I’m turning 40 in 155 days with a huge goal in mind — to be the best version of myself.

I’ll be welcomed in the “sweet spot.” Four beautiful decades of living. In the words of Walter B Pitkin, “Life begins at 40.”

Since high school, I’ve incorporated some type of fitness into my life, and three and a half years ago, I became a runner. Before becoming a runner, if someone asked me to go running, I’d laugh while rattling off all of the reasons why it wasn’t my cup of tea. (“I hate it, it’s hard for me to breathe, my endurance and stamina sucks, it makes me dizzy, vomit, and I feel like I’m going to pass out.”) “Oh, and did I mention I hate it?”

Fortunately, my obnoxious complaining became a thing of the past, and I conditioned myself to become a runner and how I did it was simple. I took one day at a time with bite-sized steps to accomplish one mile at a time. Over a couple of months, I was able to run several miles and enjoy it. I wore that achievement like a badge of honor while strutting in my house after a run and jokingly telling my husband, “Just call me, Flo Jo, baby!”

But with my hectic schedule — my workout regimen took a back seat for a while. And my healthy eating habits took a left turn.

When I develop a wave of poor eating habits due to convenience or curling up on the couch late at night snacking on a bag of Cheetos because I’m stressed out about my hectic schedule, and a lack of exercise (because “I just can’t fit it in”) is not justifiable to give myself a pass because I’ve been busy with full-time work, becoming an entrepreneur, freelance projects, blogging, and soccer games. I was choosing to eat unhealthy while trying to convince myself that “it was okay.” Maybe you can relate to this, too.

(It was time for me to be real with myself and stop the madness.)

If your anything like me, we’re all busy doing multiple things, and we make time for the things that we want to make time for, right? Writing is my passion. It’s who I am, and it’s fulfilling. I make time to write, and I put in a lot of effort to write. Keeping that in mind, I decided to take that same approach to redefine my fitness goals and use helpful tools to create balance.

Related Reading: 5 Essentials for Goal Setting

With writing, I use four methods (determination, accountability, mindset, and noteworthy) to achieve successful outcomes. I’m using the same method, to redefine my fitness goals. I even created an acronym for it — DAMN! When I feel myself going in the wrong direction, I say to myself, “DAMN, girl!” It’s a little reminder that helps me boss up and balance my freelance projects and fitness goals. Here’s the break down:

Determination: Since it’s not my first rodeo with attaining fitness goals, I knew it would be hard to refine them. Let’s be real, when you take a hiatus from fitness and make a decision to go all-in again, it’s tough. While going through the difficulty of conditioning my body again, I choose to persevere in spite of the obstacles, (soreness, stiffness, and achy muscles) to achieve my goal. For me, it’s easier to exercise early in the morning because that’s when I have the most energy, and my momentum is at an all-time high. I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and run. By doing so, I can take a look at my Fitbit, knowing that I’ve accomplished thousands of steps before it’s time to go to work at 8:00 a.m.

Accountability: This one is huge for me because when I slack off doing something, I realize that it’s no one else fault, but mine. I’m the culprit. No one tied me up and shoved those Cheetos down my throat. I ate those Cheetos willingly because…well heck, they taste good! Nor did anyone hold me hostage from working out. Therefore, I paid the price of my favorite jeans hugging me a little too tight. So I decided to hold myself accountable by identifying my mission statement and setting micro-goals. Mission statement: I want to be a healthy person from the inside out and turn 40 rocking my best self. Micro goals: Work out four times a week and reduce carbs and sugar.

Mindset: When I want to lose weight and get in shape, I never result to drastic measures. My mind can’t handle the pressure. Nor can my husband handle me being grumpy because I’m hungry. Instead of restricting myself like a madwoman, I take a different approach using self-talk and discipline. For example, before I reach for a doughnut that’s loaded with a gazillion calories, sugar and carbs galore — I remind myself over and over again how tight my jeans felt when I wore them. That allows me to refocus my mindset while being intentional about my health and wellness journey.

Noteworthy: Despite the times that I’ve doubted myself in regards to writing, my work is being recognized and featured in several publications because I am deserving and significant. This belief doesn’t come from a place of arrogance. It comes from a place of gratitude, humility, and appreciation. The same thing applies to my health and fitness in terms of how I choose to value both. I’m worthy of treating my body with love through self-care by working out and eating clean. And I’m also worthy of looking good in my favorite jeans, too!