How to set goals and maintain accountability creatively

The new year is here and everyone is setting new and exciting wellness and fitness goals. I wanted to share a few of mine, and also what has helped me maintain accountability over the last few years of running and various other endeavors I have decided were a good idea. Part of my personality is being unafraid to start something...I get really really excited, I research the hell out of it, I plan, outline, make lists, network etc. etc. etc. and get the project done. However, this does not come without a price...I sometimes get really worked up about other things that I am excited about, but I leave them in the back of my mind (like my daily mediation goals...about that, another time....)and have every intention of doing these things. So in order to keep myself honest, I keep books around that I want to read...

Goal 1: Read more books!!! I read a ton, but opening up an app on my phone doesnt always count. I want to underline, and feel the book in my hand, and have at my fingers a good old fashioned reference I can pull upon, or let a friend borrow who may need the information. 

 These books are sitting right next to my couch, my bed, and my coffee table. I have zero excuse to not open them at least a few times a week. I actually do a lot of reading while I am foam rolling after a long run. It's a great way to make sure I foam roll as often as I need too, and get in my reading as well. Brene Brown, Krissy Mohel, Ben Greenfield, Shalane Flanagan, Satchin Panda, Stacy Simms, and DR. Kelly Starrett all have amazing information packed, in easy to read books, that are easy to pick up and put down. Topics range from training for an ultra (if thats your gig), nutrition, fitness, mobility, and empowerment. Super great books, and you can get them by one swipe of your phone on amazon.

Goal 2: Increase my podcast listening. I listen to podcasts a lot, but still find myself getting annoyed at the same country song on the radio, or the obnoxious news on the radio....sorry NPR, I love ya...but...I love Ben Greenfield more. So downloading podcasts is a great way to listen and maintain inspiration all while educating and empowering yourself. This is what is currently in my ever changing library of podcasts

See a theme here? hah!! Workout, wellness, and relaxation!! Couldn't we all use a little more of this? 

Goal 3: Creating my own visual reward system. Something about seeing things checked off, or big gapingly glaring open spaces on a chart motivates the hell out of me. What motivates you? I am a very visual reward driven person...all those years of winning ribbons at horse shows🤣yes, i love ribbons, trophies and medals, its not the object I love, it is the hard work and dedication that those trophies, ribbons and medals represent...i also love sticker charts and lists!! I have this daily run calendar right in front of my bed, so when i wake up I am reminded of the reward I will love to get when i get my butt out of bed in the cold and am able to cross another run or workout day off this chart!!! That’s what works for me.....what works for you? What inspires you to get out there despite wet, cold, dark weather? This run chart gives me a thrill every time I cross another day off... yeah, I know we are only into the 3rd day of the year....but I did something similar last year and it was very effective. 

Goal 4: Really dial in my nutrition. With the help of my awesome coach, and registered dietician Anne L'heureux I was able to get a good start on calculating my macros and hitting specific macros for specific workout days. I did really well logging onto my fitness pal, until race season wrapped up, then the dreaded holidays. I decided to just mindfully enjoy the holidays and then get back on track with tracking my foods. There are many apps out there, but I like my fitness pal for calculating my macros. Instead of just trying to figure it out, I highly suggest working with a registered dietician for finding out your nutrition needs, or working with a holistic nutritionist to help with foods and herbs/supplements specific to your needs. 

Goal 5: My long term goal for the year is to run an ultra marathon and get my Spartan trifecta, but focus on the cross training and strength work instead of burning myself out on just cardio and running. Thinking outside the box and trying new things is so helpful to weight loss and lean muscle goals. The body can get used to the same workout over and over, and plateau, so keep it fresh by thinking outside the box and going for a hike, a snowshoe, a cross fit class, swim, bike, row, ride, whatever it takes to move your body in as many ways as possible. and REST!!!! REST days are as important if not more important than the workouts themselves. Having an accountability partner or friend is invaluable in helping meet your goals. Even just posting something you want to do on facebook is accountability.  Try it!! What are some things that help you find motivation and stay motivated?

