2015 Resolutions

I didn't think I was going to make New Year's Resolutions this year, but the more I thought about it, there are a lot of things I want to accomplish this year. I actually really like goal setting because I'm very goal oriented. But for me, it has to be something I can check off and be done with it. In the past, I've made certain goals like "drink more water" or "go to the gym 3x/week" or "read my Bible every day" and I always fail at those goals. So this year I'm trying to set specific goals with a deadline so that when I complete them, they're done! I'm excited to see how many I can accomplish this year!

Running

1. Run a race every month or 12 races total (I wanted to say 12 half marathons, but that might be too much for my body to handle. Hopefully quite a few will be half marathons though!)

2. Run a sub-2 hour marathon. This has been a goal for awhile. I've broken the 2 hour mark once, but haven't been able to beat that time since. I'd really like to do it again. I'm hoping to incorporate some speed work into my training this year.

3. Run 60 miles a month. I want to run more times per week, and run more consistently, but I didn't know how to make that a goal. Then I read a running article that suggested choosing a weekly or monthly mileage goal. I like that idea. I picked the monthly goal so that I can rest some weeks if I need to.

Strength/Gym

4. Do 5 pull-ups. One of my goals at the end of last summer was to be able to do a pull-up (after failing to do one on a ropes course). I bought a pull-up bar and after months of practice I can do about 3, but I can't seem to get past that. I'd like to be able to do at least 5 if not more.

5. Bench 75 lbs.
6. Squat 75 lbs.
7. Deadlift 150 lbs. This is the year I want to get in the gym and finally start working on upper body strength. Instead of having a goal of going to the gym 3x/week, I thought it would help to have specific weight goals. I tried to set very reasonable goals, but I have no idea how realistic these are since my upper body strength is practically non-existent.

Personal

8. Read a book a month or 12 books total. I enjoyed it when I made this a goal in 2012, so I'm doing it again!

There are so many more things: go on an epic hike, learn how to take better pictures, learn how to do better make-up and hair, eat healthier, get more sleep, go on more fun trips. I couldn't come up with specific things for these goals, so I'm leaving them on the back burner for now. If I accomplish any of these, I'll consider it a bonus.

Lastly, this isn't really a goal, but I'd like to spend less time on my computer/phone/internet. I LOVE information and can literally spend hours looking stuff up, but I waste way. too. much. time. I really want to limit my computer time in the coming year, so that I can be more active and do more things.

Goals for 2013

After reviewing my resolutions for 2012, I just have a few goals for 2013. A lot will be happening in my life in the next year. I'll be graduating as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, taking the PT boards, finding a job, moving (again), and hopefully will start working as a full-time physical therapist! I don't want to put extra stress on myself by coming up with a long list of things that will be difficult to fit in. Mostly, these goals are to help me make sure I'm paying attention to all the other parts of my life, not just academics. I need to remember to take breaks and de-stress every once in awhile.

Goals for 2013
1. Run another marathon.
2. Go on at least 3 hikes on 3 different trails.
3. Join the VMFA and see at least 2 different special exhibits.
4. See the Tacky Lights next Christmas.
5. Continue reading through the New Testament.

Upcoming events in 2013
Job Search/ Find a Job
Find an apartment/ Move - March 1
Graduation - May 11
PT Boards - July 24

Resolution Results

Way back near the beginning of the year, I posted my resolutions for 2012. I haven't looked at them in awhile, to be honest. Let's see how I did.

1. Run a marathon - Check!
2. Read 12 books (one a month) - Check and Check! I did read 12 books this year, although not quite one a month. I got busy during my clinical and didn't read any books in October or November, but I made up for it by reading a lot of books in the summer.
3. Become a member of my church - Fail. I've been in and out of Richmond so much this year, it was hard to go to church consistently. I want to join my church as soon as I'm back in Richmond more permanently.
4. Eat more fruits and veggies - I was really good about this in the beginning of the year. I ate a lot of the Steamfresh vegetables and tried to include veggies with more of my meals. Then I got into bad eating habits again for a few months. Recently I've been eating a lot of salad and loving it! The secret for me was to add a few toppings (like cheese and cranberries) and now I find I actually look forward to a salad for lunch!
5. Run a sub-2 hour half marathon - Check!
6. Drink more water - I love my Camelback water bottle and having it around has helped me with my resolution to drink more water. However, I still find that I forget to drink water throughout the day unless I have my water bottle right next to me.
7. Read through the New Testament - Fail. I haven't read my Bible at all in the past few months.
8. Memorize James 1 - Fail.
9. Do outdoor activities at every opportunity - I'm counting this as a check, but I didn't do all that I wanted to do. This year I want to go on more hikes!
10. Discover more of what Richmond has to offer - I saw the Botannical Gardens, went to Bryan Park a couple times, and went on runs through different parts of Richmond with the MTT, but next year I would love to do even more around Richmond. I missed out on some cool special exhibits at the VMFA and next year I really want to do the Tacky Lights Tour!

