New Year, New Goals

I was wondering if anyone, like me, is going to try and add a health/workout routine to their new year?

I've gained weight this semester, and though I'm no where near overweight, I know my habits *are* heading me towards a bad ending. Not working out... ever. Eating fatty foods... always. Eating out... more often than usual. Boo.

So, if anyone has any goals for next year, I would like to hear. I'm trying to figure out what I want to work towards and create a long term goal, but I don't need to lose weight, I need to avoid getting to that point.

I know I want to
a) Get a Work Out Routine that doesn't require much effort in getting up and going to the gym at school (its nearly always closed for the athletes).
b) Eat healthier... in a cafeteria where I have to pick and choose foods from what is offered. No tofu, please. Also, less eating out.

Anyone else?

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My name is Nichole, and I am a recovering procrastinator.

Comprehend Languages - My DnD Blog
Growth Blog - My Goals and Journaling Blog

Hi Nichole.

As for a workout routine, I have plans to climb the Mount Fuji (not as hard as it sounds, not as easy as I wish it was) this year and I am completely out of shape. I'll go only on late July, but I do need to do something prior to that.

I have a light peer pressure on me, since I'll do that with friends. Have you considered to run a 5k race? Can you get off the subway/bus one stop ahead and walk the rest? Can you avoid the elevator? I know I'm not saying anything new here, but just trying to bring some concreteness to your goals.

In my daily life I walk to the campus (15 min on each way, down and up a hill, 30 min total), but I still use the elevator -- and all the distances are under 5 floors, so this is something I will ditch next year. I still need some extra activity, I just bought some extra clothing to run on the Winter... Let's see how that one works out.

And eating healthy, well, what's wrong with tofu? Wink

I live in Japan and my university serves both a healthy menu and a greasy one -- although not much variety on neither of those.

Sometimes I cook part of my meals at home and buy something else at the cafeteria: it allows me to save some money and to vary more on my menu. I don't do that every day, but I think it's very doable 2-3 times a week. Put all the money you save into a piggy bank and treat yourself every now and then (I just bought an iPod like that).

Another alternative to eating out is entertaining at home. Last Sunday I received some friends at home to some homemade pizza. (REALLY easy to make.) Each person brings his/her own drinks (and I don't need to carry the heavy liquids to my place), and at the end of the day we all share the expenses and clean up. We rotate among people's places, and we make pizza monthly. For another group of people, each one of us cooks food from their countries -- also monthly.

Hope to have helped. Seasons greetings!

Cheers, D.

Moved this thread to the 'Goals' forum in case people (like me) have New Year's resolutions to do with something else.

I have two:

1) Rachet my weight up to 98 lbs. This has been my goal for the past two years, but now that I'm living on my own, I think it might actually be within reach. To reach this goal, I need to start eating larger and more regular meals.

2) Save at least $100 a month. I'm trying to raise my bank account to a level where I can relax a bit more about money; this goal, I think, is both reachable and useful.

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	FekketCantenel wrote:
	2) Save at least $100 a month. I'm trying to raise my bank account to a level where I can relax a bit more about money; this goal, I think, is both reachable and useful.

Hello FekketCantenel,

My number one tip for saving money is "pay yourself first".

Go to the ATM on your payday, withdraw money and put away your whatever amount. I think doing it physically helps the psychological side of saving money. "I am going now to the ATM, withdrawing money and putting it away to accomplish my goal." It's a lot more humane than the oh-so-practical approach of doing things online. (I love internet banking, but it is so rewarding to take the time and do things the old fashioned way.)

And I like to keep my money on an envelope at home labeled "Trip to Guam", "Emergency Fund" or whatever goal you have. Looking at the envelopes and checking the amount of money I already have helps me to save more!

Cheers, D.

That's an interesting proposal, countered only by my dislike of cash. I'll definitely consider it, though.

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Then you gotta adapt it for your own psychological triggers Smile

I too have a goal this year (I normally don't set "new year's resolutions"), to be physically active on regular basis. I have never been an exerciser or an athlete. Sure, an occasional walk with friends, chasing after kids, taking the stairs, and sporadic home yoga, but that's it. Lucky for me, I've never struggled with a weight problem. But after turning 35 in November and having my second child, I just feel really out of shape and "soft". My hubby is a gamer-extraordinaire, and for the first time in our lives together (18+ years), I am going to start bugging him about exercising (he's a stay-home dad now and needs some physical activity in a major way!).

Anyway, yes, Nichole, I too want to become an exerciser in 2009. That's actually how I found Zen Habits (the tips on getting an exercise routine going). I will eagerly read most posts on this topic.

Cheers,

--katy

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I'm not struggling with weight either (I thought I would be, but I lost weight this semester rather than gained... probably because of my erratic eating patterns), but I also feel very out of shape. I know I'm much weaker than I should be because I struggle with just carrying stuff and having a harder time moving furniture and the such.

As for tofu, the texture of it makes me gag when I eat it. Its too rubbery I guess, but I always know when its in my meal. Wink

I need to spend some time planning out this next year and what I plan to do, so I'll update after church.

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My name is Nichole, and I am a recovering procrastinator.

Comprehend Languages - My DnD Blog
Growth Blog - My Goals and Journaling Blog

I have never tried new year goals before. I like the idea of changing because I'm ready rather than changing because the calender tells me to, but I want to try something different.

