While it’s not one of my many goals in this 90 day challenge, I like to ride 150-200 miles a month on my stationary bike at home. But the last month or so has been a challenge, mostly due to the crazy heat wave that’s making me cranky. So when I looked at my tracker (helpfully in my iPhone Notes app) and noticed I had achieved a whole 13 miles in the first 12 days of the month, I decided to think about what was holding me back.
This is just an example of how to examine goals vs achievements when feeling stuck. It’ll look different for everyone and every goal.
Of course, it’s hot. It’s July in Kansas. So I looked back at my tracking for 2023 and 2024 and both years were dismal. Granted, 2023 was the worst summer ever when I lost my primary client, both my dogs, got COVID and a flesh eating bacteria all in 3 months time. Last July I logged a whole 66 miles and only biked 12 day of the month.
So I could definitely chalk this slump up to the regular summer slowdown and how hard I find it to acclimate to weather shifts. I could continue to only get on my bike when I feel like it.
Let’s question that assumption. If I only did things when I felt like it I would never have clean dishes, or clothes, or mopped floors. There are thousands of actions and small decisions that I make every week not out of some inherent love but because I like the outcome or have to do things. See: paying my auto insurance for the next 6 months.
Exercise isn’t one of those things I’m forced to do, nor do I only do when I feel like it. When I get on the bike or go for a long walk, I feel better, I sleep better and I reach my goals.
Plus, I have ways to beat the heat, including pointing 2 tower fans at the bike so I get some cross wind and drink lots of water.
The hardest part of exercising is starting so on Sunday I got up from my comfortable armchair and sat on the bike. Then I did 10 miles. In fact, I did more miles in 3 days than in the first 12 days of the month.
So if part of the answer is just to start, how can I make that more automatic. Here are 3 things I’m going to test out:
- Get in 3 miles before noon – This is about 20 minute of warm up cycling for me so I should be able to find 20 minutes between whenever I get out of bed and noon. Then, I may be more likely to get those miles up to 5 or 8 when I’m halfway there later in the day.
- If I’m watching “tv” I’m on the bike – it’s way too easy to put on YouTube and get sucked into hours of idle watching, even if I’m hand sewing or playing a game on my phone at the same time. So if YouTube or Netflix is playing, I’m on the bike.
- Aim for consistency in miles – too many times I’ll get to the bike late, do a few miles and then think “good enough” and go to bed. Now, I’m testing doing a minimum of 8 miles a day.
If I can continue this trend through the end of the month I can get a lot closer to my monthly goal of 200 miles every month.
Look at the math
One thing that can help me is to look at the goal I’m trying to reach and the time I’ve given myself.
This year I set the goal to ride 2025 miles in 12 months, which broken down per day is only 5.5 miles a day. However, I did travel some and there are always days where I need to rest. If I calculate how many days are left in the year–169– and the miles I have left to go (1231 mi), then I know I need to regularly do 7.5 miles to meet my goal. And if I know I’ll have a few days off each month I should just round that up to 8 miles.
July is a great time to check in on your goals because we still have 6 months of the year left to go. Looking at a goal for the first time in mid-November and realizing you’d have to quit your job and stop sleeping to finish by year end is just frustrating.
Consider looking at your 2025 goals this month to decide how you can tweak them, or yourself, to get back on track.
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