It's sad that I failed at all of my spiritual/religious goals for the year. I haven't been reading my Bible at all lately. I really want to read my Bible more, but sometimes I can't find the motivation to do it. I'm going to try to pick up where I left off and continue reading through the New Testament.

As for my other goals, most were partially met, although I think I was hoping for more when I wrote them. It's no surprise that the two goals I'm most proud of are related to running. This has been an awesome year of running for me! The crowning achievement was running my first marathon. It was such an amazing experience!

All in all, this last year of being a student has been pretty great. Stay tuned for 2013 Resolutions!

Goals for my next race

I'm running the Rock N' Roll half marathon this weekend at Virginia Beach! Although the course is supposed to be fast and flat, I'm not aiming for a PR this time. Instead, I'd like to use this race as a true "test run" for the marathon. If I break 2 hours again, great, but I have some other things to work on These are my goals:

-First few miles: START OUT SLOW. I need to learn how to pace myself and save energy at the beginning of the race. I don't want to start out too fast again, like I did at my last race.

-Middle miles: FIND A RHYTHM. I need to get into my "forever pace" during the middle of the race. I think this will be a key strategy for running the marathon.

-Last few miles: PICK UP THE PACE (slightly). I want to finish strong and I would love to have a negative split for this race!

Here's to a fun race and a great Labor day weekend at the beach!

Resolutions for 2012

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions because I feel like it's a formula for failure. Everyone seems to get caught up in the idea of new beginnings and people vow to make changes that they aren't ever going to follow through on. So while I have weekly or monthly goals that I want to accomplish, I don't typically set goals for the year.

This year, however, I started to think of what I want to accomplish in one of my last years as a student. Hopefully in 2013, I'll graduate from PT school and get a real job, and then life will be different. So I asked myself what I wanted to accomplish this year while I have the opportunity. I thought a lot about it and added things to my list all throughout January, I just haven't posted it until now.

Here's my list for 2012:

1. Run a marathon
2. Read 12 books (one a month)
3. Become a member of my church
4. Eat more fruits and veggies
5. Run a sub-2 hour half marathon
6. Drink more water
7. Read through the New Testament
8. Memorize James 1
9. Do outdoor activities at every opportunity
10. Discover more of what Richmond has to offer.

These are the things I truly want to accomplish this year. I'm excited for it instead of daunted (the way I usually feel when I make resolutions). I love this list and I can't wait to do all of these things in 2012!

Here's what I've done so far:

• Read 12 books- I've read Anna Karenina and all the books in the Hunger Games series (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay). Total = 4.
• Eat more fruits and veggies- I've been packing lots of fruits and veggies as snacks to take to school. Also, I've been buying the Steamfresh veggies to make with dinners.
• Drink more water- Thanks to an awesome water bottle I got for my birthday, I've been drinking about three 20 oz bottles of water a day. Big improvement from before!
• Read through the NT- I've read Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and James.
• Memorize James 1- I've got the first 11 verses down.
• Do outdoor activities at every opportunity- I've gone hiking once so far. I'm hoping to do a lot more as the weather gets warmer.

I'm off to a good start, I think. It's hard to believe that almost 3 months have gone by since this year started!

Goals revisited

Back in October, I set some goals for myself. They were:

1. Computer- limit to 1 hour a day.
2. Study- 1 hour a day (more than that on weekends).
3. Go to bed by 10pm.

Time to re-assess. How have I been doing?

1. I have to admit, I still waste time on the computer, although the sites I spend time on have changed. I used to be somewhat addicted to Facebook; now I'm more likely to be browsing Pinterest or reading blogs. I'm not sure that it's a big improvement, but I figure that at least I'm learning something or getting ideas for recipes and projects from my new favorite sites. I realized that Facebook has very limited value to encourage or inspire me, while the blogs I read often have good ideas, words of wisdom, or encouraging stories. The sole reason I've kept Facebook around is to be able to share pictures. Anyway, this isn't a huge problem right now, so this goal goes on the back burner for awhile.

