Howdy,

Wow, are we really already 5 days into the new year? How did that happen? I must say, I have a really good feeling about 2015. With the arrival of Annabelle, 2014 was by far the best year of my life, but I think watching her grow and focusing on nurturing my little family is going to make 2015 just as amazing!

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When I sat down to think about my goals for 2015, many of the things I came up with were hard to measure (the personal trainer and health coach in me wants ever goal to be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time bound). Being the best mom and wife I possibly can, deepening my walk with God, and focusing on creating family memories and traditions were the top three that came to mind.

Most years, I have pretty standard resolutions. I resolve to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, do more yoga, etc., etc. However, this year, I wanted to take a more comprehensive approach to my goals. I decided to focus on three main areas:


MIND
As much as it seems like yesterday, I finished my masters degree almost 4 years ago now. I have always truly enjoyed learning (the test part kind of stressed me out in school but I liked learning new things), especially if it was a topic I was truly passionate about. I am much more likely to get fired up about a book on nutrition or exercise science than the latest best selling fiction novel. Even though I am no longer formally in school, I enjoy expanding my knowledge through self study and certifications. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I began studying for my health coach certification. My goal for the first half of 2015 (I just can't break the SMART goal setting habit) is to finish studying and take the ACE Health Coach exam. Through this exam, I hope to become a better Pilates instructor, personal trainer, blogger, and hopefully, a practicing health coach.



BODY
I have decided to make 2015 the year of strength! I have always made strength training a part of my workout routine, but I never really focused on getting significantly stronger. I always try to challenge myself during workouts and come up with new workout to keep my body guessing, but this year, I am going to plan my workouts around increasing my strength. Because I need to hold myself accountable, I have chosen pull-ups as my measuring stick. I have always had a very strong lower body (bring on the dead lifts, and leg presses any day), but my upper body strength is a different story. It has always been the area I need to work on most. For some reason, pull-ups have always been my arch nemesis. They are just SOOOOO hard for me. So my goal for 2015 is to add one pull-up every two months until I can get 6 in a row. Yikes!! This may not seem like a ton for some people, but for some reasons pull-ups are by far the hardest exercise for me to complete.


My second body related goal for 2015, is to cut WAY back on my sugar intake. Now, if you ask my husband, I don't eat any sugar (coming from the man who just finished off a whole package of Swedish fish in one sitting). However, I know I could do much better in this area. I am definitely a healthy eater, but home girl loves her chocolate! I am really going to focus on cutting back on added sugar and processed food in general. To kick start this goal, I have pledged to go the entire month of January with no sugar. We're five days in and going strong. I usually have Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert every night, and I am definitely missing those bad boys, but I'm surviving. I'm hoping that by going cold turkey for an entire month, I can reset my body to not have so much of a sweet tooth. Don't get me wrong, sweets are totally fine in moderation, but I noticed my chocolate intake was creeping up to a not so great level. :) What better time to reset than the new year (once I consumed my weight in peppermint bark of course)? Wish me luck!




SOUL
This one isn't quite as measurable as the first two, but that's ok. Saying I want to focus on being the best mom and wife I can seems like a given, so I started to think about what exactly that would look like. What exactly can I do to increase Annabelle and Eric's day to day happiness? That's a pretty tough question.


For Annabelle:
I will strive to make her feel loved, cared for, and cherished every single day.
I will help her explore, grow, and learn as she develops throughout the year.
I will try to not be too overprotective and let her experience SOME things on her own (this one will be hard for the mama bear in me).

For Eric:
I will work to increase my patience and remember he can't read my mind.
I will look for things big or small I can do around the house or with Belle to make his life easier.
I will remember to say thank you for all of the things he does without me even asking and sometimes without me even knowing.

For Our Family:
I will look for ways to create memorable moments that we will each cherish.
I will strive to establish our own family traditions that we can enjoy and grow with throughout the years.
I will look for intentional activities we can do as a family.

If I can accomplish these goals, I will be able to call 2015 a complete success. I can't wait to see what this upcoming year has in store for me and my family! I have a great feeling it's going to be a magical year from start to finish!

Do you make New Years resolutions?

If so, do you have any you wouldn't mind sharing?

In health,

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