resolutions: past

my 2011 resolutions

Last year, I actually wrote down my New Year’s Resolutions and taped them to the front of my planner.  I hoped that by putting them in this very visible spot I would be reminded of them often and do a better job of keeping them.  As 2011 ended and I reflected on how well I did, I found that in one area I did really well for about half of the year, but in most of the other areas I fell flat.  Here was my 2o11 list:

• Walk as a family one time a week
• Read five books
• Exercise
• Pay off a credit card
• Make time for Albert and O every week (meaning do some significant, non-routine thing)
• Make time for myself every week (again, meaning do some significant, non-routine thing)
• Simplify
• Take a vacation

I have already “outed” myself on the book-reading resolution.  I failed miserably at that, as did I on the vacation resolution and the credit-card resolution.  Most of the rest I can say that I made a valiant effort and some weeks were better than others.  But the only one of these eight where I feel that I hit it out of the park was the exercise resolution.  I dabbled in regular exercise from January through early July, working out at the gym where I work and sometimes working with a trainer.  Then on July 11, I began a weight loss program via webinar that literally changed my life.  (I will write more about this whole program and the fabulous nutritionist who runs it in another post.)  I learned in this program that the definition of exercise is “planned physical activity” and I realized that if I was going to be successful at keeping the exercise resolution (and accomplish the unspoken, underlying need goal to lose about 20 pounds), I needed to be organized about it.  I made a commitment to myself to work out four times per week, every week, for thirty minutes each time.  Two days would be cardio, one day would be strength training on my own and one day would be strength training with my trainer.  I put the workouts in my Outlook at work, either at lunchtime or at the end of the day depending on each day’s schedule.  I worked with my trainer to get several different half-hour strength training workouts that were easy for me to do by myself but still challenged me.  Then it was up to me to keep my word to myself and do it and I did.  I worked out four times a week, almost every week from that point on, way more often than not, and I began to see and feel the results.  But the best thing was that very quickly, the exercise became part of my day, part of my routine.  I now can’t imagine my week without it.

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