Today is March 1 and a great time to check in on my New Year’s resolutions. In all honesty, I’m not one who usually makes resolutions.  When I started thinking about it at the end of last year, I began writing A LOT of things down. When I looked at my crazy list, I laughed and thought, well this could be a recipe for disaster! No need to set myself up to fail. I started to look for trends to see if maybe I could identify bigger categories to focus on.

Here is what I came up with:

BE HEALTHY – this came from

• 1 cup of coffee a day that I brew – no spending $$$
• back on Weight Watchers – lose weight
• start an exercise routine

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS – this came from

• more family time
• more “me” time
• unplug more

How am I doing?

I have only had one cup of coffee a day, each morning at 5am on weekdays and between 6 – 7am on weekends.  I brew it myself (I set the coffeepot up the night before to automatically brew a half hour before I get up.)  Proof of this is that I still have my coffee shop gift cards I got for Christmas! When I am tempted to pour the second cup, I drink hot water and lemon instead.

I started back on Weight Watcher on Martin Luther King, Day.  It’s too hard the first few weeks of January when holiday leftovers, sweets and other tempting and delicious things are still in the house.   I did the Weight Watchers program once before and was successful in taking off the weight I wanted and kept it off for four years. This time around, I am still counting “Points,” but trying to make healthy choices about what I am eating.  This means not buying processed food (which isn’t healthy, but keeps you in your point range.)  I keep thinking about my larger goal: BE HEALTHY, not the subcategory of lose weight.  The result is more fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and in five weeks I have lost 8.8 pounds.

I have yet to start exercising.  I finally had to admit to myself that reading Fitness and Feta does not count as working out.  This has always been the biggest weakness in my life.  I just don’t like exercising and I never can seem to find the time to fit it in.  I do not like gyms and have never figured out a successful “at home” work-out routine.  I loved yoga when I was pregnant, but have always been intimidated to try it post-baby.

In true teacher fashion, I will grade myself.
For my first resolution of BE HEALTHY, I am giving myself a:
B

Next up is BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

It’s very easy to get into the routine of your day and forget about your loved ones around you. I think it is even easier to forget about yourself.  So far this year my husband and I have gotten a babysitter three times, not because one of us is working, but so we can do something just together.  In the almost four years since our daughter was born (minus our anniversary every year) this was unheard of!  We are also working on “quality” family time.  At home, I am making a bigger effort to do more things with Olivia.  It’s easy to slip into the habit of doing things around the house while she’s playing and keeping herself busy.  These moments do not have to be monumental activities and projects (remember – I am not trying to set myself up for failure!)  Reading a story together, a small craft project, having her help me cook in the kitchen, doing a puzzle, are all small things that add up to great quality time together.

The relationship I have with myself is almost always on the bottom of a long color-coded, category organized to-do list (if it makes the list at all.)  To work on this I have set my alarm 45 minutes earlier everyday.  This gives me time for just me every morning (while I’m enjoying the one cup of coffee I get.)  I read, look at magazines, or sometimes work on this blog. I have a stack of books I want to read (some re-read) this year. It has really made me feel better about starting my day.  At first, I tried to combine it with my “unplugged” resolution, but realized that some of my magazine subscriptions are on my ipad, I like working on blog posts – basically life has technology and it’s hard to work around it!

That brings us to the last on the list – “My Life, Unplugged.”  This one is probably also in the “lose” column, with only exercise falling below it.  The ways I am trying to remain unplugged are ensuring I have a good work / home life balance.  I do not check work email until I arrive at work each day (unless it is snowing and we may get off!)  I also do not check it all weekend.  My Weight Watcher tracker is on my phone which has caused me to have my phone at the dinner table.  I am trying to “point” out everything before hand so I’m not tempting to be looking things up while preparing or eating our meals.

For my second resolution of BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, I am giving myself a:
B

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?  How are you doing on the two month check-in?  Do we have any of the same resolutions?  Leave me a comment and let me know.  I’ll do another follow up on May 1st.  Have a great day and thanks for reading.