The nut shell of how I arrived here (A little about me....this could take a while lol, but loooong story short...)

I have ALWAYS been an active person. I drove my parents crazy as a kid with the constant need to always be doing something. I was the kid who took not 1 ballet class a week, but 6-8 classes a week, plus rode horses non-stop, took piano lessons, ran track, rode my bike EVERYWHERE, swim team (for a minute), and was always hanging out at some friend or another's house. I did not sit still, I was always looking for more...more...more.

                       (Don't I look sweet and innocent?? Bwahaha....That little smirk says it all, and god                         help me, my daughters have the same look....)

As an adult that has NOT changed a bit...I might be a little smarter in my searching for "more", maybe making better choices in food and activity, but this passion for "more" has taken me on numerous cross-country trips, a move from Maine to CA. to Oregon where we resided for 11 years, and then back to Maine in May 2016. When I left Maine I was 27, and when I came back I was 38 with two kids and a husband (Jeff, whom I am sure will make appearances throughout my posts with his maddening knack for always being amazing at EVERYTHING without trying OR training😜).

                 (My first visit ever to Oregon, and within 24 hrs. we signed a lease on a house...12 yrs ago)

I left Maine in my twenties, to grow...and I did just that. In Oregon I had an amazing job for 3 years training international endurance horses, started SGF Sporthorse which grew to be one of the larger facilities in Central Oregon, and got my bachelors in Literature, Writing & Anthropology through Eastern Oregon University.

                                    (2010 Endurance Race, a 50 miler on SAR Jet Set at Bandit Springs)

When we left Oregon in May of 2016 we bought an RV and hauled ourselves, 2 dogs, 2 kids, and a whole truckload of farm equipment (because we thought we'd buy a farm in Maine...and who needs furniture and stuff in an RV haha) back to Maine.

                                                 (you know you are a farm girl when........😂)

I was not very excited about this move, our move from Oregon was unplanned and much quicker than we wanted it to be, but I had the amazing opportunity to ride a nice Grand Prix horse for the summer and earn my USDF Bronze medal. I also earned two 4th level scores toward my silver (someday....) It was a wonderful learning opportunity that I am thankful for and will get back to when the timing and finances are right. I will earn my gold on my own horse someday! (You guys heard it...)

                              (The one and only Jeffrey at HITS Saugerties summer of 2016💕)

The day we landed in Maine I started grad school through the American College of Healthcare Sciences. This was in hindsight a terrible idea timing-wise, but 2.5 years later I am still alive from the experience of taking on a cross-country move with two kids under 3, competing in horse shows, starting my wellness business, training for distance running, starting Spartan races, and sooo much more, (too much for this one post, which means you will have to stay tuned to this blog to find out) I was miserable in Maine.

Our plans of buying a home were squashed when we were told that we needed two years of tax returns in Maine, and Jeff (my husband) had to go from being self-employed, to employed by someone else in order for us to even stand a chance of getting financing. SOOOOO my typical Virgo mind went farrrr out of the box and we used some of the money we had saved for a down payment on a house, to build a tiny house. Our RV was great, but not winter in Maine great. Soooo we built tiny aka. "The Tarbox" (this will be a seperate post for those interested in tiny living
and the minimalist lifestyle).

(Its a bad ass, and WARM little house👐)

Sooooo we did the tiny house thing for about a year (and lived to tell the tale), it was during this time I realized I could wallow in my depression at being in Maine, and not having our goals come to fruition when I deemed they "should", so I decided to completely overhaul my life. My identity was SGF Sporthorse, I had no idea who I was without my business and clientele that I had in Oregon. So I decided to go back to my roots as a massage therapist, get back into practicing yoga and registered for the Illumina 200hr teacher training at Niraj in Portland, and this is where my life as I know it now really began. Yoga opened up so many doors for me mentally, physically and spiritually and allowed me clarity and confidence to really say YES to EVERYTHING i have always wanted to do. 

