Saturday, January 2, 2016

New Year's Resolutions/Goals

Hey you guys! Happy New Year! I'm getting back into the swing of things here ;) Still hoping to get into the habit of 2-3 posts per week so I'm starting off well! I figured that discussing some of my goals for the new year would be perfect for my first post of the new year. I have a few goals for the New Year and the common theme is basically I just want to feel better… physically and emotionally. I have felt pretty crappy the past few months and I really just need to make the time to take care of myself. So here are some of the things that I'm focusing on in the New Year!

Eat Clean and Healthy!


The first thing on my list that is constantly something that I am working on and focusing on is my nutrition. I'll do really well for a while then I'll get lazy and fall into the processed food habit that I tend to favor when I don't feel like doing anything. I really need to make sure that I focus on unprocessed, whole foods and primarily on produce, legumes/beans and unprocessed fats. I would like to try to cut out oil to see if it makes me feel better. I always feel at my best on a produce heavy diet so I'm going to focus on that and hopefully it'll help me feel better.

Fitness!



When I first started my blog I was a total gym rat and LOVED working out. Over time things changed and I left the gym I was currently in and had a hard time finding the motivation to get into a new place. I had joined other gyms but went zero times and made excuses that it was too far and I just wasn't comfortable in them. The bottom line was I just didn't like the gym and lacked the motivation to work out at home. I decided that I need to get over it because I miss the way I felt when I got done with a great workout so I joined a brand new gym that is about 5 minutes from my house and I'm so excited! I plan to start off working out 3 days a week at the gym and maybe add in a yoga class if there is one that works with my schedule. I know I will need to start off slow but I plan to build up the intensity of the workout as my fitness improves.

Sleep!


Sleep has been a major issue for me in the past 6 months or so. I rarely can fall asleep before 2:00am and my body clock wakes me up around 6:30-7:00. I average 4-6 hours a night on a daily basis and this is nowhere near enough sleep for me. I'm exhausted all day every day so I am going to try a few things to help me get to bed earlier. No phone, no tv, no kindle fire (basically, no blue light) for at least an hour before bed. The blue light from your devices are said to have an effect on your sleep so I'm going to give it a try. In addition, the next goal I am going to discuss is partially to help with sleep.

Read!


When I was a kid I read ALL THE TIME!! Now that I'm older I never make time to sit down with a book. I've decided that I need to change that and make some time to read. I think that reading before bed would be the perfect way to help me sleep better and to keep me off of my devices. I'm actually planning on getting a new library card next week so I can take out books for free and I'm really excited! I would love some book suggestions as well! I favor non-fiction and biographies so if you know of any good ones please leave in the comments below!

Using My Paper Planner!


I've mentioned over the past few posts that I made the investment in an Erin Condren Life Planner for 2016 and I couldn't be more excited to use it. I did my first spread last week and I am in love with it. First, I am going to be using it to stay on top of these goals on a weekly basis with a visual representation of each one. It's going to keep me organized and it is going to help me with my budget. Most importantly, it is going to be a big source of stress release for me. I know people think it is kind of stupid to sit and decorate a planner but in addition to making it visually appealing, the main thing is that it is the best stress relief I have in my life at the moment. That hour I take each week to sit down and decorate and plan the upcoming week makes me calm and makes me happy and even if I don't look at it at all during the week (which is not the case, I sit down each night and fill stuff in) that is worth it to me. In addition, the planner is no longer just a planner… it is a scrapbook and a journal as well and I'm so happy I started to do it. I do plan on doing a post on my weekly planning with next week's spread so look out for that on Monday! I think posting my weekly spreads will help me be accountable with my goals as well. Is this something that you are interested in reading?

Budget!


My final goal for the year is to be more mindful of my spending and to create a budget. I'm pretty good about spending and I am proud to say that I currently have zero debt (and the only debt I ever had was student loans) but I want to be more conscious of my saving. My main goal is to save a bunch and get on a good savings plan and create the habit of putting more money away each month and the key is obviously less frivolous spending. I plan on using the monthly views in my planner solely for budgeting and I plan on showing you that at the end of February (I already wrote in numbers in January so I'll show you a figureless February!). I have a pretty good grip on setting up a budget so I'll just have to make sure I stick to it ;)

OK friends, that's all I have for you today! I hope that you all had a very happy new year and that you are all doing well! What are some of your goals for 2016? Share below - with your book suggestions ;)







4 comments:

  1. Yay! Wonderful goals, and all of them will be successful, I know it! After the holidays, I always spend a couple of weeks eating a lot of produce - then roll over into comfort food again because it s so cold. I'm trying to make healthier comfort food to combat that! Getting into a gym you like is so important! I went to three classes last week with instructors I know - and while they kicked my butt - I was so happy t be back. Still need to get to a yoga class.... Sleep, read, budget - yup, those are all ones I support and could use, too!!! Your planner sounds awesome, too!

    Happy New Year, sweet Sarah! xoxo

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    1. Thanks Ingrid! It definitely helps to detox on some beautiful produce :) I am so excited about the gym, my first workout will be tomorrow and I'm nervous to see how much work I have to do to get back to where I was but I'm glad I've invested in myself. I'm so excited about my planner, I love it!

      Happy New Year!

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  2. It is great that you joined a gym. I remember how much you loved working out back in the day. They say if you dont have a goal, that is what you will achieve for something like that.

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    1. Thanks, Shen! I am really glad I did it, I'm hoping that it will help me get back into my happy place again. :) Happy New Year!

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