At work, I tend to tell my adult students to “train like an Olympic athlete.” I advise them to make smart decisions with their time and use all the resources available to help them succeed. At the beginning of this week, I finally decided to take my own advice, and begin to analyze my decisions. I’m not going to become healthier or fitter just wishing that day into existence. I have to do make the conditions more probable for my health to thrive.

JB and I were at a faith sharing event on Tuesday, where there was such delicious Vietnamese food served. Marinated pork, rice, salad, and a traditional dessert that tasted like Filipino halo-halo. We gratefully ate two plates each. Instead of seeing it as a “cheat meal,” we decided to see it as a “blessed meal.” We enjoyed the food without guilt.

All week, I have been enjoying a green smoothie for breakfast, and I have been bringing food to work– simple protein dishes paired with some form of veggies. I keep it low-carb and have snacks of nuts and sometimes some dark chocolate.

I didn’t think there would be a very big difference made, but I weighed myself today and found out that I lost 4lbs this week, just making smarter decisions and not over-eating! I plan to extend the “train like an Olympic Athlete” mindset into my physical training before the Big Sur Half Marathon, and our wedding in December! This week is giving me hope, and the ability to forgive myself for “cheats.” Even more than that– to not see the occasional serving of rice or carbs as a “cheat,” but as a blessing.

I can’t wait to continue growing into my own strength and confidence!

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.