We didn’t have a wild & crazy New Year’s Eve.. it was very low key which is what we wanted after a short but busy work week.

Don’t I look sleepy??

I can’t believe I got this New Year’s eve kiss picture with Cooper. I honestly don’t think I have a picture with me kissing Cooper and he’s 2 and 1/2 yrs old. If I do have one, this is way better. He actually cooperated for the picture.

I was pretty excited about this.

SO….I’m sure like everyone else you are thinking about making BIG changes this month or maybe this year.

It is only natural to think that way. I have decided to take it day by day. I am going to focus on eating healthy and being happy.

I will leave you with this picture.

 This was too funny not to share with you!!

Happy New Years!

What did you do for New Year’s Eve?

Any good resolutions?

It isn’t the only time we should set short & long term goals for ourselves but for some reason it is the ultimate motivator for people to make BIG CHANGES for the NEW YEAR.

As a trainer, I always ask my clients what their resolutions and goals are. I like hearing their goals and I remind them to make goals that are small and attainable so they can set themselves up for success. For example: losing 4% of body fat in 2 months, or to be able to perform 10 consecutive full body pushups in 8 weeks.

The typical resolutions are:

I want to lose 10 pounds

and I am going to eat healthy the whole month of January.

While those are great, I think being more specific helps you to stick to your resolutions.

How to stick with your New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Choose a few small goals that you are willing to work at all year long.
2. BE SPECIFIC and detailed.
3. Write down your goals on paper, with a comment on how you will achieve your goal.
4. If your goal is related to weight loss or fitness, share it with friends and family members so you have a support system.
5. Post it on your fridge or bulletin board as a constant daily reminder.
6. Keep in mind, you can do anything you put your mind to!!

**Remember to choose goals that you are willing to work at day after day and not just give up after the first 2 weeks in January**

Here are a couple of my small New Years resolutions.

#1 I would like to be able to complete 5 consecutive pull-ups by the summer. My left shoulder is still weak so I am up for a strength challenge and I think this is perfect!! I am motivated and have already started to practice.

I will focus each week on increasing my weights with my back and upper body exercises.

#2 I would also like to work on laughing off the small things. Usually I am pretty good at that, but I can still work on it and I will keep it in the back of my mind when Ava squeezes her food pouches all over the rug and couches!

It’s time for you to think about your resolutions and share them with me!!

What is your new year’s resolution?

Do you think you can stick to it?

I am doing well with my resolutions! Miss Ava has been sleeping better for us and it couldn’t make me happier. I am enjoying her middle of the night feeding more. I have been keeping calm, relaxed and not focusing on the fact that I am up from 230-330am has helped make getting up at the wee hours part of my routine. I get very excited when she gives us a long stretch of sleep!

Ava’s getting more alert! and love’s the mobiles

My buddy Cooper keeps us company even through the WEE hours

My health resolution of eating healthy is going great. I am always conscious of what I eat, but since I am taking care of Ava and feeding her, my nutrition needs to be on point. We have been eating lots of salmon, avocado (healthy fats), along with tons of veggies, lean meats and as much fruit as I can handle. I have been pretty bummed because berries aren’t that cheap anymore. This means I have been eating the fruit that is on sale like clementines, bananas, apples and pineapple. I need to start using my frozen berries that I have stored in the fridge, I might just make a berry smoothie for you this week. Buying produce that is in season keeps the grocery bill lower and I try to do that. It keeps variety in my diet!

As far as my fitness resolution.. I will be easing back into exercise this week and I couldn’t be more pumped! As much as I have enjoyed resting and relaxing at home with Ava, I am CRAVING some exercise endorphins. Don’t you feel good after exercise? I need that energy boost and it starts with BOOT CAMP TONIGHT!! Woohoo, I can’t wait to see my class.

So now that it is almost 1 week into the New Year.. if you feel like you might have slipped up on your resolutions, don’t quit just yet.. try starting over. There’s nothing saying that January 1st is the only time you can start a new resolution or a new goal.

RESOLUTION TIPS:

**If you are dieting or changing eating habits, don’t use the words CHEAT DAY. Allow yourself the foods you want in moderation. No one likes to be told not to eat something, so don’t think of it as cheating if you eat something that you think is “BAD.” Take these sweet potato fries for example.. they are baked and not fried so are they bad just because it’s called french fries????? Make your bad foods healthier..

**If you are focusing on exercising more, or increasing strength why don’t you try a new workout. Keep your body guessing and don’t do the same routine over and over. That is why I love boot camp, the workouts constantly change.. I don’t get bored and I am using different muscles each class.

Tips for making your resolution stick! 

1. BE REALISTIC… choose attainable numbers for weight loss, think short & long term
2. MAKE A PLAN… how are you going to keep your resolution in 2 months from now?
3. TALK ABOUT YOUR RESOLUTIONS… tell someone about it or post it on your fridge
4. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS... keep a journal, measurements, or track weight on a calendar
5. REWARD YOURSELF… buy a new outfit, do not reward with food
6. KEEP ON GOING… If you hit your goal, change it up and keep moving forward 
   

FITNESS RESOLUTION I am feeling different this New Year’s since I have a newborn to share it with this year. My goals and resolutions are way different from last year.  Since I hit my pre-pregnancy weight, my Fitness resolution is to gain muscle and strength. I am currently feeling weak in the core and legs. To gain muscle and strength back I know I need time so it’s realistic to say I am going to ease back in with walking daily.  I will then add in 2 days of strength training for a few weeks. After 4 weeks I plan to add in full body training with core as a focus. SO my 1 month goal/resolution is to feel strong and have more lean muscle.

Here is one of my XMAS gifts from Santa.. T-25 If you haven’t heard of the trainer Shaun-T he is amazing and I love his body weight training approach. I am all about it.  My game plan is to use T-25 to help me gain back some of my lean muscle

HEALTH RESOLUTION I do have a health resolution. That is to eat more CLEAN foods. It is easy for me to sometimes grab a granola bar or protein bar on the go with my work schedule, so if  I plan on keeping my Sunday Food Prep days going I will be able to make more on the go snacks for myself and eat cleaner less processed snacks. I know it’s all about PREPARATION, so I need to tell Marc about this goal because I do need some help so we can both have food ready for the week.

HAPPINESS RESOLUTION Creating a resolution around happiness will make everything feel more enjoyable. I thought I would make a funny resolution for myself this year and one to make me laugh and hopefully make you smile. I have already started this resolution because I don’t need the ball to drop to get going on some positive changes. So here it is…….. LAUGH off diaper messes, SMILE for 2am feedings, & ENJOY fussy baby moments. So far it’s been fun to laugh at Ava’s diaper messes. It’s easy to get stressed and upset with the amount of laundry and clothing changes I have to do but it’s more fun to laugh at how the situation unfolds and how many diapers/wipes I waste trying to clean up the mess that I pretty much let happen. The 2-am feedings are not fun, let’s be serious. Buttt it’s fun to sing crazy lullaby’s that I don’t seem to know the words to! I don’t know how I forgot them, but hey Ava doesn’t know the difference yet so if it keeps her happy I’m good! Fussy baby moments… where nothing seems to keep her calm, I try to smile and enjoy all the random faces Ava makes and tell stories based on her expressions. (I tried this one yesterday with my mom and it made us laugh!) Ava’s faces can go from smiling to angry with eyebrows raised, to what are you looking at Grandma, to happy and calm..and repeat.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN! WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION?.. WHO WILL YOU TELL??