February Reflections

Happy Monday!

Once again, I’m checking in with you guys to provide an update on the goals I made for myself at the beginning ofthe year. Unlike January, which dragged on FOREVER, February flew by due to a shorter month, family visits and lots of business travel.  Thanks to these goals though, I was able to finish the month feeling pretty good, though as always, there was room for improvement.

In order to help keep myself accountable of the goals I made for the year, I want to take time to REFLECT at the close of each month. Historically, I’ve had a hard time keeping track of goals or resolutions because often I would chose them at the beginning of the year, share them and then rarely think about them again. In fact, the only times I’ve found success working towards goals is when I carve out time to reflect.  Here, my friends, is where I stand so far.

1) Disconnect more –  My life has changed so much over the past few years. I used to spend at least an hour each evening and a few hours each weekend dedicating time to blogging and working on social media. These days, due to the demands of my job and role as a mom, I’m finding that I can barely motivate myself to get on social media for even 15 minutes a day to engage and catch up, much less write a blog post. So instead of focusing on how much time I’m spending online, I’m trying to spend the “right” time which means not multi-tasking while with friends or family and instead dedicating time when I can and make the most of it by engaging with my favorite fellow bloggers, on my favorite platform (Instagram) and cracking away at requested blog posts. I really enjoy sharing daily updates via Instastories and find that this is also my preferred way of connecting with other bloggers as I enjoy seeing a glimpse into their days.

2) Run a 5k, 10k & half – I ran and loved every moment of the NYRR Al Gordon Brooklyn 4 mile race and have already signed up for two more – NYRR Queens 10k and the NYCRuns Prospect Park 5k.  The NYRR Queens 10k in June is part of Zoe’s bachelorette festivities and will therefore be a fun run enjoyed with friends and multiple photo stops. On the other hand, my initial thinking for the Prospect Park 5k is to see what my body can do at that point and run as fast as possible. I’m hoping that one of my running friends will join for the race and brunch date afterwards! 

3)Survive a 90 min or double Flywheel Sports class on our Flywheel Fly Anywhere bike –  While work schedules, frigid weather, Katie’s cold and travel made it tough to stick with a regular workout routine, I was still able to squeeze in 8 spin classes last month including 1 45-minute, 6 30-minute and 2 20-minute classes. My goal this month is to do at least 60-minute classes as I know that longer class will require both mental and physical strength while also helping me increase my cardiovascular stamina! 

4) Continue reading each night –   I kept up with this goal by reading magazines and books before bed each night. I read Runner’s World and HEALTH magazine on a monthly basis in addition to the books I track on Goodreads. Last month I read Little Fires Everywhere which I LOVED, The Light We Lost which I sped through in one weekend and then started Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine. What magazines do you read on a regular basis? 

5) Practice yoga once a month – Wow this one was a HUGE fail last month as I didn’t take a single yoga class. By the end of the month I could feel the pressure and tightness in my body and was craving yoga in a big way. Based on how my body felt, I’ve already taken two yoga classes during the first 2 weeks of March! 

6) Blog two times a week – This has been harder than expected and I only blogged five times during February and am frustrated that I left six drafts unfinished.  I have so many topics on my iPhone list AND I get constant requests from you all, that my lack of posting isn’t due to a lack of inspiration or ideas. While I finally shared Katie’s favorite foods and our journey into solid foods, I continue to have anxiety when pushing POST on family posts. There is so much mom shaming that takes place on the internet that part of me wants to abandon sharing our life as a family and focus on running and health & wellness. But, that wouldn’t be a true reflection of my life now, so instead, I’m going to try and focus my energy into blog posts versus wasting it on anxiety over strangers’ opinions. My goal for March is to share Katie’s 9-month update and share a glimpse into our morning and evening routine, as inspired by Julia’s post. 

7) Invest in my relationship with Bo – We enjoyed our monthly date night with dinner at Claro, a new Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn thanks to our amazing babysitter & friend Heather. In addition, we made a conscious effort to have dinner at the dining room table more often and spend our dinner time talking about our days and catching up versus rushing through dinner or watching television while we eat. 

This month, my goals are primarily focused on quality engagement on the blog and social media and prioritizing yoga and strength/HIIT training since these are workouts that don’t seem to happen as often as spinning and running.