The "Other Side of the Hill"

Welcome Everyone: If you are reading this, then you are a new accountability partner of mine. This challenge isn't about a destination, though I have a few in mind, but instead, about a journey. It will be difficult, but if I can stay injury free, it will also be worth it. After the way 2015 ended with so many life challenges, the prospect of turning 50 was not something I was looking forward to, not so much because I felt any older, but instead because of how out of shape I was again becoming. In August of 2015, I had just finally started trimming some weight again, but then mom's stroke, dad's heart attack, and then the diagnosis of mom with stage 4 pancreatic cancer then her subsequent passing on 10/18/15 - which was followed by even more challenges with dad.....I had really fallen off the bandwagon and as a result, I knew I needed to make a plan to start this side of the hill off in a much different way. The result, my 50for50 challenge. Let me be clear, I am not setting goals here, but instead putting forth the plan, and I suspect it will be altered as time goes on. For example, if I progress as I hope, there will be added aspects to it, but if there is an injury or other unknown obstacles, there will need to be other adjustments. Bottom line, I just won't be going day-to-day without having a plan that will help me get into shape and improve other aspects of my life as well. So....here it is.

 Personal

Quiet Time: This is something I have not done in a long time, and something that I desperately need. The plan is to spend 50 minutes a week (baby steps) in prayer and scripture reading, which will include reading a minimum of 50 Bible verses each week.
Nutrition: Over the years, my diet has improved from what it once was, but I need to really focus here again. I am dividing the 50 days into two parts. The first 25 will start with a one day fast, followed by the Advocare 24 Day Challenge (click link to learn more). This will be my third time doing the challenge, and I highly recommend it! The second 25 days will be focused on single ingredient foods. My wife and I did this for a few months last year and felt great!

 Physical 

Cardio: Each week I will accomplish a minimum of 25 miles of running/walking or the equivalent in swimming and/or cycling. The ratio I will use will be 1 mile of swimming equals 4 miles of running, and 4 miles of cycling equals 1 mile of running.  
Strength: The three lifts that I will do to accomplish the weight amounts are bench press, curls, and triceps pull downs. I will work out three days a week and push a total of 25,000 pounds. This amount will hopefully be added to, but only if my shoulder doesn't flare up again. I will also be doing a minimum of 300 push ups and sit ups each week.

Professional: 

This is an area that needs a new concentrated focus. I have been blessed to have a flexible schedule which afforded me the ability to be there for my parents when they needed me most, but knowing that I am not getting any younger, also requires recognition of the limited amount of potential years to prepare for when I won't be able to work as much. As a result, I will be spending a minimum of 5 hours per day (M-F) in a structured plan for work. I know that doesn't sound like very much, but there are many hours that happen in my line of work that aren't structured and won't be counted either. I am excited to see the results of this and to start working toward a prosperous year.

As I stated before, this isn't about a destination, but a journey. However, I will be updating about the journey periodically and tracking my weight as well. For the record, I am starting at 232lbs and barely able to squeeze into my 36" waste pants, so going with having a 38-40" waste currently.

Here we go......