My 2021 New Years

It's 2021 now! Time for new goals and resolutions! New year, new me, after all! 😂 😂 😂 

Here are some of mine:

More water (64 oz) - We all know it's important to drink enough water. My goal is to begin to consistently drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. I want to cut out diet soda, flavored sparkling water, etc. and drink pure water with only fruit added in and tea. Part of this, for me, is also lessening my consumption of alcohol and coffee and replacing them with water and tea.

More protein (100g) - I've always known and heard about how important protein is, and yet I never really tracked it. I assumed that since I eat meat, generally some at most meals, that I got enough protein. Once I started lifting weights again, I started tracking my protein (macros) and realized that I wasn't getting enough. If you want to build muscle, you have to eat enough protein. Period. I even read that you can lose fat and keep or even build muscle, but only if you consume enough protein.

Strength training 3-4x/week - This has been a goal of mine for a while, but I really want to build strength and muscles this year. I'm not super weak, but I can definitely get stronger. I also want to burn off some extra fat I've accumulated, and muscle burns fat like crazy.

Fun, functional activities (yoga, aerial/acro, parkour gymnastics, handstands, splits, pull up, roller blading, basketball, team sports, rock climbing, hula hooping...) - This one is purely for the kid in me. I want to do more fun activities that I love, those things that make me feel truly happy! The things that thrill me, even scare me a little. For me those things are roller blading, rock climbing, doing handstands and headstands, playing basketball, etc. I want to get more flexible and be able to do the splits. I want to get strong enough to do a pull-up and push-ups.

Lose fat - I hate to admit it, but I put on a ton of weight last year. I started off the year so great, too! I was at my lowest weight since having JK. I was walking regularly. I was doing some yoga and a little bit of strength/work out videos. But between the stress buying/eating of quarantine and buying and moving into a new house, I put on a ton toward the middle to end of the year.

Gain muscle - I think that, looking back on it, when I lost weight about a year ago, I did it the wrong way. I think I wasn't eating enough and I was walking (cardio,) but I wasn't consuming enough protein and I wasn't gaining any muscle. In fact, I'm sure I lost some muscle. Also, I was reeling from a breakup that needed to happen, but still hurt. This time around, I'm less focused on the number on the scale, and more interested in how my body looks and feels, and most importantly, what it can do.

Simplify and minimize - I mentioned that we moved into a new house this year. It was a bit of a downsize. I've been on a journey to minimize the amount of things I own for a few years now, but moving into a small house has really ramped that drive up for me. I definitely plan to tackle the clutter this year and make my new house look and feel comfortable, presentable, and happy.

Getting JK a better sleep routine - This past year, we've gotten into a really bad sleep habit. JK is the type who does not fall asleep, pretty much ever. Every once in a while, she'll pass out in the car after a big day, but or the most part, she can stay up as late, or even later than I can. I need to get her to bed early so she can get all the sleep she needs (and so I can too!)

Getting outside, even when the weather stinks! - I read a really great book a few years ago called 

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge) It is a great book and I highly recommend it. The thing I took most from it is that it's important to get kids out, even when the weather sucks. Bundle them up and get out! Of course, this can be easier said than done, especially if you're a single mom to an only child. There's laundry and dishes to do, food to be cooked, cleaning and work to be done, but those things can wait. Getting out there ensures that you and your little ones will get some fresh air, exercise and possibly even a little sunshine (even if the sun is behind the clouds, you'll benefit.)

Post more (and be more positive) on social media - This past year has been full of hard things. The protests that have rocked our country, the nasty political scene, and it's not looking like it's going away yet. But I want to be a ray of sunshine for my friends and family who follow me on social media. I have a tendency to disappear when things aren't going great, or post a lot of political things. While I will still post some political things and I will never back down from sharing my feelings, I want to make sure to balance it out with some positive messages and pictures.

Blog more, and more regularly - In a similar vein, I want to blog more regularly. Once a week should do it.

Money - I want to be smarter with my money. Last year I grew a lot in this respect. I set myself a budget and began following it for the first time ever. I got out of the debt that I'd gotten myself into. Now I want to begin contributing the maximum amount I can to retirement. I'm starting late, with very little in my retirement fund, so I want to really start contributing a lot so I can have enough money when I retire. 

Open savings account, save $5k - Before I start to put in the maximum I can contribute to retirement, though, I need to have an emergency fund in place. Otherwise, I'll just got back into debt the next time I need a large amount of money for something. Hence, the emergency fund. I'm starting off with 5k, which should cover most major expenses if anything should happen. Then, I'll begin to grow it from there.

What are your New Year's resolutions? Are you sticking to them? Let me know!