March 2016 Goals

How is it already MARCH? In less than 80 days, I will be graduated from college and married!

For the last two months I have been setting small goals and updating the blog with those new goals and my progress to keep myself accountable. So, since it is the beginning of another month, it is time for new goals!

February Goals Update:

Out of the 29 days in February, I did yoga or some other form of exercise 16 days. I'd say those are pretty good stats considering I had a few months of zero exercise days! I can tell a huge difference in the way my body feels just from a few weeks of activity.  I ache less, I have more energy, and I feel stronger.

As far as drinking more water goes, I think I said I would try to drink 50-70 ounces a day... for the month I averaged about 35-40 ounces per day. Unfortunately, I did not do a very good job sticking to this goal so I'm carrying it over into the new month.

March Goals:

1. Eat less sugar. Sugar doesn't fuel your body, it can cause blood sugar fluctuation, skin break outs, headaches, digestive issues, etc. I want to focus on eating foods with more nutritious value that will provide me with steady energy.

I think I mentioned in my last goal update that I really enjoy recipes from Mind Over Munch. Almost, all of their recipes and nutrition advice focuses on eating whole, natural, unprocessed ingredients, so I plan on continuing to use Mind Over Munch for meal inspirations.

2. Clean out my closet. I have SO many clothes. This month, I want to take out all the winter clothes I have not worn in the past few months and get rid of them. I want to simplify and declutter my wardrobe.

What are you goals for the next month?

The Little Things

Happy Sunday Friends! As you go through this week, I encourage you to take time to appreciate the little things in your daily life.

You know, those little things that happen through out a normal day that may seem insignificant, but are actually the very things that make life great. I have made an effort to do this the last few weeks and it makes the routine of going to school all day and doing homework all night a little less miserable.

I thought I would share some of the 'little things' in my life that make me thankful to be alive...things that make life fun and can turn a crappy day into a great day.

• Coming home from a long day, to a puppy that is UNCONTROLLABLY excited to see me. 

• Getting a hand written letter in the mail from my grandma. (My nana started sending me letters when I moved away for college four years ago and I have saved every one of them)
• Cooking dinner with my Fiance. 
• Peeling a cutie and keeping the peel in one piece.
• Finding princess parking when I'm running late.

These are just a few of my little things from the last week.

What were some of yours?

February 2016 Goals

You may have seen my post at the beginning of January about setting new goals each month rather than setting a single large goal for the new year. (you can read it here)
Though out the month of January, I found that setting a couple simple goals and more importantly, writing them out, made it much easier to stick to them.

Update on January's Goals...

In January, one of my goals was to read more for pleasure. I have been reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler and it is EXCELLENT! I love the way she writes and the content of the book is great. It's insightful and hilarious at the same time! I would recommend it to everyone! I also wanted try new recipes and I have really been enjoying it. I love to eat and searching for new, healthy recipes each week has been a lot of fun. This has also helped me accomplish my goal of eating more veggies. A few of my favorite places to find new recipes are Pinterest (of course), Yummly, and YouTube (specificity, The Domestic Geek and Mind Over Munch).

New Goals...

During the month of February, I plan to continue working on January's goals as well as adding in a few new ones.

1. Exercise More! This is my main goal this month. As you may know, I have scoliosis and have had correctional surgery. This has resulted in some chronic pain and I KNOW that being in better shape helps me to have less pain. I have done Yoga with Adriene yoga routines in the past and loved them, I just need to start doing them again. In addition to feeling better, I'M GETTING MARRIED and I want to feel and look my best on my wedding day.

2. Drink More Water! The amount of water you drink effects your energy level, digestive health, skin, and so much more! Various water intake calculators suggest that for my body size and activity levels, I should drink anywhere from 55 ounces to 70 ounces of water per day.

I hope that each of you have a great month and good luck if you are setting new goals!

A New Year

Now that we are nearly two weeks into 2016, I thought it was time for me to share some of my thoughts. I'm not particularly fond of setting 'new year resolutions'. There is something about setting year long goals that is really intimidating to me. So, I thought that this year I might try setting new goals for each month (I guess that's kind of a resolution isn't it?) I also had the idea that if I put each month's goals in writing and on the internet for others to see, I might be more successful in sticking to them.

So, here are my goals for January 2016!

1. Read more for pleasure. I used to love reading but the busier college gets, the less outside of school reading I do. After spending hours reading and doing homework for school, all I want to do is watch Netflix. But, I think reading would probably be a better way to spend my free time.

2. Eat more vegetables. (and not just green beans) You know, more of those real, delicious, healthy, interesting vegetables.

3. Try new recipes. Brandon and I cook 5-6 nights a week but we have gotten in the habit of just rotating through several meals that are easy. I want to be more adventurous in my cooking!

4. Blog more. This kind of goes along with reading more; I need to spend my free time doing something besides watching Netflix.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT 2016...

This is going to be a HUGE year! Brandon and I are both graduating from college with bachelor of science degrees in biology. We are GETTING MARRIED!!! We are hopefully starting graduate school and possibly moving to a new city.

I am so excited...and nervous...for the year ahead and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!

I hope your new year is off to a great start!