So tomorrow is the end of January which means I'm one month into my New Years resolutions. I thought it might be good to do a self-assessment to see where I'm at.
1. Lose weight
Surprisingly, I'm doing okay here! I've definitely slimmed down this month through cutting out alcohol, sugar, eating primarily from the veg box and getting back into running. I will say that the veg box eating is really satisfying from both epicurean and achievement aspects. I mean, I definitely feel good because my nutrition is better but also it is bloody hard to figure out what kind of tasty treats one can whip up from a load of cabbage, carrots, onions, leeks, and kale... sometimes with a random squash thrown in for good measure. The Irishman and I have definitely expanded our cooking repertoire and I think we are both pleased about the results. Let me say that kale chips are by far one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. Please try them out for yourself!
So yes, I've lost about 9lbs this month and I've hit my wall. It's going to be really hard to get the rest of the weight off - I'm going to have to work harder at running as I'm only really managing to get 2-3 runs in a week at this point and I still haven't gotten myself to a yoga class. So February will be about fulfilling the rest of my goals from a health point of view. Also, I've reintroduced alcohol and meat... so I'm going to have to work hard to also make sure I don't go backwards now that I'm allowed to go out and have some wine.
2. Be better with money
Argh, this one, not so good. I was doing pretty well for most of the month and then I had my friend here for a week and I found myself in the sales. Yikes! I didn't get much, but I did buy things on sale that I didn't ever intend to like new cushions for the sofa, a book on typography, a Breton top that I'd wanted forever... and then spent a tad bit more than I thought I would on some things I knew I had to get like some saucy lingerie for my friend's bridal shower. Sigh. So February means a renewed discipline and commitment to frugal living.
3. Be more creative
So yay, I went to screenprinting classes! I am keeping my sketchbook up to date. I battened down the hatches and wrote my last submission to my parent company's Under 30 Essay competition, despite hating the prompt and being frustrated at not having received feedback on my last 2 submissions. I think I'm off to a good start, but I do think that this one will also be difficult to maintain; as ever, I have a philosophical internal struggle on the purpose of art for me - am I an artist? what role does it play in my life? what purpose does my artistic output serve? I think that maybe this year will be a bit of trying to understand how to reconcile this argument.
How are your resolutions going? Or should I not ask? Keep the faith, guys!
Awesome achievements! It's hard to take on all resolutions at once, especially when they are life-resolutions. I have to say that I'm doing okay on mine. I didn't put quantifiable measures on most of my resolutions... which is probably a cheap way to never reach my goals without feeling bad about it!
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