2013

Happy New Year!

I’m a little behind the ball, don’t you think?

Another year has come and gone and I shake my head because ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND GONE.  As my Aunt Meme would say, “Holy Nellie”.  That still brings a smile to my face. 

So, any resolutions out there?  Isn’t that what January is?  The month to make resolutions and the month to break them.  Well, this year, January is all about me.  I’ll be making the time to make changes and I can guarantee, I’ll fail, stumble, get back up and fall down many times, but it is all about perseverance.  Meeting my goals.

Here’s where I am coming from. Last year, I received an email about a book titled The Happiness Project. Did I want to join a happiness group to discuss the book and work on my own project?  After some brief research, I decided to join the group.  This was a step out of my comfort zone so one positive action taken already.  Then I bought the book and started to read it, took some notes and started working on my happiness goals.  To me, it seems like you are making monthly resolutions for a year and as each month comes, you build on those resolutions.  You note your goals for each month and build on them. So my January goals, I work on them in January, and continue doing them for the remainder of the year and each month, I start working on those goals or projects.  A progressive project tackled over the span of a year.  I see it as a huge domino-effect project.   Our group meets again on January 23, and although I have not decided on each months goals, I have January‘s goals identified and written down. I have even started working on them, after all, it is January! 

Now I am not unhappy by any means. I love my life. I live with a wonderful, caring, thoughtful husband, who is my best friend. We share our life with two incredible children (intelligent, humorous, beautiful/handsome, caring and loving) and a great dog (most of the time).  We love our Lord, each other, and we have a solid, happy home life. We are thankful for our blessings and we give thanks to the One that has blessed us.  Yes, life is good. But I want more, I want less, I want to make changes. In with the better, out with the bad, the clutter, the mess.

I am good at making plans and lists but when it comes to meeting my goals, I fail.  I thought this group would spur me to be accountable and so far, with our meeting date in mind, I am working at this project and taking the “bull by the horns”.  I need accountability. 

I have declared January to be my month.  As a mother, I need to take care of myself first in order to care for my family and home. And as a lot of mothers out there, I always put myself last on the list and if I don’t get to me, well, there is always a chance for that next time. Well Hello January 2013 – time for a change!  I am numero uno on my list this year.  Yep and boy, does it feel good (I’ve got to keep telling myself that)!  Cheer for me, cheer for me!  So with January I have decided to put my health and emotional well-being in the spotlight.  My list seems long but I am building a foundation. It has to be strong. I have to be strong physically, mentally and spiritually to function the way I want to. 

January’s happiness project list:

• Schedule a wellness appointment with my doctor as well as lab work.

• Make healthier eating choices and start eating cleaner. 

• Drink water, water and more water.  This is a huge challenge for me but I am working on this glass by glass.

• Exercise daily with one day off each week. 

• Once a week, pamper myself by enjoying a hot bath, a manicure or pedicure. Something that will reward me for my hard work and dedication.

• Spend time with God (I am reading the Bible daily even if it is just a chapter a day). This is the most important item on my list. To live forever, I have to know and understand God. I already love Him but need to know Him much better.  Do you know our Heavenly Father, the One who died for our sins?  Perhaps it is time to welcome God into your heart and life.  Believe me, life is GREAT when you have God in your life and He comes before everyone and everything else. 

I have scheduled my wellness exam (and got an appointment this month) with my doctor. I have started to write down questions and concerns to discuss.  I dread the appointment in some ways as I know what he is going to say. Lose weight, increase your cardio to lower my cholesterol and come back to see me in a few months.  I switched health insurance this year because the plan I had in the past was no longer an option. So I chose one that encourages you to see your doctor, work out (I have access to the university’s facilities and classes (pools, weight rooms, cardio equipment, group classes such as yoga, zumba, muscle pump) PLUS I can meet with the university’s dietitians, fitness consultants and personal trainers.  WOW!   But that is not all, insurance covers multiple wellness appointments with my doctor and the doctor will spend more time with me to discuss my wellness plan and with the access to dietitians, fitness and personal trainers, I should be set. NO EXCUSES! I am definitely motivated.  I have already started my eating log, I have a log to track my workouts and another one to log in my measurements and weight.  I am set to go and have already started. So far, maintaining a journal isn’t so tough.  Time will tell. 

The logs are keeping me on track and motivated as well as the cheers from my personal coach, my daughter. She is wonderful at encouraging me to keep working out, finish that workout, and her encouragement and support are not going unnoticed.  Thank you my precious one – momma loves you.

My personal relationship with God is growing as I learn more each time I read the Bible.  It is the greatest book ever written and I am enjoying re-reading it and learning more each time. 

I’ll be writing more about this year-long happiness journey.  In the meantime, I will continue to finish projects I started a long time ago. I am on R for my baking through the alphabet. I actually made a Raspberry braided sweet-bread but I cannot find the recipe so I’ve chosen another one.  Maybe this weekend I’ll knock some of those recipes off and get closer to Z? 

All in all, cheers to January!! Here’s to a new year, a year of healthy, positive changes.  I have a lot to accomplish. Wish me luck and send me any positive motivation you can – I’ll need it at some point.