2018:  The Back to Resolutions Year

I survived my first run of 2018! It great felt to get back to running: a top resolution for the new year! Looking for to my recommitment to running and my weight loss journey!

For the past few years, I didn’t make any resolutions.  As I mentioned back in 2015, I decided not to make them as I always felt they set me up for failure.  I made re-commitments instead.  Now that it’s 2018 and I’m looking back, I don’t believe there is much difference between the words.  Sometimes you just need to change the words you use in your life to make things seem easier or different.  For me in 2018, it will be “The Back to Resolutions Year.”

So why the change of heart this year?  Well, I am embarrassed to admit it, but 2017 was a year without concrete personal goals.  Yes, I did accomplish many goals last year such as

• Moving my family from one state to another and then to another town all in nine months.  There are so many smaller accomplishments under this list, but the fact that we’re happy and feel settled in our new hometown is all I need to say.
• I learned that I can run without walking for over a mile at a time.  I finally got over my fear that I couldn’t run without stopping.  I still have a much to do, but the fact I can do it is thrilling.
• I lived through an elimination diet and actually learned a few facts about nutrition that I use to this day.  I learned that almonds trigger an allergic reaction and that I can live with less sugar in food.  And I still make some of the recipes I learned that month.  Meatloaf is still my kids favorite recipe.
• I started my first mystery novel.  This book has been floating around in my brain and heart for so many years, but in 2017 I finally started to put it down on paper.

Now that I’m writing down my accomplishments of 2017, I’m feeling pretty good!  While I’m happy with what I’ve done, there are goals I’ve slacked on.  These include:

• I haven’t lost any weight this year.  And as much as I hate to write this, I know I have actually gained weight.  I don’t need a scale to tell me this. Tighter clothes, less exercise and a lack of desire to do it, and a general feel of “blah” are all I need to show me that my lack of focus have caused me to gain weight.
• While I started off 2017 with a trainer and a dedicated workout schedule, once we moved to our second home, I gave up.  I ran occasionally and did a few weight workouts, but nothing like the serious schedule I followed in the beginning of the year.
• My mystery novel is perhaps a third of the way done, but I could be farther along if I had set aside the time to work on it.

And now I’m depressed about the lack of accomplishments.  And that’s OK. I feel it’s important to be honest about the good as well as the bad going on in my life.  Honesty in my blog and in my day-to-day life is what has kept me going on my weight loss journey since 2013. Of course I’d rather share the positives than the negatives, but it wouldn’t make me an honest person.  I’m not looking or wanting to present myself as this perfect example of a gastric sleeve surgery patient and someone who has an easy time with food and living a consistent healthy lifestyle.  I am far from perfect.

Now that I’ve told you the good and bad of last year, what am I planning to do this year?  Yes, the part about resolutions.  Before I share my list of goals, I want to tell you one of the most important part of setting resolutions for me is PUTTING IT ON THE CALENDAR.

I’m not yelling at you, but I feel it’s an essential part of my 2018 plans.  I’ve learned that if I don’t put an activity on the calendar, I don’t take it seriously.  I put everything on the calendar for my kids and hubby.  I make sure everyone’s activities are noted so we don’t forget them.  Sure, I’ve put my appointments on the calendar, but not my exercise or writing time. It’s changing this year. Here are the resolutions on the calendar this year:

• My running schedule is posted three days a week, every week until my half-marathon in July.  One thing I’ve really missed from living in California is running races on a regular basis.  Fortunately I have made wonderful friends in our new hometown who decided running a half-marathon this year would be a great idea!  I am thrilled to have a new running goal for this year, but also for the encouragement and support of local friends.  
• My writing schedule is on the calendar for five days a week.  I had a hard time setting up that repeating event.  As a stay-at-home mom, I feel guilty setting this much time aside.  My amazing ever-supportive husband insisted I make the time to write though.  I always feel like I should be doing other things like laundry and dishes during my writing time, but I generally don’t produce my best writing when I multitask.  As I somewhat obsessive multitasker, this is one of the hardest goals to strive for this year.  

So far these are the two new year’s resolutions I’ve put on the calendar.  I’m contemplating others like meal prep and cooking days; reading books; yoga; and other positive self-care activities.  I think it might be a bit overwhelming to put all of this on the calendar.  Can you imagine all the calendar alerts I would get in a day?!  

Instead I believe that by setting two of my most important and attainable goals, exercise and writing, it will naturally lead me to make other important goals a priority in my life.  So whether I call it a recommitment or resolution, I am thankful I have the support and encouragement of my family and friends to keep making positive and healthy living a priority.  I look forward to a healthy, happy year as I refocus on my goals so I can continue to go Down the Scale…