MCLV’s Non-Resolution 2012 Resolutions

You know what I hate? New Years Resolutions. And not just because I can’t get any time on the elliptical for the month of January while everyone whose New Years Resolution was to get into shape wears themselves out and rethinks their life choices. No, I dislike them because for the most part you just spend fifteen minutes on January 1st spitting out a list of grandiose plans for the year and then you forget about them around the time your hangover wears off.

But hey, I’m as guilty as most when it comes to the charade that is New Years Resolutions. However, this year, this year I have a plan. A good plan. I’m going to set goals at the beginning of each month, small goals, just some aims to keep in mind for the upcoming four weeks

This is inspired by my friend Holly of Holly Would If She Could who embarked on the Look Better Naked Challenge in November of 2011 and has been writing about her progress each week. Reading her posts I realized just how beneficial it is to approach this sort of challenge a week at a time – its less intimidating, its more manageable. And for someone with the attention span of a 2-year-old, I figured even I could maintain a set course of action for seven days at a time.

Overarching 2012 Resolutions:

• Buy a house
• Take no money out of my savings accounts (other than to buy said house)
• Publish something (this goal is a LONG TIME coming, I’ve been writing since I was a child and I’ve still never let anyone read my writing. It’s time. Past time.)

January Goals:

• Start back rehabilitation when I get doctor sign off & be diligent about my exercises
• Finish decorating my new apartment
• No taxis – Walk to and from work 5 days a week and run all errands on foot

See? Baby goals. Nothing I can’t do. Just a few things to keep me on track for January. Curious what everyone else is saying and doing?

Miss Rachel of The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson takes a different stance on New Years Resolutions. Each year she picks a verb and molds her goals and ambitions for the year around said verb. “Before you do anything in life, you must select a verb. You can begin, or quit, or change. You can choose, share, trust, try, think, relax, open, hope, serve, speak, write, save, flee, organize, believe, commit, or give.” I think that this is an incredibly creative and personal way to set goals for the year. For 2011 Rachel chose “invest” as her verb and for 2012 her verb is going to be “push.” What would you pick for your verb for 2012? I think that I might have to choose “evolve.” In 2012 I would like both myself and my life to evolve. Maybe this will be the year I become a grown up… Who knows! 🙂

Justyna at Chameleonic is approaching the New Year in a sanguine and entertaining way in her post: 2011 & These Are My Thoughts. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a happy, optimistic take on life and the future. And while I’m not always able to stay positive and idealistic in my daily life, I always appreciate and look up to those who can. Are you a glass half full or half empty type?

The Fitnessista focused on the great moments and highlights of 2011 – From family time and sweaty workouts to delicious recipes and fun trips that she took. At the beginning of a new year do you like to think about the amazing moments that the year before held for you or do you prefer to immediately let go of the past and start planning and hoping for the future? Or a little bit of both? 🙂

Rather than set Resolutions for 2012 Gena of Choosing Raw has a hope for the year – “I hope people will stop setting short-term dietary goals for themselves.” Gena is a vegan and raw food enthusiast who is a clinical nutritionist currently attending medical school. Her blog is an important and educational site in both the vegan and raw food worlds and she receives requests, questions, suggestions, ideas and pleas regarding food, healthy eating and diets. “I cannot count the number of emails I get each year at this time, detailing the fasting, calorie restricting, food group eliminating, and wacky beverage drinking that people intend to start their new years with. And it makes me sad, because these “plans” are not nourishing, they’re not always pleasurable, and most of all, they’re just not sustainable.” As a reader of her site I would say that one of Gena’s ultimate goals is to encourage people to really think about their food choices and to ultimately make healthier decisions. And that’s a huge part of her New Years Hope. “Instead of flirting with diets that promise you a new beginning, but deprive you of pleasure in order to get there, try, for a change, to greet the new year by being generous with yourself. Envision a way of eating that will feel rewarding–not just this week, or this month, but for years and years. Remember that finding pleasure in the way you eat is just as important as being healthy, because without the former, the latter won’t last.”

Jenn from the Fit Bottomed Girls has a list of 5 goals for herself to tackle in 2012. Including “make fewer goals.” As you’d expect from a contributor to a blog titled Fit Bottomed Girls, her goals for 2012 are primarily health and fitness related. When you make resolutions do you focus on career, health, family, friends, fitness or something else?

Happy 2012 and I hope this new year brings you everything that you hope for!

January 2, 2012 | Categories: Fashion, Fitness, Food | Tags: Choosing Raw, Dieting, Fit Bottomed Girls, fitness goals, Gena, January goals, monthly goals, New Years Resolutions, Nutrition, The Fitnessista, The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson | 4 Comments