(are you really a yogi if you don't have the cliche picture of asana on the beach??😉😉😉)

I have always dabbled in running since I was a kid. I ran track and loved it. I have never been particularly fast, but I have good endurance, love hills, and like to think I have mental grit, so Ultrarunning is something I am very interested in and want to envision myself being that grey-haired, badass 70+ runner out there running 75's and 100's...If I believe it I, I can do it right? So almost 6 years ago I started running again. The knees were achy and bitchy, I was slow, I fell, I peed myself (a LOT...the struggle is real mommas) I took a LOT Of poops in the woods on long runs, but I kept at it. Couch to 5k turned into 10ks, then a half marathon, then marathon training which got siderailed by my father in law passing away that week, so I did the 25k trail race at Pineland farms a few weeks later. My husband and I, and as of last summer our 5yr old daughter enjoy supporting the Wicked Muddy Mainer Obstacle race in Bangor ME. and we have done a pumpkin relay together. We try despite hectic schedules to make running a family thing. 

                                   (Summer time hill reps in the sand pit, natures playground)

I also am VERY competitive...not necessarily with others (which I really need to up my game with this aspect of racing) but with myself. I always want to push harder and see how much more I can do. I am addicted to goal setting and accomplishment. (The verdict is still out whether this is a blessing or a curse haha) I have done a nice variety of races, mostly on trails, but a few roads, over the last 3 years, a bunch of 5ks, 10ks, a half marathon, 25k, and this year ventured into the world of Spartan racing with the best coach around Anne L'Heureux. I am HOOKED!!!

(Pineland Trail Festival 25k May 2018)

(Nor' easter whaaaaaat??💁)

(Finishing Barre Super with my amazing coach Anne L'heureux and my awesome husband Jeff)

                                          (year 2 of doing the wicked muddy mainer as a family)

                                                (Beach to Beacon August 2018....humid AF)

                                      (Spartan training at Anne L'Heureux obstacle course)

(Heavy as Hell Herc Hoist in Vernon NJ)

 I did the Boston Super in August 2018, The Vernon Super in October in a fricken NOR EASTER and almost got blown off the mountain, but by damned I FINISHED!! Full disclosure I did end up with a horrific chest and sinus infection after that race...but pulled it together enough to do the Spartan race in Fenway 2 weeks later. 

It was not the fastest of times, but this year was a learning year. A year to see what I can do, develop a base, gain some experience and become a part of a community which I truly enjoy. 

This post is getting quite long, so stay tuned for more on my running and fitness journey....It really is not all unicorns and rainbows...there is a lot of peeing and pooping in the woods, a lot of swears, and a constant dialogue of eradicating self-doubt and learning how to be a beginner at something. With horses, I know what to do in my sleep. I am at home in the arena, I know how to show up and have fun and do well at a show. With running and athletic events, it is a whole new beast...I am the one who has to focus on nutrition for myself, think of rest days and training plans....ALL EASY when I do this with a HORSE haha...I realized I needed to care for myself as I do my horses as athletes. I found a coach I love, a physical therapist that has changed my entire way of running and cross-training, nutrition is a work in progress as I do have quite the sweet tooth, and most of all not FINDING time, but CREATING time for my workouts...this is no easy task. YES, I am self-employed so I do have that going for me, but it is not as easy as one may think, but if you WANT it BAD enough you WILL MAKE it happen...I promise.

 So in my upcoming blog posts, I will talk about my physical realities and journeys from major weight fluctuations, thyroid issues, body dysmorphia, postpartum, hernia surgery 3 weeks postpartum, recovering physically from injury, pelvic floor issues....there is no subject that is off the table. I will talk about nutrition, share my favorite recipes, I will share candidly and honestly my "athletic endeavors" as I continue to put myself out there fearlessly, and I will most of all HOPE it empowers you to do the same. None of these posts are meant as a brag or for ANY sort of kudos...I realize how important my friends and mentors posts are to me, and how inspiring they are, and I only want to share my experiences as a means to show even one person that If I can do it while still peeing my pants almost 6yrs postpartum😖, then you can do it TOO💪💪💪!!!!! See ya for now....

Samantha💖💖💖