January Intentions

My word for 2012 is health. While that encompasses more than just my physical health, I want to spend the first few months of 2012 focusing on that. To be honest, even though 2011 was a great year for me, I ended it very disappointed in myself for not being able to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. I was disappointed because I know I can do better. I know I have what it takes to step away from my unhealthy habits but it’s a hard thing to do, to completely change your lifestyle. And since I don’t want to end 2012 on that same disappointing note, I’m taking this year to focus solely on this. Not because I think I need to be skinny to be happy, but because I know I need to be healthy to be happy.

I’m also participating in “12 Changes in 2012” where each month, we focus on one thing in our life we want to change. It can be something big or something small, anything you want. There is no judgment, no condemnation. We’re all in this together and we want to encourage and strengthen everyone else. For my first change, I was originally going to choose to cut out soda from my diet. I know I drink way too much of it and it’s terrible for me, but I think there’s more that needs to happen than just “quitting Coke”. I need to get to a point in my life where food and soda is not my sole reason for happiness. I can actually go into a funk and get very moody if I have a day where I’m not going to drink Coke or the only thing I packed in my lunch are healthy options. (For the record, I know this partly has to do with not finding healthy options that excite me. Hopefully one day they will but right now? Greek yogurt and fruit and salad is very meh to me.) 

I do want to limit my soda intake (ideally 1-2 times per week) but more so than that, I want to drink more water and train my mind that soda isn’t the pathway to happiness. I have days when I don’t drink any water at all, which is a terrible thing, especially as it relates to my diet, my skin, and my exercise routine. I know based on your weight and exercise routine, there’s a specific amount of water we should shoot for every day but I don’t want to give myself a number. I just want to begin to drink water more than I drink soda. I want to end my addiction to Coke and the best way for me to do that is slowly work it out of my life.

I know I can hit this goal with no issue - as long as I don’t drink soda at the rate I have been drinking it. And I know I need to stop buying it while grocery shopping or having change on me to get a soda while at work. I know once I start limiting the number of times I have soda a week, the cravings will decrease and my body will start craving water. And I think it will do wonders for my energy levels and skin. And since goals work best if they’re specific and measurable, I’ve broken this change into 4 weeks:

Week 1: Drink only water at work. Sodas at dinner time, if goal is met.

Week 2: Two days a week without any soda at all.

Week 3: Four days a week without any soda at all.

Week 4: Drink soda only twice a week, at most.

(I also want to briefly mention that I do have a little tumbler with a straw that I use at work to drink water. I know this is a popular tip to give anyone who wants to drink more water, so any other tips would be greatly appreciated!)

Along with my “12 Changes” goal (which is a big one!), I also want to set some other intentions for January:

• Set up an exercise calendar and stick with it. Although I’m doing awesome at exercising 4-5 times a week, I know I need to amp up the intensity of my workouts to see more results. As such, I think penciling in what I want to do during the week for exercise will be very beneficial to this goal.
• Turn all electronics off by 9:30pm. This is a tough goal for me, but I really want to work on shutting off the TV, powering down my laptop, and putting away my iPhone by 9:00 to develop a better bedtime routine and make sure I’m getting to sleep at a decent hour. Ideally, I want to do this by 9:00, but baby steps.
• Set up all doctor appointments. Now that I have my insurance cards, I have no need to wait! I need to set up an appointment to get my eyes checked (& order new contacts! I haven’t used contacts solely for a few years now and I think I’m ready for them again!), to see a gynecologist (dun, dun, DUN!), to see the dentist (2008 was my last appointment. Um. Oops?), and to see a general practitioner who can then hopefully set me up to get blood work because I’ve never had blood work done and I want to make sure everything is ok in my body.

So that’s January for me. It’s a brand new month of a brand new year, although I know we can make changes any time of the year, there’s nothing like a fresh start of a new year. I want 2012 to be the year I focus on my health and I think all my goals for January are leading me to that.

Do you have any goals for January? Are you participating in “12 Changes”? What is your big change for this month?