New year, new resolution?

So, it's that time of year again when people make up their resolutions. Many seem to revolve around weight loss, fitness, eating etc. And it's a great time to do that sort of thing. I'm a bit slow on the resolution thing this year. My motivation has been lacking and haven't really thought too much about it. Part of this stems from my stupid heel constantly hurting, but that's not a real excuse. So now I will think about it, because really, now is the time to work on personal development and improvement. So what do I want to change or resolve to do this year?

1. I know I have a couple races to concentrate on, including the big one, the Calgary Ironman 70.3. And really, most of my training will focus on preparing for that, while doing a few other triathlons and running races in the build up to it. I am excited for the Mother's Day Run. The money raised at that event buys specific equipment needed at the Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Calgary. So, that run, is challenging but also very personal since obviously we wouldn't have our son with us, had it not been for the doctors and nurses of the NICU!!

2. Aside from exercise, I am hoping to put in some serious effort decluttering our house. The biggest area to tackle is becoming kids toys. The amount we have seems to grow exponentially!! As well, if there's less clutter then perhaps cleaning won't be such a challenge!!

3. I am also hoping to only use my mug any time I go to Starbucks this year. I have a fantastic new mug (thanks Ryan and Kim), and hope that anytime I choose to get a Starbucks, that I bring it along, so that I'm not constantly adding to the landfill with papercups.

4. Paying down some debt. This past year was great, but the income was a little bit small since I was at home with the kids. So we managed to rack up some debt. Time to pay some of that off!!

5. Do something that scares me. Not exactly sure what that is. Maybe paragliding. Maybe open water swimming. Maybe taking a scuba course for the next time we are in a scuba diving area!! I'm not exactly sure what it might be, but something that makes me expand my mind and push my limits.

6. Make time for reading. I love to read but it always seems like everything else comes before reading. I barely get through an O Magazine before the next two issues have come out. And novels, I'm lucky if I read five in a year. I'm going back to work now though, and I know I will have some downtime, so hopefully the reading challenge will be an easy enough one to fit in!!

7. Work on journals for my boys. I have a beautiful one started for Sebastian, but aside from getting one for Sullivan, have put nothing in it. I want them to have a special book from their mom someday. With little bits of wisdom, songs to listen to, movies to watch, conversations to read through, fortunes etc, these books are an insight for them, into who their mom is, but they won't get much of an insight if I don't get working on them!!

8. Volunteer at some races. Every year we have been volunteering for the Calgary Marathon, but I would like to volunteer for at least one other race this year!! It's fun cheering on athletes while offering them water or gatorade or whatever!!

9. Complete a personal training course. I want to get some training so that I can properly help others. I have tons of experience with running, but now I need the credentials to back that up. So many people out there have dreams but are just lost on the steps to take to fulfill them. I want to help others take those steps and become the people they are striving to be.

10. watch less tv. I mean, I don't watch huge amounts of it, and I record the shows I want to watch, but I think it's time to cut out a few shows maybe and spend that time reading or playing with the boys!!

Wow, so I have a few ideas of things to improve upon. Good thing is, it's only the start of the year!! I have lots of time to work on them. Hopefully this inspires someone on the types of things they want to improve. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you are hoping to accomplish. Support from others goes a long way towards helping you achieve your goals, and I would certainly be a cheerleader rooting you on!!

Your own cheering section...

Sometimes finding motivation to get out there and exercise can be hard. You know you should, you know it's good for you, yet you just don't always feel like it. You've signed up for a race, but it just isn't in you to get out there and do it. The weather sucks, your kids are wanting your attention, there are dishes to do, and haven't you been meaning to paint the bathroom. There are more excuses than you can think of, so what do you do when you are just not feeling the oomph to get out there and do something.

Find your own cheering section. Once you have your goal, find someone else to go on the journey with you. In my case, I'm planning a year with a few triathlons in it. To date, I have only ever completed one triathlon. It was great, I loved it. I loved the variety of training it had to offer. Now though, I'm hoping to do a few more. But, I'd like to find some other people to do them too. I want to surround myself with others who have the goal of completing a triathlon. I want other people to be there cheering me on, while I cheer them on. I want to reach this goal with some friends. I want someone to chat with about the type of shorts I might wear in the water that also work for the bike and the run. I want to get another opinion from a big chested girl on whether or not it's worth it to have the sportsbra with me and if I should wear it in the water or put in on in transition. I want to be nervous about swimming in open water with someone else who is nervous about it too.

So, I'm looking for other people ready to face the challenge. There are a few people who have expressed an interest and I'm looking forward to learning with them. I'm excited to get to know them better as we train for similar goals. And if I'm surrounded by other people that also want to give this crazy triathlon stuff a try, then I should be more motivated to get moving myself. And, if not, then, at least I've got new year's resolutions to fall back on, and it's almost time to come up with a few of them for the year... but more on that in a couple of days...

Time to get back in the saddle...

To say that I have fallen off the exercise wagon would be a fairly true statement at the moment. I haven't stopped all together, but the frequency with which I exercise has been paltry at best. I am only averaging about 1 day a week and that is simply not acceptable in my books. I know my foot injury hasn't helped matters, but really, that is no excuse. So, I really need to get focused again and get at it. I have big goals for this next year, and without training, those goals won't happen, so I have to get working again. Running, biking, swimming. It's time to get back in gear and working towards things!!