Your Best is Enough

I think it's sometimes hard to remember that as long as you are giving 100%, it's enough. I can't even begin to list all of the cheesy motivational quotes that encourage this practice.

Mike Farrell: If you try to do your best there is no failure.
Imelda Staunton: You can only do your best. That's all you can do. And if it isn't good enough, it isn't good enough.
African American Proverb: God makes three requests of his children: Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have, now.
Albert Einstein: We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility. 

The compilation of these quotes could go on and on and on. Honestly, as many quotes as there are for doing your best, we tend to forget it, right? I know I do. I went to work out today and we added inclined sit-ups to my legs & core work out. I was supposed to do two sets of twelve. Shouldn't be too hard, right? But after the entire work out, on my second set, I only could get to nine and every sit up was a little less high than the last. 

I was so disappointed in myself. I couldn't do it. 

But then I realized that I gave it the best I could. I couldn't have gotten another sit up out of myself if I'd wanted to. I pushed. I pushed harder than I've pushed since I started my workout journey. So, I guess, that's okay. 

Because my best is definitely enough. It's better than I've ever done before and now the only way to go is up.

Good thing the point of this next year is to prepare for the ultimate trip up: the summit of Pikes Peak!

September Goals {Jacque}

I made this plan, this commitment that I was going to summit a fourteener next summer. The next day I immediately set out to start hiking. (I was motivated and determined.) But, as usual? My steam burned off quickly. So I've decided that I need to break my goals down smaller.

For September, I have set the goal for myself to take 8 hikes.

That doesn't sound like much - but that doesn't include daily walking around town or on short hiking trails near my house. Those 8 hikes have to be planned out and a step up from my normal activity level.  (Bonus points if I get a sitter for the kidlet and do some serious hiking!)

I'm quickly realizing that I may have bitten off more than I can chew, that I'm home alone 320 days a year with a homeschooled 5 year old. I have to take her with me. No grandparents to drop her off with. No husband coming home at 5pm so I can go hike, or on Saturdays. Just me and her. This training is going to be harder than I thought!

I've read that the most difficult part (once you're in fairly decent shape) is the fact that you're on your feet so much. 15.5 hours for the EASY hike is a long ways to hike, when you spend - at most - a few hours on your feet on a normal day.

My second goal for September is to come up with a training plan. I need something tangible, that I can follow for the next 11 months. For this, I need to do a lot of reading, a lot of planning! This overweight mama is going to get in shape and climb a mountain!!