13 for 2012 ;-)

I wrote this huge post… and then I realized that you all don’t need to know the nity grity details of every. single. goal. I have made this year. So here is a list:

1. Read more. The first goal is to read at least 2 books a month. I love reading, and realized that I haven’t done very much of it lately.

2. Plan our trips better. We love to travel, but have been slacking in the planning department. Which usually means our trips are very last minute and thrown together. So this year, we are going to plan for it more… oh and step one is to open a Savings account for travel.

3. Become a better photographer. I love photography, really. Working in the field has also opened my eyes to how much there is to learn. So this year I’m doing Project 366, committing to shoot in manual only, and learning how to better my shots.

4. Watch at least one documentary a week. I love documentaries, I love learning about history, I love learning new things. A friend of mine posted a link to the Top Documentaries. These are awesome, there are hundreds of documentaries and most are totally free to watch. No downloading needed.

5. Become healthy. I’ve been healthy, and in general I am pretty healthy. But I’d like to get rid of the jiggle in my thighs, and tone my arms and butt a bit more. I really just want to create a healthier lifestyle for the husband and myself.

6. Do house chores throughout the week. I am one of those people who always leaves everything for one day in the month. This includes, vacuuming, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, dusting and so on to just one day… and this one day ends up being the worst day of my life as I run around the house trying to do 12 loads of laundry, clean out the fridge and vacuum the floors. So, in 2012… I am going to attempt to get things done throughout the week and not waste my weekends.

7. 30 for 30 Challenge: I’ve been meaning to do this since I started this little bloggity of mine. I found Kendi’s blog and fell in love with her and the idea of using the items you have in your closet. I have a shopping problem… however I need to get it under control… so I am challenging myself to do the 30 for 30 for at least 1 month in every season.

8. Work out at least 3 times a week. I need to get back on the workout path. So I have decided to reward myself. Every workout I complete, I put $5.00 in our travel savings account. Three workouts a week is $15.00, that’s $60 a month… and if you are as good as me at using a calculator… it’s $720 a year. Which can go a long way when it comes to vacations… and only if I’d work out 5 days a week…

9. BUY a house and move. While this is more of a need rather then a goal, I’m putting it on here because it’s one of the many things on our bucket list. We’ll most likely be moving at the end of May beginning of June and will have our very first house bought by this time.

10. Be a better blogger. The last few months of 2011, I sort of dropped off the face of the earth, or at least the bloggy world. This is totally due to my lack of organization these past few months. I’m never disorganized, but apparently there is a first of everything. So, this year… I will blog at least 5 times a week. welllllll I will try!

11. Be responsible with money. I am awful with money. Really… the more I have, the more I spend. The worst thing is that the hubs is kind of the same way. We spend a ton on travel. Any time we have a few extra pennies we book a trip, or buy a new car or a new computer, or a new TV or… you get the idea. SO, this year, we’re trying to be responsible without really giving up our travel. So we’re cutting back on TVs, computers, anddddd sadly shoes.

12. Clean out our belonging. We have a lot of crap. Most of it in boxes, sitting in the basement of my parents’ house. We need to clean it up, get rid of things we don’t want to move. Sell the furniture off before we move into a new house. I refuse to move things we don’t want or want to replace with us.

13. Be happy.

A Month of Goals – May Edition

 

In April, I started setting mini-goals to accomplish throughout the month that will help me in my journey of a healthier, happier and overall more positive life.

My goals included sleeping for 8 hours a day, cutting out soda and junk food, exercising daily and regularly, writing more, planning and cooking meals at home, reading at least 2 books, and organizing my closet. While, I didn’t get to all of them, I feel that I’ve made some progress.

Successes:

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I’ve cut out all soda and fruit juice consumption from my diet. I can tell you that I crave Dr. Pepper, especially when the Mister sits in front of me with a big glass of it, but I’ve been super good about avoiding all soda. I have seen a difference in my energy level, as well as my weight. I’ve lost a solid 5 pounds in the month, and I am attributing a good portion to the lack of soda in my diet.

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I’ve tried to be good about going to bed early and getting up on time with 8 hours of sleep under my belt. On most nights, about 80%, I did get my 8 hours of sleep. There were a few days here and there that I had to stay up doing homework and studying, as well as a few days where I stayed up with the Mister just because.

I sure felt the difference between getting 8 hours of sleep compared to my usual 5 to 6 hours of sleep. So this will be going on my goals for May… get 8 hours of sleep daily, no excuses.

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I’ve been super good about going to the gym, Body Pump classes, and working out at home. I had a few bad days due to my knee, but I got down to the gym at least 3 times a week. The 25 Days of Fitness was also fantastic and really kept me motivated and accountable. I also, read a ton about nutrition and exercise and increased my knowledge and obsession. Next up is clean eating!!!

Failures:

This list is a bit longer. I defiantly did not cook as much as I would have liked to, and we indulged in take out and fast food, less then usual but some non the less. My closet was completely ignored, and I’m still living in two pairs of jeans, handful of t-shirts and gym clothes. It was quite a disaster when both of my jeans were dirty… not a good day in the this household!

I also put my reading goal on hold due to the amount of homework and studying being forced upon me by Chemistry. BUT… today was my last class… Monday is my final… so this is the last push before I can read whatever the heck I’d like

May is going to be a big month!!!

Not only am I done with school but I have had several exciting opportunities come my way, including a research project that I get to work on on my own, with the Anxiety Clinical Director as my Supervisor. This is super exciting because the study is regarding eating disorders and anxiety. When the research is analyzed and papers published my name will be on them, which means I will be armed with an admissions ticket to almost any PhD program in my field. WOO!

Aside from this bit of news, here are my goals that I will be working on this month!

1. Drink more water
2. Eat at least 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of veggies a day
3. Drink protein, and take my vitamins daily
4. Sleep 8 hours a day
5. Cut out fast food. All of it. No excuses.
6. Catch up on my reading
7. Organize my closet

For now I am going to stick to these lovely 7 goals, which should be pretty easy without the extra worry of school!

Time to head to the hospital! I’ll be back later for the link up with Lindsey at Mr. and Mrs. Smith regarding the weight loss challenge.