1.
Run a 5K:
Over
the past six months I have been working towards a healthier lifestyle
(we will just pretend like the span of time from Thanksgiving to
Christmas didn’t happen). Part of my journey has included a lot of
running, which I have actually learned to enjoy. For me, running is more
about will power than anything else. I find myself getting bored and
wanting to quit. Because of this, I am setting my sights on a 5K (just
over 3 miles) instead of something more grueling…I will save that for
another life. Before the holidays, I was running 2 miles without
stopping and it felt great! However, since my short hiatus, I have a
feeling I will have to make up for lost time. I have a
lot of working out to do in order to prepare myself, and at this point I
do not have a goal time, I am just focusing on finishing and feeling
good about my progress.
2.
Limit interaction with people who are not a positive addition/influence in my life:
I
have found that there are many sad and challenging things in life that
are out of our control. This being said - I want to rid myself of any
negative aspects of my life that are in my control. I can be a very
anxious, high stress person and find myself getting sucked into
negativity and drama where it is not necessary. This has caused WAY too
many unnecessary stomachaches over the years and I am ready to be done.
Going about this will be a challenge in and of itself. The best solution
I have come up with thus far is to really
choose how I spend my time
and who I spend it with. I need to stop dwelling on things that are out
of my control and I need to let go of hurt feelings people have caused
in the past. As far as my time goes, it is just that –
MY time. I
recently read a quote on Pinterest talking about how you are most like
the 5 people you spend the most time with. Reading this really made me
think about the 5 people I spend the most time with (or 10), and I truly
feel blessed, because these people are fabulous, respectable,
supportive people and I should spend my time focusing on that.
3.
Organize my entire house by the end of February:
This is not as daunting as it sounds. My best friend has described my
house (and I, for that matter), as messy on the outside, but organized
on the inside. Lucky for me, most of my house is already organized. The
main things I need to focus on are our office/craft room, and a
downstairs coat closet which has become my dirty little secret (piled
5ft high with junk). I could also use a little more de-cluttering
throughout!
4.
Eat less pre-packaged/processed food:
This resolution is about being a healthier person. I can admit this
will probably be tough to do. My husband and I are both extremely busy
and one thing I have found I am unwilling to sacrifice is my social
life. I am currently trying to juggle a full-time job, being a wife,
spending time with my two doggies, enjoying time with friends, keeping
my house somewhat under control, exercising and cooking healthy meals
for my husband and I. As some of you know and others can imagine, this
is extremely difficult! Sometimes it is just easy to grab a frozen Lean
Cuisine for lunch or buy sugary juice/soda from the store. Here are some
steps I am going to take and some I have already taken, to accomplish
this goal.
a. I
received a juicer from my In-laws for Christmas, which was one of my
favorite gifts! Since I’ve had this wonderful machine of deliciousness, I
have been making a plethora of juices! I found that it is much more
effective to spend about an hour making a great amount of juice and
stocking up for the days that follow. We have been storing the juice in
glass bottles with airtight seals, as well as small jars to take in our
lunches. Even my husband loves this routine.
b. Bake some sort of “sweet” each Sunday for the following week (mostly for my husband, I am trying not to eat too many sweets.)
c. Bring
salads for lunch! If I prep the salad toppings on Sunday, they are
super quick and easy to throw together the night before or in the
morning for my lunches. Add some cut up chicken breast and I am good to
go!
d. Eat more fruit.
e. Don’t
buy frozen meals, they are much too tempting in the morning when I
would rather watch last night’s episode of Parenthood than make my
lunch.
5.
Be
a better wife: This resolution is not for a specific reason other than
my husband is my best friend in the World and the person I spend the
most time with. I want to make an effort to be better for him all
around. This will mean being happier, understanding and patient as well
as pulling my weight around the house. I am no 1950s housewife nor am I a
feminist. I cook dinner, I do laundry and do a lot of the cleaning and
that’s how I think it should be. I don’t think that’s how it needs to be
for everyone, but for our lifestyle it works. My husband works
extremely hard and his job is very physical. I don’t think he should
have to come home and clean or cook dinner, however, he does
occasionally do both of those things. Don’t get me wrong, I am not going
to sit around and wait on him hand and foot, he contributes a LOT to
our household and completes many household chores that gross me out. A
while back, I read one of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s book,
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands.
I am not sure why, but I was immediately offended by this title. Not
for myself, but for my husband. For some reason I thought it was going
to be about how to train your husband do be who you want and do the
things that make you happy. After reading the book, I found it very
relevant, and not about controlling your husband, but about being the kind of
wife that makes your husband want to be the best man he can be. Great
book, I want to start putting it into practice more often.
