February- 1 month down and 11 to go

Just a check in on my 2014 goals:

1. Participate in at least one challenge every month.  My goal would be to participate daily but I am willing to just participate in one consistently.  This month- the Squat and push up 31 day boot camp.  I did this!  I did not read carefully and only did 2 sets of each all the way through but for my first challenge I thought I did fairly well!  I am going to share my February challenges in a post on Monday (although I will start on February 1).

2. Participate in 14 races in 2014.  I did this in 2013 and want to do it again in 2014.  I ran my first one this morning- it wasn't pretty but as I told someone it was my 2014 beginning and hopefully I have nowhere to go but up.  I have three more races already scheduled between now and the end of March but am looking at adding 2 more at least in that time frame.    I did one on January 1 and had to sit out the January 11th one due to the sprained foot.  I have 1 already scheduled for February 15 and hopefully plan to do one on February 8.  I am also already signed up for one on March 1 and then the half will be on March 30.

3. Establish my 6 month program for clients, finish my health coaching website, order business cards, brochures, and other things.  Bottom line is that I need to put it on paper and get the materials needed to get going.  The end goal for this is the end of March. Graduate from Institute of Integrative Nutrition and begin seeing clients.  I should graduate at the end of April.  I would love to start having paying clients lined up before the end of May. I have not done this yet (and there's really no reason why I shouldn't because I have had LOTS of time with snow days LOL)

4. Spend more time with God- this should really be my number 1 goal and it is (but these are in no particular order).  I know that my walk with Him directly correlates to the rest of my life and the rest of these goals being fulfilled.  I will spend time in the mornings in my Bible, in prayer, and just seeking His will for my life.  This includes weekends (which is where I struggle)  Every day I post a scripture on FB- I think I will also be writing it down and placing them in the jar with the date and a short explanation of why- at the end of the year I can go back and look at them and see the promises fulfilled.    

I did not make this jar but have been making note of the verses and quotes and putting them in a small notebook.

5. Blog regularly- for me- at this point in my life that means 2-3 times a week.  Some weeks may be more but hopefully a minimum of 2. I am getting there- I would like to do more but sometimes I just don't know what to say LOL

6. Lose weight- I know this is a "generic" goal and I am more than a number- BUT the bottom line is that I am not at a healthy weight right now.  By the end of 2014 I would like to have lost 30-35 lbs.  With that I will be within 10-15 lbs of MY goal.  By June I would like to lose 20 lbs (that's when I go back to the doctor for my physical).  January has been a rough month- I haven't seen much change in my weight but I am hoping that when I take some measurements Saturday morning I will see some difference.  I am telling myself that the steps I have taken in January have set me up for an amazing February.  If I don't see any difference in the next couple of weeks I will be making a doctor appt for some bloodwork to make sure there's not something else going on.

7. Save money and work on eliminating debt- to achieve an unnamed goal that means I need to make a plan and stick with it- so that will mean setting up a monthly budget (and understanding that it could change month to month).  It looks like I will have a second "job" (but it's not really a job) starting that will help bring in a little extra money per month- for now I will focus on putting that aside and getting the budget established. Still need to work on this!

8. I am "borrowing" this from my friend Glenneth- try one new thing a month.  All kinds of things- rock climbing, ziplining, paddleboarding, etc.  It may even be one new fitness class a month.  This month I am going to check and see if the local Y has a beginners yoga class- I have sore muscles and think that might be a good place to start. I did not make it to a yoga class because of the schedules of the classes BUT I did do a couple of yoga sessions at home so I think I will count that ;) LOL

9. Implement at least one healthy habit change a month- my change for this month- no fast food.  I am not saying no restaurants- but no fast food.  It is WAY too easy to swing through the drive thru for food then to come home and cook it so that means I need to be prepared- fully prepared!  AND: Drink more water!  Right now I don't drink enough- my goal, at the end of every day is to drink between 80-100 oz.  I need to crowd out the diet sodas and reintroduce water.  One way I am getting water in is to drink a glass of lemon water every morning.  It's a good way to introduce a cleanse and here are some benefits (and might I just say that of the two mornings I started out with this it definitely worked- LOL) I did it- I had no fast food for the entire month of January!  I did stop at Chick Fil A two times but both times I went to get a salad and that was what I drove away with.  Still need to drink more water.  My healthy habit for February will also be introduced on Monday.

10.  Read!  I love to read- it relaxes me.  I would like to read at least one "fun" book a month (for example: a mystery, Christian fiction, etc) and one "health/nutrition" book a month.  These can be "hold in your hand books" or books that I have downloaded to my Kindle on my iPad As of the time I am writing this (10:00 on January 31) I have yet to read either of these.  I have started a couple but not read them.  This will still be a goal.

11. Simplify.  I have a small house- it is just how my life has worked and for the most part it works BUT I have an abundance of "stuff".  It's time to declutter- I have not stamped in about 6 months therefore, my first order of business is to pare down on that.  I still want to keep some things but there are some I just need to let go of.  I will be putting them up for sale (and if anyone wants any let me know and I'll send you the link when I do so).  I will also need to just get rid of things I am not using.  My goal is to have this simplified and cut down on by the end of May I have sold a few stamp things and one thing from the kitchen but I still have a long way to go!

12.  Stay on top of my "school" work (aka my teaching stuff).  Spend time each week putting in anecdotal notes and such so I am not stressed at the end of the semester.  Work on lesson plans through the week and not letting them take over my weekend.  Yes, I am planning on my life looking a LOT different this semester. I have not done the anecdotal notes but I have been doing the lesson plans throughout the week and have been getting them done ahead of the weekend which has eased quite a bit of stress.

13. Exercise more consistently- You'll notice that I didn't include a specific number of days for exercise, etc.  Well, the reason for that is simple- I don't want to be tied down to it.  I am supposed to be training for the half marathon so that will be a bulk of it- BUT I also plan on incorporating strength into my life as well.  Life twists and turns on a dime so some weeks may only get a minimum while other weeks may be filled with an excess of training time- I need to take it as it comes and watch my diet. For the most part this has been a success- fairly consistent but could be better!

14. LIVE- this goes back to my "One Word" post.  My goal is to truly live- to do so that might mean saying yes to outings, spending time with friends, and getting out of my comfort zone.  It also might mean saying no when needed. I have been working on this- spending time with friends and hanging out doing fun things and yet, saying no and walking away when needed. :)

So- all in all my goals are going okay- they could be better but okay…  I look forward to seeing how these improve over the next 11 months!

How are your goals going?