In the upcoming diet bet with Courtney, I know my biggest challenge will be in eating well while still feeling satisfied. As much as I know about nutrition, I do not put it into practice (YET). So over the weekend and today at work I started doing some research into a style of eating that has been in the back of my mind for quite a while. I started to research Paleo, Whole Foods, and Veganism. Now, while these three have many common factors, there is a HUGE difference between Paleo and Veganism. Namely, meat. I do not want to give up meat in its entirety. I would rather adapt between the two so that I eat both healthy, organic, and lean meats as well as meatless protein options.
So I got a book called Your Personal Paleo Code and I'm comparing notes with my Vegan and Vegetarian cookbooks. I want to go back to basics. I want to re-learn how to eat, and learn how to eat healthy this time around!
I'm also doing research on Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project. I read the book about two years ago around the end of the year and have loved the idea ever since. I want a project that will encompass my life for the entire year - not just a resolution that will likely fade out by the end of January.
My goals so far for the upcoming year -
1. Get healthy - Go figure ;-D This includes eating well and working out; getting enough sleep and water; making sure I meditate and spend some time with my own thoughts and feelings. My goals: Run a whole mile, lose 52lbs or more, and become efficient at cooking healthy meals ahead of time for both the week and the freezer. A sleep schedule would be lovely, and I want to kick both the caffeine and sugar habits. In fall of 2016 I want to run in my first marathon.
2. Pay off some debt - I wish I could say I would pay off all my debt but I have more than 3x the amount of debt as I do income, and that's after taxes but before bills! So my goal is to set up my baby emergency fund ($1,000), pay down my small debts ($100 or less) and pay off as much as possible, but at least half, of the two loans I have a co-signer on. I want to eventually buy a really cool cash envelope wallet system, but for now at least follow it, stick to a budget, and not allow coupons to make me spend more than I intend.
3. Declutter - I do not like not knowing where things can go in my house. I do not like thinking we need a bigger place because of this. And I do not understand how two people (hem hem, okay mostly me) "need" so much stuff. Some of my decluttering will be obvious - we do not need 8 coffee cups for two people. We do not need 100 spare pens. We do not need so much, period. Some of my decluttering will have to take place when it gets warmer and I can have a yard sale without hauling everything downstairs (last summer's sale was not pleasant.) I want to advertise better, put an ad in the paper, and have a $1 sale. Just to get rid of the junk! I want arbitrary numbers of things (i.e. no more than 50 books, 3 tubes of toothpaste, 6 towels, etc.)
4. Start my business - I want to start a business for the homeless and hungry in my county. I have an appointment in January already set up to start discussing this with a co-worker, a Facebook family of like-minded people, and plenty of county resources to utilize. Ideally we will be officially launched by Fall of this year, so that come winter and the holidays, we will be well equipped to handle our first round of charity. I want to launch by August, and be able to give impoverished kids backpacks and school supplies.
I know that these are all big undertakings, but that's not all. My other goals for the year:
To become entirely fluent in Spanish
To get my Driver's License
To take three trips - one to DC, one to the beach and a third to be determined.
I think I can handle these in a year. What are your goals? Resolutions?