It is that time of year again! Time for people to make lists of goals that they may, or may not, keep throughout the upcoming New Year. This year, I do truly feel like it is going to be a different one for me; a better one! And as I follow the long standing tradition of writing out New Year’s resolutions, I have a gut feeling that this will be the year I follow through on them. So, without further ado, and not in any particular order, my 2014 New Year’s resolutions:
- Be Active: The #1 resolution for most people at the start of a New Year. Everyone decides, especially after their holiday feasts, that it is time to bust that bulge! I can’t say this is a goal for me for the same reasons since I didn't gain much (I say much because I would be lying if I said none) weight over the holidays however, I have noticed that, although my diet isn't so bad, I am not really being active to help facilitate the weight loss! Not to mention, I do know how much more energy I gain when I am out there being active and I tend to feel better about myself when I do exercise. So, since my husband’s employer pays for a percentage of a gym membership we decided to join a gym and get our asses in gear. I have friends and family members who go to the same facility and I feel that will help motivate me just a little bit more. The crazy thing is I have never been this excited to start getting active. We signed up on Saturday and if it wasn’t for this cold creeping up on me, I would have gone to workout already! For that reason alone, I think this resolution will stick for 2014 (at least for a while hehe.)
- Focus on a Plant-Based Diet: Although this is something I have already been doing for the past few months, I have definitely waivered from it for one reason or another, here and there. Part of my choice to “waiver” has just been based on the memory of how “good” something tasted when it was a part of my diet (ex: steak, cheese) but when I actually consumed those products based on the “craving”, I not only felt a little guilty, but my stomach let me know it was a bad idea! And once the flavors hit my taste buds, I did not get the satisfaction I was hoping for. Because of this, I know my choice to follow a plant-based diet is the best one for me. If you notice, I am saying “plant-based” and not “vegan”. Originally the resolution was going to be “To Follow a 100% Vegan Diet” but, honey is just not something I think is worth giving up. I definitely understand the vegan point of view on honey however; the benefits of local, unprocessed honey outweigh those negativities. Best example would be that my husband suffers from horrible allergies. He becomes a pill-popper every spring and not only is that not the healthiest but it costs a lot of money! After some advice and research, he started consuming 1 TBSP of local, raw honey each day through the allergy season and like magic, his allergies were gone. This was 2 years ago and it has been working ever since! I would much rather spend the money at the farmers market for a product like this than put in any more money than I have to into the pharmaceutical industry! Therefore, I cannot label myself “vegan” (and who needs a label anyways) because honey, for us, has great advantages (and tastes great!)
- Cut Out Processed Foods: This resolution could be tied into the one above but I wanted to make it a separate goal. When I was focused on a vegan diet, I started to notice how processed a lot of the “vegan” substitutes could be! To be honest, I felt I might as well eat a piece of cheese than the 13+ ingredient vegan alternative. And with some added inspiration from a blog (and Facebook page) I follow, 100 days of real food, I have realized that you cannot always trust those added preservatives in your bagel, or granola bar. So why not cut those out or try and make homemade versions where you can trust what ingredients were really being used. No "monocraposulfate" in this kitchen! As I was typing this blog entry, I had a loaf on homemade bread in the oven; my first attempt at making replacements for store bought, over processed foods. It was such a simple recipe and turned out amazing. The best part? It took only 4 ingredients to make the bread! The average bread I have bought has at least 7 ingredients and 1-2 of those are things I may not be able to pronounce. The advice given to try and lessen your processed food intake is try and make as much stuff at home as you can and if you do need (or want) to buy packaged food try and stay with items with 5 ingredients or less. In our society, this may be a challenge but, I am ready to face it head on!!
- Positive Thinking: Over the entire year (2013) there has been a lot of negativity surrounding me (some I created) and within the last week I finally realized I need to take a stand against it all! There are so many details behind this resolution and trying to find a way to tactfully explain it seems quite difficult. So, I will say this, the experiences I have been through have only made me stronger and although I learned from them all, I will not let them repeat. Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me! I have so many positive opportunities coming my way this year with school, my marriage, and rebuilding of other relationships, that I have no plans to be brought down by any petty drama (and this may be my toughest resolution yet!!!)
Well, there you have it. I am very hopeful for what 2014 has to offer and I wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!!!!!
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