Happy 2011

For some reason I have had a hard time starting this. I've had it up on my lap top for days. I knew it would take a little while to write and I needed to get my thoughts in order first.

I love New Years. I love the idea that we get to start fresh and wipe the slate clean. The new year is full of new possibilities, anything and everything being possible. Such a positive uplifting way to start over.

Every year I take a few hours to sit and journal on a specific set of questions which reviews the previous year and sets my intentions for the up coming year. I'm never sure of what is going to come up or what my focus will be until I am well into the process. Many times I surprise myself by what comes up.

And part of that process I name my year, which also helps me give the year purpose. 2009 was the year of new experiences and it completely lived up to the name. Then 2010 was the year of fitness. Just based on all that I wrote in 2010, it SO lived up to that name! I was all about fitness in 2010!

I also try to link up my new years resolutions to compliment the name I give my year. In 2009, my resolution was to do 2 things each month outside of my comfort zone. 2010's resolution was to do 2 things each month I have never done with one being fitness related. I didn't end up keeping my resolution in 2010 but that was ok. I really kept up with the fitness level and I'm proud of that.

The fitness group was a HUGE part of my life in 2010. I did the running group at least twice a week from April through December! And I'd still be doing it if the track wasn't covered with snow! We did 9 road races in 2010, started swimming did MMA events, I did yoga, zumba, hiking, kayaking, learned to golf, got serious about running and started to swim as well!

In 2010 I really made a commitment to myself on my fitness level. I had a determination I have never had and really wanted to succeed. Doing the Couch to 5K twice was great. I love seeing others reach their goals and make progress along the way. They are an inspiration to me. I find it funny that others continually tell me that I am an inspiration to them!

There were several things in 2010 that didn't go so well, including all the challenges I had with work. But I survived and I'm stronger now for all that I went through. I found what worked for me. And I'm better for it.

I made some great friend in 2010. People I really care about and enjoy spending time with. We have common goals and have fitness as a priority. Their support has helped me stay on target with my own fitness goals. I don't know if I could have done it all without them.

I set monthly goals, some I met some I didn't. But learned so much along the way and that's what is important. Finding the lesson.

By the end of 2010, I am healthier than I have ever been for my entire life. Every year my goal was to weigh 125 pounds and I really do. I am strong and fit and have muscles now too! I still can't believe the new running shirts I bought that fit are all X Small! The smalls really are too big. Who knew I could be an X Small? DAMN!

I've also learned to listen to my body for what it needs. Originally for today I was going to go to the gym to do weight training, then hit the pool for lap swimming. I swam a mile on Thursday, did an ab workout on Friday, and ran a 10K on Saturday. Today... yeah, my body is saying HELL NO! I know I can't swim right now with my abs as sore as they are (I sneezed and it hurt!) and I really think I need a break after the 6+ miles yesterday.

Even though my training schedule calls for weight training on Sunday's, I think it would work better for me to make it Monday's. I'll do legs and abs on Monday nights after my run, then Wednesday nights after my run I'll do back, chest, bi's and tri's plus abs again. This way, my legs will have more time to rest before my long runs on Saturday's and they will still have a day off after the long run.

And I might keep up with another type of fitness activity on Sunday's (just not today!) Maybe swim some weeks, walk, yoga, Zumba... whatever comes up. But I don't want to be a slave to the training schedule. I want to do what I can to keep up with it, but recognize when I need a break.

So on to 2011. Again, I love the idea of wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. SO many opportunities are available and it is so exciting to dream and think of what can be accomplished! Your only limits are the size of your dreams and how much you believe in yourself. Think big, dream big! I mean, I'm running The Boston Marathon! Really? So absolutely ANYTHING is possible! :)

I sat down on New Year's Eve and started my journaling, reviewing 2010 and thinking of 2010. The themes that continued to come up where all about taking positive healthy steps for everything. My finances, relationships, fitness, general health... all of it. After recognizing that theme, I came up with the name for 2011.

