What You Want Most

"Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment."

-- Christie, WeightWatchers leader, Stoughton, Wis.

I love this statement and the ideas behind it. Currently it shapes my life choices in many ways, including:
- Food: I want to eat half the menu at El Taco Loco. But, I'm trying to lose weight and each food choice matters, so I'm going to pass, for now.
- Triathlon: I wasn't sure I wanted to run last night at 9:40 p.m. I went, knowing I needed the workout, and it was fabulous.

- Writing: I want to publish my manuscript via a traditional publisher. Therefore I read, write, rewrite and repeat.

- Parenting: When I'm tired, it's easy to ignore or let consistent discipline slide. But, we want to build boys of character, so as parents we press on with hope.

Have you figured out what you want most, what you're willing to sacrifice for in order to achieve or become? Must you know where you're going to know what you want? Have you defined triathlon and/or other life goals or is goal setting a waste? Let's take a look:

Cecil Murphy, writing craft panelist on The Christian Writers View 2 & author of over 100 books, doesn't set goals. Instead he focuses on the present, he shared in a past TWV2 discussion. "I do what I can do now," he wrote. "That attitude keeps me open to the future; it prevents me from wailing over what I didn't do."

Part of time management and goal setting involves defining what you aren't going to do. Rachelle Gardner, literary agent with WordServe Literary, specifically doesn't scrapbook, garden or follow basic laundry guidelines in order to do what she loves most. Find more time management tips from Rachelle & 33 of her many readers here.

And, if you're a triathlete, the word Kona may mean something to you. Mary:IronMatron wants to qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championships (Kona) before she turns 43.

"So I'm going there. And soon. A lot of life is like that: you must decide you're going to get something, and then act as if it's yours to have," she wrote on a recent post "The Chase, The Pass, The Line."

Questions for you:
What do you want most?
What have you given up to get there?

What distracts you from getting what you want most?

photo credit-my breakfast. It's easy to be good with fruit like this.

I Ate the Bunny: Things I Wish I Knew

#5 I Ate the Bunny
Series: Things I Wish I Knew as a New Triathlete.

Seinfeld's George Costanza eats peanut butter out of the jar with his fingers, rescues eclairs from the garbage and devours hot fudge sundaes (4 min mark).

True George lives with his parents, but he should know better. And, as a mother and experienced triathlete, I should too.

As a triathlete, I swim, bike and run. And, too often, I overeat or eat too much junk. Over the years, I've learned a lot about my diet. What my red light foods are. What emotional environments encourage me to overeat. How my body responds to different food choices.

One of my biggest problems--is thinking I can eat (Oreos, caramel bunnies, El Taco Loco) because I've worked out. My reward item often outweighs my workout. It'd be simpler to not eat the junk food at all. Can I "just say no" to snack-size chocolate?

With a better diet where could I be as a triathlete? I'd hope I'd be lighter, leaner, faster. All good things. Eating well should be straight-forward, but I make it complicated. I eat when I'm tired, angry, stressed-out or bored vs. when I'm actually hungry. Add on the post-workout reward and the calories pile up!

Even world-class triathletes struggle with food choices and nutrition. Six-time World Ironman Champion Dave Scott shares his advice on nutrition and common mistakes in this Inside Triathlon article.

More help:
- Stop by USA Triathlon's Fuel Station for weekly nutrition articles.

- Weight Watchers offers 28 Small Changes to Make a Big Difference here.

- Nutrition Overhaul for a Triathlon Newbie
- Quick Meals for Busy Triathletes

- Check out active.com's nutrition expert Nancy Clark RD

Lately I've been: trying to eat smaller amounts more frequently, eating smarter portion sizes and drinking more water. When I fail, I start over, right away. Tell me, how do you handle tempting food choices? What works for you?

Triathlon is a rewarding sport for people of all ages and abilities. 2009 is your year to taste triathlon. As a triathlete, you'll surprise yourself as you face fears and set personal bests. You'll be more confident, have more energy and smile more often. People will be drawn to that difference. Triathlon is a rewarding sport for people of all ages and abilities, wearing underwear is optional. Sleestak sightings rare. Dogs, many. Caramel bunnies, eaten.

Check out Why You Can series: Common excuses:
1-I have no time. 2-I can't afford it. 3-I'm too old. 4-I'm afraid. 5-I'm not an athlete.

Also see the entire series: Things I Wish I Knew As a New Triathlete:
#1 My swimsuit was see-through.
#2 Go Commando: Things I Wish I Knew
#3 Land of the Lost Training
#4 Chopper, sic'em, Boy!

And visit me in active.com's triathlon community. Come say hello, I'm a volunteer moderator!

photo credit by me: A caramel bunny calls out from my countertop... eat me.

Weight Loss While Training

As a triathlete, I haul my body weight between the swim, bike and run segments. According to Joe Friel's TrainingBible blog, running heavy does cost time.

He writes, "One extra pound (0.45kg) costs about 2 seconds per mile running and takes roughly 3 watts to get it up a hill on a bike."

If I want to be faster at my next race should I reduce the fat in my diet, or carbs? Eat less or train more? Read his entire post for more information on how weight loss affects performance and training.