Plans for 2013

I'm not really big into resolutions, but I'm willing to say there are things I want to change. I'm determined to make 2013 a good year. That being said, there are some things I'm willing to commit to, and hopefully will be able to stick with them for the next 12 months.

1. Get back into running and track my miles. Although I used to post about my runs here, I never really kept track of how far I went each week. I know I can go back and load all the info from my Garmin, but at this point that's just past miles. From now on, I'm going to keep track of what I do. My awesome friend, Lou, is doing a really cool thing that I also decided to take part in. 365 miles in 365. I know there are people out there who aim for 1000 miles a year, so this might seem like small peanuts, but for me, 365 miles will be a great showing. Not only that, but each mile comes with a dollar attached to it.  I'm going to have a pretty jar that will get a dollar per mile, so by the end of the year, I'll have $365 saved up just for running. Sounds like a win win to me!

2. Strength Training. One of the things that disappoints me most about having fallen off the fitness wagon is my lack of muscles. Before I changed jobs, I would go to a strength class twice a week. I loved the class and I love how strong I left. These days, I feel extra jiggly because I have NO more muscles. I'm not really good at weight training on my own, so I know the class will be ridiculously important to getting some guns again. Luckily, I rejoined my favorite gym (it's worth the money to love my gym and have access to classes). Not only will I be able to take the strength class once a week, I've also signed up for a TRX class. My first class was last night and all I have to say is OUCH. I loved it, but in the hurt so good kind of way. It was VERY evident that I've got a long way to go to get back to where I was, but at least I'm on my way there!

3. Take my vitamins and floss. Although unrelated to fitness, it is related to overall health, and that's always a good plan. Since I was traveling so much, I was out of my regular morning routine, and I stopped taking my vitamins. I didn't notice the difference too much, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't take them. I usually feel VERY dependent on my iron vitamins. Just a week without them and I'd be covered in bruises and could barely stay awake some days. Now, I don't feel that way. I am still pretty bruised, but I don't feel tired, and I think it's mostly because of the gluten-free eating. It's been suggested that a gluten free diet will increase energy levels, and I'm definitely feeling those positive effects. But the reality is, the iron levels in my blood are low, and gluten or not, sleepy or not, I need to make sure to get those levels up. And who doesn't love a good floss or a Flintstones multivitamin daily?

4. Be more involved. This one actually has two sides to it.
First, I want to be more involved in "extracurricular" activities. I want to volunteer more. I want to join a rec league of some kind (which might require me to be good at a sport, but we'll see). I want to raise money for a race I'm signed up for, not just run it. I want to just DO more. I work a lot and some days I work really long hours. But that doesn't mean that at the end of the day I should just go home and park my butt on the couch. I need to get out there. I need to meet new people. And I need to have fun activities on my calendar.
Second, I want to be more involved in the lives of the people I'm with. I need to respond to emails more. I need to schedule coffee dates. I need to make sure my little cousin who just started middle school know that I'm here for her if she needs someone to talk to. I want people to know that I care about them, I'm interested in what they do, and I'm not "too busy" to do things. I'll attend concerts and show of my friends. I will visit my Gramma more. And I'll send birthday cards. Get psyched.

So that's that. I'm sorry for yet another post with no pictures, but here are the goals. They're set in stone (kinda) so I'm hoping that I can stick to them!

And I promise the next post will have awkward sweaty pictures! (Just what you've all been missing, I'm sure!)