I can't believe it's 2013. Where did 2012 go? I guess it's true what they say, "Time speeds up the older you get."
For me the new year always includes a glass or two of bubbly, so even though Rod was sick and it was a quiet evening, I treated myself to a couple glasses of my favorite Prosecco and pondered where I'd like to go in the year ahead.
I gave up making resolutions when I realized that they never really helped me move forward in any meaningful way. So for the past few years I've played with choosing a word to represent my focus for the year. Past words have included: abundance, indulgence, focus, kindness, and connection.
For 2013 I've chosen a phrase to guide me: "Fun at fifty" since it's a milestone year for me. (I'm prone to taking life and myself way too seriously so this year I'll focus on lightening up and having more fun.)
I think it's kind of cool that Weight Watchers and I were both born in 1963 and will be celebrating turning 50 this year.
One thing that I'm grateful for is what I won't be obsessing about this January: losing weight. I'm finally free of what I always used to be thinking at this time of year: "I feel disgusting and need to lose weight fast."
Many Januarys I committed to losing weight and getting in shape. Of course, my severe deprivation diets and exercise regimens never lasted long and I was back to gorging myself on pizza and diet coke in no time.
It feels so incredible to be going into the year below goal. Of course, this didn't happen overnight. It's taken years of building healthy habits and paying more attention to what and how I eat.
But the effort was definitely worth it. I think everything began to shift when I decided to be kinder to myself and to stop beating myself up. It's amazing how slimming self-acceptance and kindness can be and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for having made it to this point in my journey. (Thank You, God.)
So, here's what I'm going to work to leave behind in 2012:
- Self-doubt
- Fear
- Apathy
- Confusion
- Pain
- Excess
- Lack
And here's want I am going to pursue in 2013:
- Abundance
- Simplicity
- Appreciation
- Praise
- Elegance
- Fun
- Connection
- Contentment
- Enough
- Enthusiasm
- Clarity
- Health
- Love
- Joy
- Balance
- Flexibility
- Vitality
- Ease
- Confidence
- Determination
- Success
I'm also going to focus on:
- Eating more fruits and vegetables.
- Eating foods that have existed for at least as long as I have. (I think this sounds like a fun way to eat fewer processed foods but all I can say is," Thank goodness Triscuits have been around since 1903!")
- Cooking more from old cookbooks including old Weight Watchers and Betty Crocker volumes. Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm feeling really nostalgic so I'm going to embrace it and see where it leads.
- Shrinking my portions down to 1960s levels. I believe the super-sizing of America is at the root of so many of our weight loss struggles. By taking a look back, I've come to understand that people weighed less 40 or 50 years ago because they ate less! (Could it be that simple?)
- Reading and doing more book reviews.
- Giving more praise and showing more appreciation for those around me.
- Finding more fun ways to be active.
- Working to build a small MK business. This feels a little insane, but exciting at the same time. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. I've tried many direct sales companies through the years including Beauticontrol, Usana, Suzanne Somers, and Pampered Chef and I've never been able to make it work for me. And yet, I'm so drawn to the concept of direct selling. It makes so much sense as a business model. So, because I love love love how my skin is feeling, I'm going to give it another try. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
- Helping as many women as I can look better and feel better by being the best yoga instructor, Weight Watchers leader, independent beauty consultant, writer and blogger I can be.
What are you planning for 2013? Have you set goals and/or made resolutions? If so, I'd love to hear what you've got in mind.
As the current Weight Watchers campaign says, "Expect Amazing!"
Photo Credit: SimplyTop10.com
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Alyssa (Everyday Maven)
Happy New Year! Sounds like you are off to a great start with big plans - I'll be rooting for you 🙂
Martha
Thanks, Alyssa! Happy New Year to you too 🙂