2012 Goals

I used to be anti-New Year’s Resolutions because I thought it was silly that one day was better than any other for setting goals, especially when most of us have spent the last 5-6 weeks overindulging in sweets, heavy food, and alcohol. But then I got really into goal-setting, and I realized that it wasn’t that people set their goals in the heat of the moment but that they weren’t setting goals in a way that was conducive to their achievement. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. It’s the difference between saying that you’re going to lose ten pounds before the summer and just saying that you’re going to lose weight. With that in mind, here are a few of my goals for 2012.

1. Train for and run a marathon.

I’m registered for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 6th. My real goal is to achieve the above without getting injured, dying, or hating running. If I can do that, I might decide to do another one in the fall.

2. Do more leisure reading.

I’m finished with graduate school when I really only had time for leisure reading on breaks or during the summer, and my to-read list is getting ridiculous. I used to consistently read before going to bed, and I would like to get back into doing that. Joe gave me Tina Fey’s Bossypants for Christmas, and I recently purchased The Paris Wife. I’m not going to be shooting for a number of books to read in the next year, but you can follow me on Goodreads!

3. Work on the house

We’ve lived here for 2.5 years now, and there are quite a few things we’ve been neglecting – closets that have never been organized and rooms that don’t feel quite “finished”. We’re at the point that we’ve graduated from some of our starter electronics and furniture but haven’t gotten rid of the old stuff yet. Extra IKEA bookcases anyone? So this year I would like to de-clutter and re-organize, namely the bedrooms, bathrooms, and their closets. In an ideal world, it would also be the year that we replace the kitchen floor and countertops, but that’s a stretch goal.

4. Make meal plans and stick to them.

Now that I work a normal person schedule (plus some), I don’t go grocery shopping on Thursday mornings anymore. It’s also been all too tempting to pick up take-out after a long tough day or when I hit the gym after work. If I don’t have food in the house, and I’m feeling lazy, guess what happens. I would like to work towards eating out no more than 3 times a week. We like eating out, but we’ve spent way too much money on mediocre food lately. Hopefully this will also lead to more blogging than I did in 2011!

5. Get down to my happy weight and stay there.

I was within five pounds in early December. It doesn’t seem like much, but on my 5’2” frame, every little bit helps. It would seem like training for a marathon would take care of this, but I get ravenously hungry when I’m training. Now I know that smaller, more frequent meals on long run days are better for me than just eating everything in sight, I will try to curb the run-ger. Eating at home and cutting out extraneous alcoholic beverages throughout the week will also help.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012!

Cook, Pray, Love (http://www.cook-pray-love.com)

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