New Year

Normally I don't have resolutions for the new year.  They always felt contrived  and too easy too easy to break.  I know that it's easier to reach goals when they're SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound).  This year I'm setting my resolution as getting outside more hopefully in an attempt to increase my health through moving more.  I've left it more open ended so that I don't feel constrained.  I plan on making other changes to finally get myself to live the life I wan.  It's said that starting too many things at once can lead to your downfall.  It's stressful and can easily feel overwhelming.  So the big takeaway can be small changes, a little bit at a time to make it stick.  I'm trying to keep this in mind while trying to be healthier and starting my year off right.

I wanted to take thirty days to really start to remember to love myself.  Why 30 days?  A few reasons.  While I've done them before, I wanted to do a Whole30 to help address my sugar addiction.  I have also recently gotten into yoga.  I really enjoy Yoga With Adriene on YouTube and wanted to do this years 30 days of yoga.  Both of these things I'm starting today so that both will end with January.  I'm looking forward to doing a version of Paleo after the Whole30 and continue with yoga.

There's also the concept of doing things that you loved to do as a kid for exercise.  The idea is that you'll still truly enjoy it and it won't feel like you're actually working out. I'm really looking forward to getting back to hiking, backpacking, and biking that have been helpful and enjoyable in the past.  One of the amazing tools I love using is REI.  They offer classes that are free or cheap to help with basics for different sports.  Sometimes it's fun to get reinvigorated in being healthy by learning something new about a sport you like or learning a new sport related to something you already enjoy.  Coming up, I'm doing a Basics of Winter Camping class so I can have all four seasons to get outdoors.  I'm also taking a Hiking the Appalachian Trail basics class so I can work towards accomplishing my long term goals.  I really wanted to take the snowshoeing class but unfortunately it conflicts with my schedule.

So small changes, getting outdoors, taking classes from local sports stores or community providers are the main things that I'm employing to get healthy.  I also plan on wrangling friends and family into getting outdoors with me.  Luckily, most of the people in my life are already into moving more.  Having a support system can also be really helpful.    I'm really looking forward to being where I want to be in relation to my health.

Black Friday Opt Out

When I originally started writing this I was going to discuss Black Friday.  It seems like such an ugly thing to talk about.  A day filled with consumerism to kick start the time of year that should be about family and being grateful for one another.  Don't get me wrong, I've been Black Friday shopping.  Twice.  I was efficient about it and only got what was on my list, but it doesn't change the fact that I willingly participated.  I wouldn't take it back either.

But I keep finding myself coming back to this topic of tenacity and will power in my own life.  I'm sure that on varying levels we've all experienced fluctuations.  We have certain things that are no brainers and we stick with it without thinking.  But there are those things that plague us.  Mine seems to be an overarching umbrella of health but it really boils down to food.  In my previous blog I discussed my journey through going sugar free.  I may eventually get back to that in some form since it really worked for me in terms of actually maintaining a healthy "diet" and losing weight.  But I seem to always have issues surrounding food.

I know it's easy to assume that I don't eat healthily.  Mostly you'd be wrong.  My issue was never eating healthy food.  My issue has always been sugar and my inability to moderate myself in that arena.  If candy and cakes never existed, I can guarantee that I would be an average, healthy person.  I won't lie and say I would be the healthiest because I make a mean fried chicken, but I also crave vegetables. I keep giving myself excuses to not live the life I know I want and know I can have.  Today I ended up getting mad at myself for letting myself struggle.  I recommitted and wrote myself a letter so I could not only remember how I'm feeling, but also to remind myself that I am worth it.

One of the big things I put in my letter was, "Start now!"  This is the thing that I have been working on implementing recently.  Why wait?  Anything you can do tomorrow, you can do now.  I know that these are all cliché platitudes, but in all reality, it's true.  I know and use in other areas of my life the idea of, "if I get it done now, then I'm free to relax."  Why not apply that to all areas of my life?  If I just eat healthy now, then I can stop worrying about starting. 

I'm feeling good about this restart.  I hope it helps others that I have put this out in the world, but it's out there in my world.  I am putting the intention out into the world in multiple forms that I can access and remind myself that I am worth it.  And remember, you're worth it too.