Kaizen

I'm not a believer in New Year's resolutions. I just don't think that they work for me. When I worked at Fidelity Investments, a philosophy of continuous improvement, or kaizen, was introduced to me. Wikipedia states, "The term kaizen (Japanese for "improvement") is a Japanese word adopted into English referring to a philosophy or practices focusing on continuous improvement in manufacturing activities, business activities in general, and even life in general, depending on interpretation and usage". I like to believe that I am continuously working to better myself, regardless of the time of year. When I train for races, I follow a training plan almost to a fault. I set goals that are achievable yet challenging, and I work really hard to accomplish my goals.
And yet, I don't think that I look quite like someone who works out like I do. Don't get me wrong; I am pleased with my endurance, my strength and my cardio-vascular capabilities. I am in the best shape of my life, and yet this "best shape of my life" body doesn't quite look the way that I expected. So in the spirit of Kaizen, I decided to make a change. I decided to diet. See, I have managed to get back into shape by exercising a lot and eating healthy, but I have not been really limiting myself.  And it worked, to an extent. But I am ready for more; I am ready to look the way I imagined I would when exercising as long and as hard as I do. So I am in diet mode: keeping the food journal and avoiding the carbs. and sweets. and alcohol.
I do not love this, but I hope that I will love the effect that this has.
Continuous improvement.