Jessica's challenge goals

By December 31, 2008 I will:

1. Lose ten pounds and then consistently weigh in under 190.
2. Read the Torah portion each week before Shabbat begins and spend at least some time in prayer/meditation.
3. Go to the gym at least three days a week.

Reasons I MUST change:

1. I've got good momentum going with weight loss right now, and I don't want to get stuck in a plateau. I want to keep losing.
2. I need to continue to strengthen my legs and arms.
3. When I don't exercise, I enter a vicious cycle...I don't want to go to the gym because I don't feel good, but then I don't feel good because I don't exercise...etc, etc.
4. Reading and understanding on some level the Torah portion deepens my understanding of and connection to God.
5. I'm tired of going into Shabbat morning services "cold," without warming up spiritually. Knowing the Torah portion that will be discussed helps me warm up.

List 5 accomplishments needed to reach my Goal(s):

1. Bring my own lunch to work most days of the week, rather than eat the school lunch. (I'm a teacher at a private school that provides lunch--mostly healthy but not South Beachy--for students and teachers.)
2. Remember to pack a snack for after work, before I go the gym. If I forget then I tend to skip the workout because I know I'll be too hungry to bike home afterwards.
3. Remember to pack my exercise shoes on my bike on days that I plan to go the gym.
4. Clean on Thursdays, rather than Fridays, so that I can have a quiet time and study time before lighting the Shabbat candles.
5. Make an effort on Sundays to learn the name of the upcoming Torah portion so that it's within my consciousness for the week.