My Big Failure

Last year was supposed to be my year of "Health & Wellness." While I do have a lot to celebrate, I have to officially call my year a failure with regard to those goals.

I started out really strong with a 21-day cleanse, and I was the most regular participant in my yoga class for a solid four months. I used the Pact app to make sure I was running twice a week, and I was always planning ahead to make sure I could fit in my runs, no matter how busy my week was going to be. And all of this lasted for a third of the year! And I felt great.

And then performance review season hit (where I have to write detailed reviews for every employee), and I started feeling too busy. And then I wasn't exercising (because I was too busy) and that made me more tired. So then even when I wasn't as busy, I was then too tired. And then if I'm not exercising, why not eat whatever I want? And then it was a downward spiral from there.

I'm not one to wallow in negative feelings, so I'm here asking myself, "What can I do to make it different this year?"

Here are my ideas:

1. I have to commit to weighing myself every week. Even when I'm not exercising and I'm eating crappily.  I need that accountability--that honest look at where I'm at. I know weight isn't an indicator of health and wellness for everyone, but it is for me. My weight is an honest reflection of whether I've been skipping exercise and stress eating. I already have a little notebook that I keep in the bathroom, so I can record my weight. It's really helpful. 
2. I'm going to use a little tracking sheet to paste inside my notebook, so while the shower is heating up I can reflect on how I'm doing with regard to running, yoga, drinking water, and eating healthy. I know there are apps for this, but I am more of a paper and pen kind of gal. 

I believe in the old Chinese adage that we should be healthy 80% of the time. Broken down mathematically, that means we can be unhealthy for a little more than four meals. Matt and I eat out on Friday and Saturday nights, and then we eat out for lunch (something light like breakfast tacos or sandwiches) on Saturday and Sunday. That's about 20% of my meals. And then I'm going to aim for only one more random treat at any point during the week (a donut at school, a mini-blizzard from Dairy Queen, etc.). 

There's really not much more I need to do. I already bought a treadmill so I could run during the week if the weekend gets too busy for running. I already know the day and time of my yoga class. I just need to stick to my goals! Stay tuned for my check-in at the beginning of February (and then March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December--please ask me about it if I stop mentioning it during my monthly reflections!). 

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