a goal of averaging an intensity level of 9 on all workouts.

3. I will begin including sandbag training 3x per week. This training will be metabolic in nature an focused on conditioning and fat burning.

4. I will establish a daily training routine and train at, or near, the same time every day. I now expect to train everyday beginning at 6pm.

5. I will eat 6 daily meals separated by at most 3 hours.