April!

I'm getting back into blogging. It's been way too long. I've felt motivated to write a few posts- and this will be my first! My April goals:

1. Gym at least 14 times- that's my ultimate goal. We'll see-- with meetings for work, trips, and other things that come up, my routine has really slipped. I started doing BodyStep class in addition to BodyPump and BodyFlow. If I continue to do those every week, that'd be great!

2. MyFitnessPal under calories 5x week. Again, my routine has slipped, but I'm getting back to it!

3. Stay on Budget. Jeff and I are on the envelope budget and its actually done wonders for us. It could be easy to get lazy with it, so it's got to remain a goal.

4. Blog Twice. I'll even consider this blog 1! 

5. Figure out future of my GWTW page. I'm not sure I want to do this page anymore-- it's not what I expected and its time consuming. I'm helping Jeff with his photography page and I think that is time better spent. 

that's all for April! 

March Motivations

I am making it simple this month!

1.  I have my first half marathon of the year on April 11th, so my goal is to run 4+ long runs (defined as 6+ miles) this month.  At least one of them needs to be 9+ miles.
2.  We're moving back into my house over Memorial Day weekend.  That means I need to clean up the piles of mail clutter that have accumulated over the past 3 years.
3.  An aggregation of factors has left me a bit disillusioned at work thus far this year.  So I'm trying to  display more gratitude at work.  (THIS IS HARD, YO!)

Holiday Motivations

We've been bad COAers and let November get away from us.  SO, we agreed that we'll do 'holiday goals' to finish out the rest of the year.

To recap my October progress:

1. Four blog posts
One COA post and two others, so 3 out of 4.
2. Four yoga/meditation sessions 
Nope.  One meditation and one yoga.  The yoga was awesome, though.  More of that will be happening this winter.
3. Finish KC Half Marathon - faster than the Broadway Bridge half
YES!! Sadly slower than last year's KC Half, but almost 6 minutes faster than my half in September, so I was pretty happy with this one.  I wore a pace band for 2:20 and kept ahead of the pace group the whole time, finishing in 2:18:16.  (I'd love to do a 2:15 half again...maybe that will be a 2015 goal.)
4. Continue doing chiro exercises all month
Um, yeah, for the most part.
5. Clean garage
Nope.  Now it is cold, so it's not going to happen this year most likely.  :(
6. Take crap to Goodwill 
I did NOT clean the garage, but I DID take 3 bags of stuff to Goodwill.  Yay!
7. Read 2 books
Complete!
8. Be less sensitive at work. 
Yeah, I guess this happened?

I set some overall goals at the beginning of 2014, so my goals for the rest of the year mostly tie in with those.

Holiday Goals:
1.  Run at least 33 more miles this year.  If I run this many from now until the rest of the year I'll beat last year's total.
2.  Meet year-end savings goal.  I just transferred $96 to my savings to help with this.  This transfer plus the regular transfers from my paychecks should get me to a nice round number by the end of the year.
3.  Read at least 3 more books (not including current read).  This doesn't get me to my goal, but it ties me with last year.
4.  Participate in Reverb in December.  (If we don't do Reverb, do at least 4 more blog posts by the end of the year.)
5.  Maintain weight.  

October

Hello October!  You've entered with the chill and the rain, and now I'm thinking about fall things...like Cabernet, Cafe LeMonde chicken curry soup, and seasonal lattes.

I didn't hit all my September goals, but I did make progress on every one of them.

1.  Four blog posts:  I did three, including last month's COA post.  
2.  Four yoga classes:  Also did three of these.  Girls on the Run practice 2x/week + Saturday training runs for a half marathon makes it hard to get to yoga this time of year.
3.  Four sessions of the 7 min HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout: I did this workout twice, two rounds each time.  So this was a success!  Pro tip, there's an app you can download that will do the timing for you.  Also~this workout is hotel-room approved.
4.  4 sessions of 10 minute meditation:  I guess 3 was my magic number this month as I did three sessions here, too.  
5.  Finish Broadway Bridge half marathon (faster than St. Louis GO/2:27:20)  > Success!  I wasn't thrilled with my time, but it was about 3 minutes faster than the one I did in St. Louis in April.
6.  Do calf/ankle exercise 'homework' from the chiropractor > I'd say I've been 80-90% compliant with this.  He keeps adding new exercises every time I go, so now I have four different ones I am supposed to do, 3 sets of each per day. 

