My 2018 Goals

New Years Goals

As 2017 came to a close, I took time to reflect on 2017 and look forward to 2018. Now that we are a family of three, my priorities have evolved. Based on these changing priorities, I have decided to put goals in place for 2018 instead of resolutions.  Instead of choosing resolutions that are hard to maintain or achieve, which inevitably that will stress me out, I’ve tried to review the areas of my life and put small, achievable, realistic goals in place. Since it is hard to stay accountable, especially over 52 weeks, I hope to check in on a monthly basis.

1) Disconnect more. While I plan to continue my blog and social media presence, I want to ensure that I take time to energize myself and allow enough time to engage with friends and family. I did a great job disconnecting during a few weekends and then over the holidays but I want to make a more conscious effort moving forward. I have seen a few cartoons recently which put into perspective how children can perceive their parent’s attachment to the iPhone and I want to ensure that I am fully engaged when I’m with Katie. Other than capturing the occasional picture or video, I want to do a better job focusing 100% of my attention on her versus multi-tasking.  However, this engagement is important not only with my daughter but also to ensure I’m showing my friends, family, and co-workers the respect they deserve as well. There is no reason my phone can’t be put away when I’m interacting with actual PEOPLE face to face as that should always take priority. 

2) Train and run a 5k, 10k and a half marathon. I’m not trying to PR these races but I love running and would like to get back to running at 2-3 days per week as well as running with friends and local moms. My weekly goal is to run with the local Brooklyn moms each Thursday morning when I’m not traveling. In addition to those 3-4 miles, I hope to log a longer run one day per week. As Katie gets older, I may consider a jogging stroller, but for now, my goal would be to run either in the morning before she wakes up or at a time when Bo can watch her during the weekend. As I find this balance, I think it’s smart to focus on shorter distances as I become tempted by Spring races. Once I can train and run a 5k or 4-mile race, then I can look towards longer distances. The first race I’m contemplating is the NYRR Al Gordon 4-miler as it is in Prospect Park, just a few minutes away from our apartment and allows for almost 2 months of training! 

3) Survive a 90-minute FLY class or do a double. Now that Bo and I invested in our health and gave ourselves the gift of a FlyAnywhere Flywheel bike for Christmas, this will be a frequent workout choice. In order to ensure I’m challenging myself, I want to make it a goal to graduate from 30 and 45-minute classes to 60, 75 and finally a 90- minute class. My goal is to carve out time for a 60-minute class at the end of January! And yes, since so many people continue to ask, Bo and I will share more about our experience with our FlyAnywhere bike in a dedicated post later this month.

4) Continue reading each night before bed. I did a great job putting my phone and computer away for thirty minutes during December and spending the time reading. In fact, my evening ritual was to sip decaffeinated tea, apply relaxing hand lotion, a face mask, light a candle, and curl up with a book for 30 minutes. This relaxing ritual did wonders for me mentally during this chaotic period and is something I want to continue in the new year. This change helps me sleep better and feel more productive since I was able to read 3.5 books last month. I just finished the Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo and am still reading Katharine Graham’s Personal Historybut I would love to hear your recommendations as I continue to carve out this “me time” each day. 

5) Practice yoga once per month. This sounds crazy but I really miss yoga and know that weekly practice may not be realistic at this time, BUT I can definitely make time for it at least once per month, especially if I can combine it with girlfriend time.  Once upon a time, I practiced yoga 1-2 times per week and loved the way it made me feel mentally and physically. Since there are FIFTEEN yoga studios within a mile of our apartment, I hope to take at least once class per month and will prioritize heated classes at studios like Tangerine, Heatwise and Brooklyn Yoga Project since this is the style I like most. 

6) Blog at least two times per week and share updates via Instagram at least five times per week including more Instagram stories/videos. Even though the blogging world has evolved since I first launched this blog in 2010, I love sharing my life with you all and have no plans to move to an Instagram only platform. Even though I’ve admittedly had a tough time finding my rhythm since returning to work, I believe that this was to be expected and is something that many of you understand as you face similar challenges in your own lives. Based on comments and traffic, you all have the most interest in my Friday Favorites, Katie Updates, Coffee Dates and Training Plans/Workout updates. I will do my best to prioritize these topics as I carve out time each week to blog.  