2. This semester I've been able to keep up with my classes pretty well. This semester is also easier than the last and it's not necessary for me to study an hour every day. This goal gets scratched. :)

3. Going to bed early is still one of my goals. For a while I was doing really well on this one, but lately I've been getting to bed about an hour later than I want to. I need to get back in the habit! When I go to bed early and get up early, I can get SO much done in the morning. I love to have time for my devotions, a workout, and a long shower and breakfast before I have to leave for school. This goal is definitely a top priority.

New goals:

1. Go to bed by 10pm.
2. Have a daily devotion.
3. Workout at least 3 days a week.

Balance

Since getting back from Thanksgiving break, I've felt a little out of sync. I've had some trouble getting back into my routine. I had been doing really well with getting up early to do a devotional and work out, and now it seems that I can't wake up as early as I could before. I've still managed to do my devotional every morning, but I've been tired and I don't have as much motivation as before. I wonder if this is the devil trying to discourage me? Or if it's a sign that I need to have more balance in my life.

I usually have a lot of enthusiasm for things when I first start them, especially when I plan a new schedule. So when I first started this new routine I was really excited about it. But I also tend to get obsessed with things. I'll be really into something for awhile, then it's on to the next thing. I don't want my relationship with Jesus to be like that! I don't want to be really committed and fired-up for a time, then fall away again. So I'm continuing to have my quiet time every day, but still struggling to find a balance among all the things I want to fit into my life.

Sometimes I would love just to spend time with God all morning, but I have to put my journal down and get ready for school. Sometimes schoolwork becomes my biggest time-consumer, but I still want to set aside time to spend with God. Sometimes my workout/running/word-games-on-facebook/blogging becomes a big passion and I obsessively spend lots of time on those things for awhile. I wish I could find a balance and make time for all the things I enjoy on a regular basis. I'm trying to set up some new goals so that I'll be able to do this. Some of my ideas are:

• Cut out time-wasters (things that I don't even really enjoy that much, but I spend lots of time on anyway)
• Stop procrastinating (because that leaves no time for the things I enjoy)
• Plan time for the things I love.

Simple, really. But easier said than done!

Life is only what you make it

I finally feel like I have a little bit of a break from school. I took a test yesterday (Monday) and my next test isn't until next Friday, so I can breathe for a little bit. I still have tons to get done, but nothing overwhelming right at this moment, so I'm thankful for that. For the past two weeks, I have been tired and stressed all the time, and it's not fun.

I decided I need to make some changes to make my life more enjoyable and less stressful. First of all, I need to take my classes more seriously. I need to stop procrastinating and get assignments done earlier. Along with this, I need to stop wasting so much time during the day- especially time wasted on the computer. Secondly, I need to go to bed earlier so that I'm not so tired all the time. Thirdly, I'd like to make time to read my Bible and exercise every day.

For now, I'm going to start working on these goals:

1. Computer- limit to 1 hour a day.
2. Study- 1 hour a day (more than that on weekends).
3. Go to bed by 10pm.

This is just a starting point for me to get more organized and be more productive. Once I'm consistently achieving these goals, I'll set some more ambitious goals. Maybe I'll start doing monthly goals- there's always something to work on!

Exercise

It's hard to get back in school mode after being away on break for the past month. As much as I enjoy learning, I don't relish the thought of sitting in a classroom all day. Especially since we're in the basement of the hospital and there are no windows. It feels like a cave sometimes.

This semester I'm taking an exercise physiology class. So far we've just gone over some statistics about the health of the US population and the benefits of exercise. It's nothing I haven't heard before, but an entire hour of listening to the professor talk about about the increasing number of sedentary and obese Americans was kind of sickening. It's really depressing and sad that so many people just throw their health out the window and go for the TV and fast food. It's also convicting and scary, because I like junk food as much as anyone and I don't make it to the gym every day (and often not even the recommended 3 times a week).

This year I'm trying to establish a workout routine that I can maintain for the entire semester, even when schoolwork gets intense. I'm going to work out at the gym Tuesday and Thursday mornings- with friends, so they keep me accountable. Then I'm going to go to some exercise classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon. I already tried a class called "Boot Camp" on Friday, and it was really, really hard. It combined cardio, high intensity training, resistance training, and abs. After about the first 15 minutes of class I was tired, and by the end of class I felt like I was going to pass out. Not a good thing, but it made me realize how out of shape I am. It may sound weird, but I kind of liked a class that challenged me that much. I'm excited to go back and get kicked into shape!