My goal for the new years is to not get drunk.

I usually drink one or two beer during dinner most but not all days. I used to drink allot more when partying, but the last year I most times reduced my party drinking to 1/2 or even a 1/3 of what I used to. I find it much more fun and it gets me way better results in terms of dating and dating related stuff. It wont be a huge change because I probably was not drunk more than ca 10 times in first half of 2008 and only 2-3 times in the last half. But I want to get even better Smile

I enjoy alcohol and wont give it up, but I will not get drunk in 2009.

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Good luck to everyone!

I've decided on a few things I'm going to do this year:
January I'm focusing on my triggers towards depression/anger. Avoiding people I know that will set me off and avoiding checking up on people are two really big things.
November I'm going to focus on actually completing NaNoWriMo.

For other goals, one month I will focus on cutting out on soda (slowly decreasing my intake per week until nothing), which I will follow up on the next month in not drinking soda at all. Another month I will focus on slowly adding exercising to my schedule.

No actual resolutions for me though. Smile

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My name is Nichole, and I am a recovering procrastinator.

Comprehend Languages - My DnD Blog
Growth Blog - My Goals and Journaling Blog

Ha ha, I had to say that out loud. Did I?! What I find really interesting in reading all the above comments, is that my goals are very similar, and I at 56, have actually tipped the scale at "obese". Not grossly so, but there's a point at which you no longer need to lose 10 pounds. All of a sudden, it's beyond what you ever imagined would happen.

All my life I've had to watch my weight, even when I was slim. With some health issues affecting mobility in the last few years, things have taken a new turn. On another post, I"ll document the things that I notice about being post-menopausal and fat. Not here!

What I'd like to say, is that all of your goals are mine too. What's really interesting is that the habits that you are talking about the same habits I need to change. I'm not a student, but I work at a large store where we have exceptionally good staff food, very cheap (IKEA). Avoiding eating at a buffet is a good starter! We do have a large salad bar, and if I can limit myself to that, it really helps. I find it hard to make salads in the wintertime; they just don't have the same appeal on the prep side!

I've also found that establishing a routine is a big challenge for me, as I work a lot of erratic hours. The worst is coming home late, even having eaten a good dinner, I feel compelled to snack, or even manage another dinner if there are leftovers at home!

Getting a good sleep gives me a whole new perspective on life. I also struggle with depression, and in aid of that I started trying to set aside one hour a day to nurture my mental health. Avoiding asking my husband how is mother is, or even answering the phone when she calls. Nichole, this is like your triggers of certain people that don't bring out the best in you! Also, going to church is a good reinforcement for my good intentions. Gathering together in community is very powerful and uplifting. I have a group of women I meet with at my church, and we share "lectio devina" which is a method of bible reading that is very insightful. I imagine it similar to a book club, where everyone is focused on sharing ideas with a common theme.

Getting outside to walk, and get fresh air and daylight, even for 10 minutes helps my perspective. I set up a small office outside my house last year and have found that once I set foot in that environment I'm very productive. Likewise, I hope to set up my bedroom to be more "devotional" and restful soon. Seperating the work and relaxation zones...

Once again, no new ideas here, but I'm also struggling with my goals this month. This is a good thread if you feel we can keep it rolling!

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Previous Challenges to Carry Over
*20 minute walk in daylight
*Trust and Rest
*Fasting after 8pm
*One hour relaxation
*Positive thinking and journaling
*Bed by 10:30

I haven't been avoiding updating and checking, I've been busy with the one class I'm taking this month (3 hours in class).

From what jocelain said about putting an hour aside and the fact that I've picked up a new book (Checklist for Life for Women - it has to do with religious aspects from the bible as well as introducing the bible more fully into your life, so if you aren't interested in those things - avoid. If you are, there are books for men, for students, for moms, for teenagers, dads, etc, and theres just a general one as well. Amazon search: Checklist for Life), I'm going to add that into my 12 goals this year.

Along with catching what my triggers are, I've also been formulating a plan out for the rest of the year:

January - 10/12 + today's so far working on avoiding and handling triggers.
February - I will probably want to focus my attention on the book I got, focusing on maybe a section a week (its got like, 20 sections so I'll pick and choose)
March
April
May
June - Introducing a workout schedule, I'll be living with my boyfriend at an apartment where they have a really in building gym. Perhaps also cutting out soda of my diet.
July - Continue the workout schedule, not sure if I'll add anything new
August
September
August
November - NaNoWriMo - obviously to complete it
December

Sorry about rambling!

_________________
My name is Nichole, and I am a recovering procrastinator.

Comprehend Languages - My DnD Blog
Growth Blog - My Goals and Journaling Blog

I really like that you've tried to visualize the whole year Nichole. It's something I never do, and some wise man once said, if you don't know where you're going, that's probably where you'll end up! Or something to that effect.

I'm going to work on monthly goals in the next few days, try to project ahead. Having something to look forward to is also very therapeutic if you're struggling with motivation as I am these days.

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Previous Challenges to Carry Over
*20 minute walk in daylight
*Trust and Rest
*Fasting after 8pm
*One hour relaxation
*Positive thinking and journaling
*Bed by 10:30

I haven't done any promises for the new year, because that I don't like to have big goals, I just want to take one step at the time. But that is just me.

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