2019! I am so happy you’re here! 2019 is a really big year for our family. This year Neal turns 40, I turn 35, my sweet baby girl turns 5, and my son turns 2. Wowzers! It’s going to be a big year!
This year my ultimate goal is to live a life focused on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to use this year to be my very best self. I’ve gone back and forth on what single word will drive my goals and I keep coming back to “Change”. I want things to be different. I want my life to be different. I want to break the routines and cycles that have left me feeling empty these past few years. I want to change and find a life that is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I know it’s there, but I won’t see it unless I change.
These past few years I’ve used the new year as a chance to reflect on the previous year and to set some goals for the year ahead. This coming year, there are six areas I will be concentrating on.
1. Focusing on my family
2. Prioritizing my health and wellness
3. Losing weight and building muscle
4. Defining my professional path and purpose
5. Letting Go
6. Traveling (near and far)
So let’s dive into these areas and I’ll explain why I’m focusing on them and how I’d love to grow and change over the next year.
1. Focusing on my family
I simply can not believe my daughter will be 5 and my son will be 2 this year. Where have the days, months, and years gone. While I have so many wonderful memories from these past 5 years, the days seem to get busier and busier the older my kids get. This year I really want to slow down and focus on my family. For now, our work week days will remain pretty scheduled. I want to continue to unplug between the time we get home from work/daycare and when my kids go to bed. I want to eat dinner together, laugh and giggle through the bedtime routine, and enjoy those sweet storybook minutes before bedtime.
Friday nights are going to be our movie nights! I’m excited to start this tradition as a way to wind-down after the work week and to kick off the weekend. My kids aren’t into movies quite yet, but maybe as the year goes on. The adults however have a gazillion movies to watch. I just hope I can stay awake every Friday night.
This year I hope to use weekends to travel and see things around the DC area. We used to do so many things on weekends and I’ve really backed off these past two years. I was so burnt out come Saturday that all I wanted to do was relax, go to Costco, watch sports on TV, and nap. While I still hope to have plenty of chill weekends, my goal is to do a bit more outside of the house with my family this year.
2. Prioritizing my health and wellness
Health. Where do I start? I don’t know if it’s turning 35 or just not feeling great, but I want to change and improve my health this year. The first step I’m taking to prioritize my health is to find a doctor I love and trust. I have an appointment scheduled with a new primary care physician, but am also meeting with a Naturopath. I’ve always wanted to explore other forms of medicine and this is the year!
I have also got to stress less and invest in my own mental health. Late last year I started seeing a new therapist closer to home and I absolutely adore her. I am invested in changing the way I process life and prioritizing my own self care. Last year I really lost myself taking care of other people and I am not going to do that again! I had some extremely low points last year and I’m not doing that again!
Creating a space in our home for me to write, relax, and workout was a really important step as I moved into 2019. I am putting the finishing touches on my loft and can’t wait to share this space with you all. I want to write me, read more, workout more, and just relax! I want to take baths, use face masks, and go to bed earlier. One step I am going to work really hard to take is to not watch TV after the kids go to bed. Instead I want to make my way up to my loft and enjoy some alone time before going to bed (early). Whether writing, doing yoga, or reading, I want to wind down away from the TV Monday through Thursday.
3. Losing weight and building muscle
Last year was so incredibly important for my healing as a chronic dieter! Focusing on the reality that I use food to cope with life (stress, anxiety, depression, happiness, celebration, you name it) was so important! Since having my son I have lost 35 pounds but I have a lot more to lose. A lot more I want to lose. Last year I was not in a place mentally to diet. I just wasn’t. This year, I’m ready.
My first goal is to lose 35 pounds by June 1. Do I hope to lose more, you bet, but 35 pounds is my first goal. I’ll share more about my diet and exercise over the next few weeks, but seeing my doctors is/was an important part of finalizing my approach to dieting this year.
Fitness wise, my goal is to be consistent! I love working out and will continue to workout at OrangeTheory. This year I’m adding in Peloton workouts, both on and off of the bike. My goal is to utilize the full Peloton app, taking Yoga, bootcamp, and strength classes along with my spin workouts. I have long said fitness is not my issue, eating is, but I want to be consistent with my workouts this year as I work to lose weight and build muscle.
4. Defining my professional path and purpose
Becoming a certified personal trainer and completing my NBA certification were huge for me last year and I want to continue to grow in this field! I am currently working on the NASM Weight Loss Specialist continuing education certificate and hope to begin sharing my plus size fitness content on Balancing Today in 2019. My passion is to help normalize fitness for all bodies and am I excited to share more this next year.
The other exciting news is that I moved into a new role in higher education this year. I am really excited about the work I’ll be doing and this new chapter professionally. We’re only a few days in, but a lot of my time these past few months has been invested in this change. I don’t know what the year ahead holds, but I want to take each day as it comes. I have a number of books I intend on reading as I work to grow professionally and look forward to sharing those here on Balancing Today.
Being a working mom is hard, but I’m thankful to be a bit more settled in as my son gets closer to age 2. Last year was all about returning after maternity leave and I’m excited to have a full year under my belt at this point. Last year was full of adjustments and my goal this year is to build on top of that!
5. Letting Go
Letting go… it’s more than it seems. I need to let go of a lot of things! I need to let go of all the extra crap in our house. I need to let go of the things I think I can do better instead of just letting others help me (hello cooking and cleaning). I need to let go of relationships that are long gone. I need to let go of people who make me feel like less of a person. I need to let go of the way I used to do things. I need to let go of being in control. I need to let go of alllll the stress.
See, I told you, it’s more than it seems. This year I want to let go. I want to change and open up room for the life that is out of my control. I want to live a life I’m excited to share.
6. Traveling (near and far)
We haven’t exactly sat down to plan out our travels for this year, but we’re going to get out of the DC area more this year than we have in a while. We have plans to go to the beach, visit Iowa a few times, and see family in Nebraska. I’m also hoping to take more small road trips with my kids and just see more. We didn’t do a whole lot of traveling last year and I want to change that this year. Neal and I are also hoping to travel somewhere this summer, but we’ll see how that shakes out. Ohh…. and we have some big birthdays to celebrate!!! Can’t wait to see all this year holds.
We’re almost a week into 2019 and I’m excited. Excited to focus on change. Excited to focus on something new. Excited to take life one day at a time. Excited to share more on Balancing Today. Excited for all that’s to come. The past few years have reminded me that speed bumps are inevitable, but my hope is that I’m better prepared going into 2019. I hope the detours and hiccups are minimal, but I’m ready.
Here’s to a great year! I pray it is filled with health, life, love, healing, and lots and lots of laughter!
