Welcome to the very first “Fit Friday”! I have been trying very hard in the past few years to keep myself healthy and happy and this year is going to be no exception! If you know me at all, you know that I don’t do “resolutions” per say. There is nothing worse than vowing to yourself and everyone around you to do all of these wonderfully impossible things and then come June, realize you haven’t succeeded in most of them. <Whomp Whomp> Now, don’t go giving me the side eye and telling me I have no faith or confidence in myself for not believing that I could eat dessert only once a month, run each and every day come rain or shine, or lose a whopping 20 lbs simply by saying I’m going to do it. The types of things people usually come up with for resolutions take much more time and effort than that…and I just plain know myself better.

I know that I have a dessert obsession and that if I cut back on dessert or make my desserts healthier I will be MUCH more likely to stick to it than I would a no dessert at all rule. I know that if I am sick or just feeling plain lazy one day, it will be nice to sit and watch Friends reruns instead of braving the cold and running that day. I know that the scale means absoluetly nothing. I could get to a point where I am perfectly fit and still haven’t gotten to my ‘goal weight’- what then? Do I obsess about it until I get there because I made a resolution? I know that I am not a perfect person, but I have plenty of confidence that I can make myself into a healthier and better person this year than I was in the last one and THAT is what I will resolve to do! No numbers, no unrealistic goals, just a vow to strive towards health and happiness.:)

My plan is to have a work out plan that I can stick to. One that has enough variation to keep me interested. One that will help me along my way to being fit, but is also leniant enough for me to have a cheat day every once in a while without sulking about it. I would like to eat more healthy and eat out at restaurants less. I’m not going to go full on paleo or anything like that, but I would like to start eating more fruits, veggies, and meats…and less mac and cheese <sigh> That’s not to say that I won’t have some every once in a while….just a little less. I want to change my outlook on how I want to live my life, not follow a diet plan.

I am getting to that point in life where I have to start thinking about the future. I’m thinking more and more about when we are going to start a family and how I would really like to be healthy when I do so. I would really love to be able to say that I am in the best shape of my life when we decide that we want to take that next step. Not only will it make pregnancy better for me, but it’s healthier for the little one as well. Now, for all of the family and friends reading, this isn’t a hint… we are not actively planning little ones right now, but it would be unrealistic of me to think it won’t be happening in the next few years and I want to be as prepared as I can be.

So, here’s the plan for this coming year in terms of health:

Exercise:

• Iwill be running a half marathon in the end of March, so the beginning of this year will be devoted to training for that. Lots of running and HIIT.
• After the half marathon, I will be using the classes at my gym to keep me in an active mindset. It will really help that Wes has joined the gym with me and can be my motivation to get my butt there and take a few classes. I would love to try yoga again and maybe a little Zumba.
• Hiking will also be a big part of my life come spring. Once it gets a little warmer out we love to head to the greenbelt and explore, it’s a great way to get in some activity without feeling like work!
• Summer is always hard for us Texans because of the heat. Thankfully, our gym is close to home so we can continue on with those classes!
• Come fall I would like to sign up for another race. I find that having a goal to work towards like a race really helps me to keep up with exercising. It gives me something to work towards other than a certain weight loss goal.

Food:

• Clean eating is one of the big things I want to work towards. Lots of organic fruits and veggies. I would like to go one step further and try for locally grown, organic produce but sometimes you take what is in front of you at the store instead of searching high and low for it.
• I would like to strive to eat lots of grass fed beef and natural hormone free chicken. I want to eat less of those things that fill us up without any nutrients like pasta and rice. This one will be exceptionally hard for me because I LOVE pasta. Overall, a lot more natural items and less processed food.
• I don’t do well on diets because when I deviate I get very discouraged. I want to start meal planning for the week each Sunday. I won’t plan specific meals for specific days, but I will buy the ingredients for a few certain recipes. If I have the ingredients in my kitchen and have a meal in mind for those items I will be much less likely to stray from the healthy meals I have planned.
• My last goal in terms of food is to eat out less. Most food in restaurants has been over processed and is just not good for you. Not to mention the portions are over sized and even the items you believe to be healthy are usually not. I don’t want to put too many restrictions on this one, because I know that we love to eat out a lot, but a little less would be good for both of us!

Well, there you have it, my hopes and dreams for 2015. What are your goals for being healthy in the new year?