What's a new year without resolutions you don't keep?

January. The beginning of a new year. New hopes, new promises, and the age old, new resolutions. Although, my resolutions are anything but new…

1. Lose 20 lbs. And what goes hand in hand with losing weight? Maximizing gym utilization. Last year I was at 38% utilization, or 138 times. This year, I was at 40% or 147 times. I had set the goal for 42% or 152, so I missed it by 5 gym times. Pretty close, and I’m not upset with that at all. This year I want to strive for an average of 3 times per week, or 156 times. That’s nine times more than this past year, and I am sure I can do it! Already this year, I’ve worked out 5 times, and plan to go to the gym at lunch. I’ll already by at 120%! I feel great, and just know that this is the year I will finally lose that 20 lbs. Not gain 10 lbs like I did this year! Yikes! I’m also starting training for the 10K in March.

2. No alcohol consumption for 2 weeks. Originally, I wanted to say all of January, but thought it seemed too daunting, so I scaled back until January 15. If that all goes well, I’ll aim for the rest of the month. Little steps, right? This goal is directly related to my weight loss goal, as I am convinced I could drop the weight very rapidly if I did not drink. I cannot drink in moderation. Blake Shelton best summed it up with “Cause the more I drink, the more I drink. Yeah, I’m the world’s greatest lover and a dancin’ machine. I get loud, I get proud....and it gets worse. Well if I have one, I’ll have thirteen. Naw, there ain’t no in-between. Cause, the more I drink, the more I drink.” Yes, that is me to a tee! So, how does this fit in with weight loss? Well, if we’re talking an extra 1,000 calories every time I drink, for an average drinking of three or four times a week, that’s a lot of extra calories, that all the good days in between can’t make up. Plus, let’s not forget the late night pizza that goes hand in hand with lots of alcohol (yes, sometimes I still feel like I’m in college). So, we’ll give it a shot and see where we go.

3. Get finances in order. This will get kicked off with a strict “no-buy” policy in January. Cat is doing this one as well. We are both not going to buy any material items for all of January. Food, basic necessities, and entertainment are allowed, just no frivolous purchases. The reason entertainment is allowed is we’re trying to be reasonable, we can still go out and live a normal life, just without new clothes, shoes, or purses. But I should save a lot more with my no alcohol working hand in hand. See how all my resolutions tie in together?

4. Meet serious boyfriend potential. No more of the foolishness that’s been going on in my life these past few years. No more dating guys that are going to leave in a few months. No more hooligans. Basically, unless the guy is someone worth dating (i.e. good person, nice, has a good and “real” job, mature, treats me well, isn’t an alcoholic, isn’t hitting on every girl in a five feet radius) then I will not even go out on one date with him. Although after typing that, I have a feeling I may have a dateless 2009! And to help with this, I will either go back on eHarmony, or try professional match maker. Not sure about professional match maker, but will give it a try. And this time, I’ll take eHarmony more serious, and not log off after one month and one date, when I paid for three months! You know, I’m almost 29, there is no shame in going on eHarmony, right?

Why am I feeling deja vu from this post? Probably because not only have I resolved each of these every year for the past 7 years, but say them about 20 times per year. On a random July afternoon "Ok! Time to get serious! Time to work out, and not date jokesters anymore!" Then, what happens two days later? Bingefest at happy hour and giving my number out all over town. But this time, there's something in the air. I'm feeling a seriousness about it all this year. 29 is my year! I just cannot turn 30 with my life in this disarray!

xoxo, in 2009 resolutions are mine!
Maxi