2011 is my Year of Positive Health

This will reflect everything my life. My physical heath, my nutritional health, emotional and mental health, the health of the relationships I have in my life, my financial health and my professional health.

To compliment the name of the year and keep the focus and intention of that strong, I set my new years resolution as well. And kept up again with the "2" that I've done for the third time now! :)

This year, my new year's resolution is try 2 new positive health habits every day for each month. At the end of each month, I will review and see if those habits will continue to work for me. Should I keep it or toss it? Then the next month, start up with 2 new habits to try. This will give me the opportunity to try out 24 positive healthy habits in my life and to really commit to trying them without overwhelming me. One month isn't that long and 2 at once is manageable.

For January, I am starting with one for an area that I do need to focus on. My financial health. I have not been good in the past with my finances, although I have gotten a little better, I'm still not great at living within my means. So, one of January's positive health habits is to keep a spending journal. I will be writing down every single penny I spend this month! Yesterday I drove up to the race and had 2 passengers. They each gave me $5. I had $2 on me yesterday. I spent $3 on the toll on the way home and spend the remaining $9 on lunch after the race (a greasy juicy cheeseburger and fries! YUMMY!) Hopefully at the end of the month, I will have a better understanding of where the hell my money goes!

My second positive health habit for January, I stole out of a magazine I was reading! :) I am going to do the plank positive every day. Originally I thought I'd do it for 2 minutes every day. Yeah! A year ago when I was working out with a trainer taking bootcamp classes 3 or 4 times a week I could do plank for 2 minutes. Now? Not so much! So after doing it yesterday, that's now update to doing plank for at least 1 minute every day and adding on it when I can. This will help my core strength for running and swimming. It will support my abs, my back, my gluts and hamstrings as well. Plank is such a powerful pose to hold!

I started making a list this weekend of other possible ideas. And I want ideas from others too. After searching for HOURS on the internet, I was a little disappointed that there weren't more options. Well, there were options, but it was things I have already incorporated into my life! Guess that's a good thing, but left me short coming up with ideas!

Here's what I have for options as of now:

Floss daily (I SUCK at flossing!)
Mediate for 5 minutes every morning
Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily
Keep a photo food journal (take a picture of EVERYTHING I eat)
Compliment someone daily
Keep a gratitude journal with at least 3 things I am grateful for each and every day
No fast food or take out for the month
Eat breakfast within 2 hour of waking up every day.
Eat at least 6 servings of fruit and veggies daily
Make my bed every day
Stop negative thinking & self talk as soon as I notice it & redirect my thoughts to positive thoughts
Pick a positive affirmation and spend a minute here and there during the day on it
Spend time in nature every day
Stretch or do yoga for at least 15 minutes daily
Go to bed every night by 10pm
Journal/free write first thing every morning for 5 minutes (or 5 pages).

SO that's a list of 16 options. Plus January is already done. I'll need to come up with a few more options as I go along. And I'm staying open to change as well. Who knows how this year will evolve, as my life continues to every year. Things that are important to me now weren't even thoughts in my life 2 years ago. So I do understand that my focus and priorities will change along the way. As long as the intent stays with positive health, then I know I'm in the right direction.

I have strong hopes for 2011, for everyone. I have worked to have healthy positive people in my life who help bring me closer to my personal goals and these are people who I have learned so much from.

With all of the changes that have occurred in my life, with all of the work I have put in... and it has been work! I am happy! I didn't sit and wait for things to happen and life to change FOR me. I got out there and made changes for MYSELF! I WORKED. I got out, I met people, I started running. I organized events. I stood up for what I believed in. I made decisions. I asked for help when I needed it. I recognized my mistakes and tried to learn from them. I chose to be a better version of me. I took what worked and expanded it. I made me a bigger and better version! :)

I really think that is one of the biggest changes in my life over the past few years. I used to sit and wait for life to happen around me and react to it. Now I don't just react. I ACT! I MAKE those changes happen. I make decisions on what I WANT, not just want comes to me.