October goals:

1. Four blog posts (again)
2. Four yoga/meditation sessions (savasana is like a mini-meditation, so I'm combining these two goals)
3. Finish KC Half Marathon - faster than the Broadway Bridge half
4. Continue doing chiro exercises all month
5. Clean garage
6. Take crap to Goodwill (related to #5, obvs)

7. Read 2 books (the one I'm reading now + another one)
8. Be less sensitive at work. This is a hard one to measure subjectively so I'm just going to put the idea out there. The last month at work I've had a few instances where I felt slighted/talked down to - so I need to be less sensitive and maintain my assertiveness.

October Goals

It's the beginning of my favorite month. I'm starting it out feeling a bit overwhelmed with work- it's the busy season. I'm exhausted and just get as excited as I used to about certain things. But, October is still my favorite month. It's our anniversary and my birthday month. So, how did I do last month?

 1. Finish a certain project I had hanging over my head.
    Done. I will be vague about this one but it's complete.

2. Blog at least twice.  
   Nope.

3. Work out 3x week.
  Overall- I am still working out. I had a few set backs with feeling sick and going away to a conference.

4. Lose 20 lbs by my 30th
    Apparently I've developed a huge love of candy. Sour Patch Kids specifically. I hid the 4 lb bag my mom bought me when she was here over Labor Day. Don't let me find this and I can still make the goal.

5. Stop keeping emails.
    I've been better.....

The girls and I made an agreement that we will meet twice a month to keep us more accountable. I am all for that. So, what do I have planned in October?

1. Go back to MyFitnessPal
   Face up to the fact Sour Patch Kids are pure sugar. I went a few months with "I know what I'm eating, I'm good!" and now I'm eating everything and saying "I still think I'm under calories today" when really I ate everything in sight that day. Starts today.

2. Work Out 3x week
   I feel like crud this week. Exhausted and have some kind of head cold. It starts Monday the 6th, promise.

3. Blog 1x
   Not counting COA- If I can't do one blog I shouldn't consider myself a blogger.

4. GWTW Page- 4 posts
  I agreed to become administrator of a GWTW Facebook page with a lot of followers. I'm excited because I needed something to get me/keep me excited about GWTW. Believe it or not the drama with the "Windies" can really suck the good feelings out of you enjoying your favorite movie. This is now my page and I can be excited about whatever I want.

September Goals!

Summer is over. I'm okay with that. Summer has a completely different definition when you're an adult. Especially when you're an adult working at a tourist site. Here comes fall. I love fall! Our second wedding anniversary is coming up, so is my birthday! Then comes the holidays-- the older I get the more I look forward to the holidays. This year Thanksgiving plans are up in the air, but Christmas will be low-key at home with my husband. I am looking forward to decorating our apartment so much. It's the little things. :)

Anyway! Goals! Summer was successful for the gym--but it got very busy. It was also the summer of family visits. I love family visits- but they are draining. I get off track with my health, spend more money, and don't have much "me" time. But, it was so worth it to see so much family.

For September!

1. Finish a certain project I had hanging over my head.
    Done. I will be vague about this one but it's complete.

2. Blog at least twice.
    Back to awkward and awesome! Starting with the chicken foot story. (Intrigued? read my blog)

3. Work out 3x week.
    I am probably not going to make my 30 lbs by my 30th. BUT! I really did change my lifestyle. I wanted to start liking myself more in pictures, and I DO! I can wear a complete size smaller, and all my measurements are way down. I am loving myself and enjoy picking clothes out now and feel more confident and strong. Let's just keep it up!

4. Lose 20 lbs by my 30th
    So I may not make it to 30, but I'm so close to 20. Let's do this!

5. Stop keeping emails.
    I just had 940 unread emails in my "junk" email account. I read an email and I don't delete it. Groupons, everything. I just seem to keep them. I just deleted everything and I want to continue it. 

Will I remember the goals of September?

Let's hope I remember my goals this time.  I'll make it simple.

1.  Four blog posts
2.  Four yoga classes
3.  Four sessions of the 7 min HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout
4.  4 sessions of 10 minute meditation

Also:
1.  Finish Broadway Bridge half marathon (faster than St. Louis GO/2:27:20)
2.  Do calf/ankle exercise 'homework' from the chiropractor