My Goals for the Year

Each year, like mostly every other American, I make a list of resolutions I want to start doing more, or on a more regular basis. I try not to wait to do all of the things until the new year starts, but it is a new beginning, especially since it’s after the holiday season. You spend almost a whole month from Thanksgiving to New Year’s eating all the things you shouldn’t, so the new year kind of acts as a fresh start from those bad habits you’ve picked up. So, I thought it would be fun to share my resolutions on here. I’ve split them into categories and added a little back story on each as to why I made it a goal, and how I plan to achieve those goals. Even though it is already almost a week into the new year, I am starting these goals today because it is my first day back to school. I was still at the beach on vacation last week, and quite honestly, didn’t want to start them yet, so I figured going back to school is basically like the start of a new year, so why not?

Health

Water ///  My first goal for the new year is to start drinking more water. I’ve googled it a few times, and the majority of the things I read said there isn’t a certain amount of water everyone should drink because it depends on your size and weight. Most of those sites concluded that the best way to make sure you’re drinking enough water is to drink half to all your body weight in ounces. This means that if you weighed one-hundred-twenty pounds, you would want to drink sixty to one-hundred-twenty ounces of water a day. I think I drink quite a bit of water to begin with on most days, but on others I barely drink any at all it seems like. I think that if I made this a goal, I will be more consistent with my water intake and will see a lot of differences in my health. I always feel so much more energized, my skin is better, and my digestion is a lot better when I am drinking a lot of water each day.

Paleo-Based Diet ///  A paleo diet is sometimes known as the “caveman diet” because it is basically just eating only natural foods that God put on this earth and nothing processed (like what the cavemen had to eat back in the day). I don’t plan on being very strict when it comes to this, but I think that eating mainly natural foods and ingredients isn’t a bad idea. I can tell that processed foods have a negative effect on my body compared to natural foods like fruits and veggies, and I know that I continue to eat way too many of them. My main goal with this is to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and meats, and less processed foods. I’m not going to eliminate them completely, but I am going to reduce my intake of them.

Less Carbs ///  I know for a fact that reducing the amount of carbs in my diet makes a huge difference in the way I look and feel. Again, I’m not going to be strict about the amount of carbs I eat, but whenever I have a choice between a high carb meal and a lower carb meal, I plan on choosing the lower carb option. I’m not going to deprive myself of bread and pasta because that will only make me want it more and cause me to binge-eat it, but I will try to become smarter with the amount I do eat. It’s so easy to eat above your goal of carbohydrates, but it is also fairly simple to stay below you daily limit as long as you pay attention and are conscious of what you put in your body.

Eat Breakfast ///  I got in a good habit of eating breakfast the beginning of last semester, but then I got more tired as it went on and decided that sleeping in longer was more important than eating breakfast. I regret doing this because when I do eat breakfast in the morning I feel so much better than when I don’t. I’m more energized and definitely not as hungry (obviously). So, I want to make it a priority to either eat breakfast before or after my eight a.m class.

Fitness

Working Out ///  I’ve been working out fairly regularly the past month or so, but I want to get some kind of schedule down. I want to lift at least three times a week and do some kind of cardio five times a week. I feel the best when I do something active once a day (minus the weekends for a little break), and it makes me more motivated to keep working out.

Yoga ///  I want to do some kind of yoga flow every day, whether that be a long flow, or just a short stretch before bed or after my workout. There are so many variations to yoga that I could even substitute my cardio or strength training with it one day. Doing yoga makes me feel so much more energized, flexible, and stress-free (especially when I have loads of homework and studying to catch up on).

Running ///  I started running some on the treadmill a month or so into the semester, but then got out of the habit once my allergies got worse and it got harder for me to breathe while running. I love how I feel after a run and I could definitely tell a difference in how toned my legs looked and felt. I really want to get back into it, and the new year is a great time to start.

Personal

Reading my Bible ///  So I made a post about reading the whole Bible in ninety days a couple months ago, and update on that: I failed. I think it was the fact that I HAD to read so much every day that made me not want to do it. I think I could easily do it on my own, but just knowing that I’m supposed to be doing it (almost like a chore or an assignment) made me not want to. So I am just going to do my own thing when it comes to my Bible studies. I am going to continue working through the whole Bible, but at a slower pace that is more catered to my schedule and really just how much I want to read that day. Right now I am reading through Jeremiah and just writing down notes as I read, but I think once I finish it I might do the same with Lamentations, but also do a Bible study on it that I’ll get from either She Reads Truth or the Bible app. I have found that when I have to read so many chapters in one day I just read them and don’t pay attention to it, which is pointless. So instead of rushing through, I want to take my time and actually comprehend what I am reading.

Bullet Journal ///  I love setting goals and I think using a bullet journal will be really helpful and also make it fun. One of my best friends got me one for Christmas and I can’t wait to start using it. I already have a Pinterest board made with tons of fun and cute inspiration!

Read Twenty-Six Books ///  My last goal I am adding to this list is to read at least twenty-six books throughout this year. That’s one book every two weeks. I think this is totally manageable and I also think it won’t be that hard to read even more than that since I have four months off for summer break. If I make it a goal to read a book in two weeks that will motivate me to read instead of scroll on my phone or watch Netflix when I am taking a break from school work which will be really beneficial.