Stepping into Spring Goals

When the weather gets warmer, my heart yearns to be outside. So, last month I made it happen.

I saw a fundraiser on social media at the beginning of April. It was a 100-mile challenge. At first, it seemed impossible to do. As a full-time student who commutes, I don’t often get the opportunity to squeeze in a ton of miles here and there, at least not as often as I would like to.

But this fundraiser supported a cause I believed in, and I wanted to be part of it. It was a healthy goal that could motivate me to get through the end of the semester while staying fit.

I started going to the gym with my brother and really making time for daily walks with my dogs. I tried to take extra steps around campus when I could, and I was proud of myself for that.

In the end, I was able to reach 75 miles. Having a full week of finals, a bunch of rainy weather days, and a couple other obstacles, I was pretty proud of this achievement. Even if it wasn’t the 100 miles I had hoped for, it was significantly more than I had achieved all year. So, I found great joy in this victory, and I am using it as even more motivation for this month.

Long story short, this is all to say that monthly fitness challenges can seem impossible at the beginning of the month, but by breaking those down into daily or weekly goals, they become much more manageable. And it is important to recognize the strength and courage it took to achieve whatever you were able to, because you set a goal and stuck to it. Just because you may not have reached it doesn’t mean it is any less admirable.

What helps you make your goals feel more manageable? Have you ever set a goal for yourself that seemed daunting or scary?