Yeah, of course, life happens. Things I don't want, happen. And I have to react to those events. But I have power over the direction of my life. I realized that life isn't a spectator sport. I now play an active role in the direction I am headed. I make the choice of what I want to do, who I want to have in my life, and what influences I want to be open to. This active role is SO important.

I am not a victim of life circumstances. I have a voice, I have a mind and I have the ability to choose the road I travel on. This was not who I was a few years ago. I was a victim of life. I was a reactor. I wasn't an active player. I didn't make decisions on where I was headed. I responded to what I was presented with.

Now I find the things I want. I'm NOT presented with anything. I make the choice of what I want and I go after it. I do the work. I dig in and go for it. I find the determination to what it takes to reach the goals I set for myself.

I have become a very strong person that I never knew was within me. I pealed away layer of doubt, insecurity, anger, fear, and I worked hard to develop self respect, self confidence, determination, pride, and an overall hunger for life! I want experiences. I want to live life to the fullest.

In the past 2 days I have had 3 different people tell me that I was an inspiration! THREE PEOPLE! And that's only from the past 2 days! That really happened. Me. A person who used to sit on my sofa depressed about my life, about the circumstance that were handed to me. I am considered inspiring by others. And the thing is, I have taken so much from others, from seeing them achieve success.

Seeing new runners with the Couch to 5K, when they realize what they did, when they see their successes, I LOVE seeing that! A few weeks into the training, the schedule calls for a funky amount. The track is a 1/4 mile long and that week is:

Jog 1 lap
Walk 1/2 lap
Jog 2 laps
Walk 1 lap
(repeat)

When they finish that, they are pretty happy that they did it. Then I point out, "You just jogged 1 1/2 miles. Did you realize that?" And every single time, they did NOT know that's what they did. I have to actually add up the distance that they jogged to prove it!

I love seeing the smile appear and pride they have when the really realize it. That's when they all start to see the progress! And then I ask, "A few weeks ago when we started and you did the 60 seconds of jogging 8 times, did you think you could run 1 1/2 miles? YOU JUST DID! GREAT JOB!" Their faces light up!

The fitness group brought so much into my life. I got active. I made new friends. I found a purpose. I get to help others. I found my own successes.

I have worked hard in my life to get to where I am. I am not going to stop. When I stop playing an active role in my life, then that is when I will be giving up on myself again. I know I am worth more than that. I won't give up on myself. I will keep working and continue to fight for what I want and what I believe in as long as I have the ability to do so. I will not give up me and watch my life pass me by again. I fought hard to get here and I like where "here" is.

With all of these changes in my life, with this new found pride and self confidence, I am happy. I have a sense of happiness and confidence and peace within me that I never had. It isn't about outside influences. It isn't because something wonderful happened TO me. It is something that is now within me. I am happy with me, with who I am and with my life.

I don't need others to make me happy. I don't need outside things to happen or to come to me for me to find that happiness. I have it within me now. A few weeks ago when my group with the life coach had our last group, the facilitator (the actual life coach) told me that she sees the change in me. That I have a different energy around me. It is visible to others. My happiness within me, my peace and the joy I have, others see that!

Maybe that's why others think I am inspirational. I have an excitement about me for life and for experiences I didn't have before. I have a energy and zest with this enthusiastic excitement that I didn't have before. I bring others in with that excitement. It is contagious. And then people start to believe in themselves more and are able to try new experiences for themselves.

I really love where I am right now. I'm looking forward to where I am going. I have more hard work ahead of me, but I am up for the challenges and I know I can succeed at anything I put my mind to.

I hope everyone finds what they are looking for, their own strength, their own happiness, their own motivations. This is a great place to be and I wish it for everyone.

Happy 2011!