7) Invest in my relationship with Bo and do our best to enjoy one date per month, whether it is a date night or day date.  Originally, we were going to enjoy a 24-hour vacation in Charleston over the holidays while our parents watched Katie. But, since Katie and I were both sick over the holidays, we canceled this trip. So far we have had two date nights – one in November at a local restaurant and one in December for his company holiday party. Since we have two different babysitters we know and trust, I’d like to make a January date a priority to schedule for a Saturday later this month. Since there are so many amazing movies out right now, maybe we will change things up a do a casual dinner followed by a movie. 

Your turn – What are your resolutions or goals for 2018?

Photo credit Anna Rachel Photography

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Resolutions for a Great Year

I love the beginning of January!  It’s the beginning of a fresh new year with promises of wonderful things and the opportunity to shape the year you want. 

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This year, while Bo nor I have many formal resolutions, we are both focusing on us. My resolution, or intention, is to strive to be the best possible version of myself, whether as a wife, daughter, co-worker, friend blogger or athlete.  It is easy to try and do many things during the course of a year only to look back and find that I focused on too many things. This year, I have come up with a few easy ways to improve each area of the roles I hold on a daily basis.

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Wife: There is going to be a lot of change in 2015, just like there has been in each of our five years of marriage. Now more than ever, we need to stay connect, talking with each other each day over a glass of wine or in the kitchen cooking. When life gets busy, stressful and chaotic it’s easy to lose ourselves in the routine but we’ve learned a lot over the past month when we took time to pause and reconnect each day.

Daughter & Friend: Towards the end of the year I started picking up the phone more often, as part of the changes we made for a happier life. This made all the difference when we saw friends and family this holiday season. Instead of feeling disconnected, we were able to give huge hugs and then fall into comfortable, normal conversations since we were caught up on everyone’s life happenings during our regular phone calls and FaceTime conversations. In addition, my mom had the wonderful idea to start a mother daughter book club. Our goal is read a book a month, beginning with Pride & Prejudice.

Co-Worker: There are many days at work that are wonderful but it is during the more stressful moments when I believe I have the opportunity to lead by example. My goal is to remain calm under stress and motivate those around me with a positive, supportive attitude versus the natural tenancy to stress.

Blogger: After five years, I continue to gain a great deal from each of you who read and support the blog. The blog introduced me to a number of close friends in New York City, London and Geneva. In addition, the motivation and inspiration I gain from reading other blogs is endless. This year, I want to continue giving back to you all by sharing more posts that you request – European travel, tips for working out and staying healthy during travel, and more recipes.

Athlete: I haven’t finalized my goals for this area but I do know I’d love to train and run a sub 1:55 half marathon. It took me years to break sub 2 so I know it won’t be easy but it will be a great thing to focus on during the winter months! In order to help with this, I am going to use the Run Less, Run Faster method again and track every workout in DailyMile so I can keep myself more accountable and review the progress I make during the year.

Your turn: What are your goals or resolutions for 2015?

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Feliz Año Nuevo!

001Feliz Año Nuevo para Cozumel!

Things down in Cozumel have gone better than we could have ever expected even though we’ve had a couple of hiccups with our resort. I’ll check in with a full report tomorrow including a resort review and another restaurant review.

But for now, I wanted to reflect on my 2011 resolutions and my goals for 2012.

2011 Resolution

-Blog once a day: CHECK! Though I missed a few days last year, I still posted more than 370 times which averages out to more than once per day!

2012 Goals

– Cook a homemade dinner for Bo and I at least one work day a week

– Become a certified scuba diver

– Complete a 2:10 half marathon

– Complete a 4:59 marathon

– Grow blog readership by 20% versus 2011 readership statistics

I hope each of you had a wonderful and blessed New Years with your friends and family!

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