Goal Setting - Woot!

Hello there friends!

2012 is around the corner, wahoo!  I'm so excited for a new year full of friends, family, love, and good times in our amazing mountain town. 

One thing that I really believe in for creating a successful, fulfilling life is goal setting.  There is an art to goal setting - I am personally a fan of SMART goals.  These are goals that are
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Timely
... smart!  This is a system to help you achieve the things you actually want.  This system is real and it works.  You should also write down your goals.  Writing goals down helps you solidify them in your mind and gives you the opportunity to create your timeline, how you will measure the goal, etc.  Writing goals basically helps you create a "game plan" with the SMART system.

Sharing goals with friends is another great way to stay on course.  Sharing goals with friends makes them more "real" - mainly because you are making your goals known, and have an opportunity to be held accountable.

I'm pretty out of commission this week - I'm sick with a head cold that's going around my work.  Boo!  So in 2012, expect some blog posts about my personal goals. 

What are your goals?  What do you want to achieve in 2012 - personally, professionally, fitness goals, etc?  Please feel free to share, and start the accountability now!

Best,
J

Holiday Hiatus

Hello Friends!

The holidays have put a lot of things on hold for me - blogging, exercising, and clean eating to name a few.  I'm doing my best to keep it all together, but honestly, I have zero self control around all these delicious holiday treats.  Here are some of my favorites...

1.  Snickerdoodles
2.  Oreo bars
3.  Sugar cookies with sprinkles and frosting in fun shapes
4.  Pancakes and gigantic scrumptious breakfasts on cold mornings
5.  Delicious breads... banana nut bread, pumpkin bread, spice cake, etc.
6.  Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate (thanks Mom!)
7.  Ginger snaps
8.  Have I said pumpkin bread?  And muffins?

Oh man.  The list could go on and on.

What I've discovered about myself is this:  In general, I eat pretty well, and when I start eating more sugar, I feel it.  Fast.  It really affects me and not in a good way.  It makes me feel awful.  I've also discovered that I have zero self control.  If there is sugar around, I have to have it.  Yikes!  This is bad for my waistline, for sure.

With all these things in mind, I've taken a few steps to get ready for 2012, the end of the holiday season, and returning to my normal lifestyle.

First, I purchased Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet books, which I am super pumped about.  I love culinary inspiration!  Tosca is all about eating whole, healthy foods, and I can't wait to spice up my weekly menus with some of her creative recipe ideas.

Second, I have accepted that I have a sugar problem, and after the holidays, I am purging my kitchen.  If sweets aren't around I have no problems, but if they're there, I go bonkers.  Therefore, it's time.  (I should probably pre-apologize to my man :-D).

Third, I AM TURNING TWENTY FIVE IN MARCH.  Oh my gawd.  And I'm going to the beach in April.  This is a serious double whammy.  I am determined to be as confident and awesome as this girl before I turn 25:

Greatest Nike ad ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because - she is hot.

I am also excited because I have a few workout buddies now.  Yahoo!  I have a friend at work and another girlfriend in town who are interested in lifting weights AND go to my gym!  Yes.  I'm so excited.  This is going to be fun, I can feel it already.

Apologies for the lack of posting recently.  I'll be back full fledged in January.  Keep your eyes peeled for a 2012 SMART goals posting - I am a huge believer in goal setting!

Enjoy the holiday season!

J

Giving > Receiving

So this year's Christmas officially rocks!  My man and I are going on a cruise in April, so we wanted to keep Christmas low key.  BUT then we decided that we're part of this amazing community in Colorado, and that we wanted to give back.

After all, we're very, very lucky.  Actually, we're blessed.  We wake up each morning in a warm bed, in a warm house, with food in the fridge and (even though I don't always want to admit it aka it's fun to shop) plenty of clothes to wear... that can even potentially be fashionable (sometimes).

And we have each other.

Not everyone is this lucky.  Really.

My man remembers kids making fun of other kids in his elementary school because they did not have enough clothes to wear for the week.  Seriously, how heart breaking is that?  Kids are cruel and times can be hard.  His story put things in perspective for me.

So with that in mind, we decided that we wanted to help out a family who isn't as lucky as we are this year.  To do this, we reached out to our local United Way Holiday Wishes program.

Shopping for our family was SO MUCH FUN!  What made it even better was that the store was FULL of other people shopping for families in the United Way Holiday Wishes program, too.  Yay for being part of an awesome community!

We totally hooked up our kiddos - my man is an amazing shopper, so we managed to stay in budget and get them EVERYTHING on their list!  What's fun about this is that we did get to pick out some fun little girly stuff for our family (the girls are 5 & 6) - Dora coloring books, Candyland, etc.  What made my heart break a little... and made me feel forever grateful... was that we also got them warm bedding, pants, underwear, and a couple of other basic necessities that I know I take for granted.

So this holiday season, let's remember what it's really about.  And let's take a minute and meditate on an important word: gratitude.

Instead of worrying about what we don't have, or what we want, let's just reflect on what we do have.  And how blessed we are.  And maybe be inspired to pay it forward, if you can.
Peace, love, and joy to everyone this holiday season,
J

Remember Why You Started!

I love this quote - what an awesome motivation.

Right now I'm working two jobs just a couple days a week for extra money (aka paying off student loans as fast as possible).  Yesterday was my first "second" shift, and it was awesome.  I love my second job, the people that I work with, etc.  However, it makes it tough to stick to your fitness goals when you work 14-15 hours a day.  Let's face it - I left my house at 6:40am and did not get home until 9pm.  Now, I'm not complaining - I'm grateful for the opportunity to work, meet new people, and continue to move into a better financial position.  So, how do you reconcile all of that with your fitness goals?

For me, this is going to be mostly diet.  Diet is where I struggle the most anyway, and at 9pm when I haven't eaten since 4pm, the temptation to just go for what's handy is going to be difficult to overcome. 

This leads me to two conclusions.  First, I have to continue to always be prepared - make lots of food on the weekends (protein bars, protein pancakes, chicken breast, veggies, brown rice... easy things to reheat) and use the food I prepare.  Second, maybe I'll print this quote out and put it on the dash in my car and on my fridge.  That way, on the way home I'll see these inspirational words and reflect on WHY I'm exercising and eating well.  Then, when I get home and am reaching for something (potentially) naughty in the fridge (or cupboard?  that's where the double stuffed oreos are...) I'll see these words again.

Hopefully I'm strong willed, driven, and dedicated enough for these steps to help me stay committed to my April bikini-cruise goals.

Tell me... what keeps you motivated?  What are your inspirations?  Is it quotes, images, progress pictures, or a combination?  WHY are you working towards a fitness goal?  Is it to look good?  Feel good?  Be there longer for your kids or grandkids?  Avoid health problems?  Please, share here!

Happy Tuesday, and happy living!

J

Coolest Website EVERRRRR!! - A Baker's Paradise

Hold on folks, because this is going to be a wild ride!  I can't wait to make EVERYTHING on this website, including chocolate protein Twinkies.

My only complaint is some of the ingredients aren't regular household ingredients... but hopefully one bulk purchase will fix that.

Read on, enjoy, drool, bake...

Protein Pow(D)er!