2015 Resolutions!

I love making New Years’ Resolutions – the more, the better. I love the possibility of improving myself, and the MANY different options I have for that! There are so many things I want to do, change, and learn in so many areas, but for this year I’m going to try to focus on 4 goals: one each in Family, Faith, Fitness, and Food.

Family: Unplug in the evenings!
For this one I’m bringing back a goal I started and loved earlier this year, which is to put my phone away between the time I walk in the door from work and the time they go to bed. My husband and I both did this for a few weeks earlier this year and it was wonderful. It left me more time to interact with my kids, more time to clean the house, more time to read, help around the house, etc. I was more mindful of what my kids were doing – how long they were taking to get ready for bed, how they were treating each other. It’s so easy to tune out when I’m checking Facebook or reading the news on my phone, and such a terrible habit. I’ve committed to this with my kids for the upcoming year, and I know they’ll help hold me to it!

Faith: Pray and/or meditate daily
Seems self-explanatory. 🙂

Fitness: Participate in a new kind of race
Still trying to find a date for an ultra this year with my dad and sister. Also planning on my first cross-country ski race this year!

Food: Leave food on my plate
This is my big one this year. Over the past few years, I have successfully changed my outlook toward exercise. I wake up early and exercise nearly every day. It’s gone from a goal that was extremely hard for me to accomplish to a successful habit, and a part of my life I crave and love. But…. I still weigh the same. I still look the same. I still eat the same. And it’s time to fix that.

I spent a lot of time thinking about a goal for my eating this year. At this point, I’m not willing to cut processed foods, refined sugar, carbs, or eating out. All of those things bring me a lot of joy and happiness. And it’s really not what I eat that’s the problem. It’s the amount of food I eat. And even more damaging than that, it’s the mindset of how I think about myself as an eater. That I am someone who eats a lot. That I always love getting seconds. That I eat everything on my plate because I love food. That I eat whatever I want because I exercise.

None of those things have to be true. None of them should be true. It’s hard to make drastic changes because I like my body how it is, and I really do love food. However, I know that having a healthier outlook on food, and a healthier body will make it easier and more enjoyable to attain my fitness goals. I know that the lighter I am, the better it feels to run and the easier it is.

So… I’m starting with the amount of food I eat. My goal is to not get seconds on any meal – to look at all the food on my plate at once, and decide yes, that’s a good amount to eat for one meal. And not only to not get seconds, but to actually leave food on my plate at every meal. To change my mindset so that I’m finishing eating when I’m full, or when something doesn’t taste good anymore, rather than when there is no more food on my plate. It’s hard to even write this out because it sounds so basic, but in the interest of honesty, this is where I am. Cleaner eating needs to happen too, but that will be down the road. For now, wish me luck with this one – it’s gonna be a hard one!

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*Do you like to set lots of Resolutions? None? Just a few? Share some – I’d love to hear them!