New Year's Resolutions

Usually, I do not subscribe to the idea that the start of a new year should be your motivation to commit to a bunch of good intentions! However, this year is different. Near the end of 2011, I had a number of reality checks, including, a blood test showing high cholesterol, and of course, my father's passing to glory. These things have made me stop and re-evaluate my lifestyle, and I came to the realization that I need to start looking after myself a whole lot better than I have been!

So my first resolution is to lose some weight. Any person over the age of thirty, knows this is much easier said than done. My plan of attack is to start eating healthier, which Liesel is helping me with! Thus far, I have successfully cut out fizzy drinks from my diet, and have not had a carbonated bubble pass my lips in over a week!  Secondly, I have been trying to work out a little each day at work. In fact, this week I have run 1 mile on a treadmill, rowed two miles on the rower, and traversed more than 3.75 miles on the elliptical machine! On top of that, I have been to our local gym twice, which equates to 6 workouts this past week!

Managing my diet better as well as increasing my daily exercise should hopefully be enough to help me realize my first resolution, and also contribute to my second resolution of lowering my cholesterol significantly!
I need to ensure that I maintain this momentum, and not slacking off because I don't feel like working out! This is the hard part, and one of the reasons I am sharing this with you all. By sharing it, I am making myself accountable to you, which should be an added motivation.

Something else I have started working on this weekend, although it's not a resolution, but actually part of Liesel's and my Christmas gift to each other. We are having our own, Extreme Makeover: Master Bedroom Edition! We have already got new bedding, and last week I installed new Roman blinds on our windows. This week we got some paint samples and painted three different shades on the walls. The tough part now is to choose which color is best. One of the best parts about this, is that we will not be using a cent of our money to buy the paint and paint brushes! It's one of the benefits of having a credit card that has rewards, so my credit card company is footing most of the costs of our bedroom makeover!

On Monday, most of us will be faced with our first full week of work. Don't let the craziness of everyday life distract you! Try to remain focused on achieving your goals, and stay motivated, as the long term benefits always outweigh the short term discomfort!