My word for 2012 is health. While that encompasses more than just my physical health, I want to spend the first few months of 2012 focusing on that. To be honest, even though 2011 was a great year for me, I ended it very disappointed in myself for not being able to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. I was disappointed because I know I can do better. I know I have what it takes to step away from my unhealthy habits but it’s a hard thing to do, to completely change your lifestyle. And since I don’t want to end 2012 on that same disappointing note, I’m taking this year to focus solely on this. Not because I think I need to be skinny to be happy, but because I know I need to be healthy to be happy.

I’m also participating in “12 Changes in 2012” where each month, we focus on one thing in our life we want to change. It can be something big or something small, anything you want. There is no judgment, no condemnation. We’re all in this together and we want to encourage and strengthen everyone else. For my first change, I was originally going to choose to cut out soda from my diet. I know I drink way too much of it and it’s terrible for me, but I think there’s more that needs to happen than just “quitting Coke”. I need to get to a point in my life where food and soda is not my sole reason for happiness. I can actually go into a funk and get very moody if I have a day where I’m not going to drink Coke or the only thing I packed in my lunch are healthy options. (For the record, I know this partly has to do with not finding healthy options that excite me. Hopefully one day they will but right now? Greek yogurt and fruit and salad are very meh to me.)

I do want to limit my soda intake (ideally 1-2 times per week) but more so than that, I want to drink more water and train my mind that soda isn’t the pathway to happiness. I have days when I don’t drink any water at all, which is a terrible thing, especially as it relates to my diet, my skin, and my exercise routine. I know based on your weight and exercise routine, there’s a specific amount of water we should shoot for every day but I don’t want to give myself a number. I just want to begin to drink water more than I drink soda. I want to end my addiction to Coke and the best way for me to do that is slowly working it out of my life.

I know I can hit this goal with no issue – as long as I don’t drink soda at the rate I have been drinking it. And I know I need to stop buying it while grocery shopping or having change on me to get a soda while at work. I know once I start limiting the number of times I have soda a week, the cravings will decrease and my body will start craving water. And I think it will do wonders for my energy levels and skin. And since goals work best if they’re specific and measurable, I’ve broken this change into 4 weeks:

Week 1: Drink only water at work. Sodas at dinner time, if goal is met.

Week 2: Two days a week without any soda at all.

Week 3: Four days a week without any soda at all.

Week 4: Drink soda only twice a week, at most.

(I also want to briefly mention that I do have a little tumbler with a straw that I use at work to drink water. I know this is a popular tip to give anyone who wants to drink more water, so any other tips would be greatly appreciated!)

Along with my “12 Changes” goal (which is a big one!), I also want to set some other intentions for January:

• Set up an exercise calendar and stick with it. Although I’m doing awesome at exercising 4-5 times a week, I know I need to amp up the intensity of my workouts to see more results. As such, I think penciling in what I want to do during the week for exercise will be very beneficial to this goal.
• Turn all electronics off by 9:30pm. This is a tough goal for me, but I really want to work on shutting off the TV, powering down my laptop, and putting away my iPhone by 9:00 to develop a better bedtime routine and make sure I’m getting to sleep at a decent hour. Ideally, I want to do this by 9:00, but baby steps.
• Set up all doctor appointments. Now that I have my insurance cards, I have no need to wait! I need to set up an appointment to get my eyes checked (& order new contacts! I haven’t used contacts solely for a few years now and I think I’m ready for them again!), to see a gynecologist (dun, dun, DUN!), to see the dentist (2008 was my last appointment. Um. Oops?), and to see a general practitioner who can then hopefully set me up to get blood work because I’ve never had blood work done and I want to make sure everything is ok in my body.

So that’s January for me. It’s a brand new month of a brand new year, and although I know we can make changes any time of the year, there’s nothing like a fresh start of a new year. I want 2012 to be the year I focus on my health and I think all my goals for January are leading me to that.

Do you have any goals for January? Are you participating in “12 Changes”? What is your big change for this month?

I stopped doing posts on my monthly goals in September. I’m not sure why, but the posts felt a little forced and fake. I wasn’t fully chasing after the goals I set for myself and I knew I needed a break for a few months. And now since these types of posts are popping up all over the Interwebz and with the desire to bring back these posts, my monthly goal posts are back. (And hopefully better than ever!)

I won’t be recapping the goals I set for myself in September, but starting fresh with intentions for December.

This December, I will…

• Drink water daily. I’m pretty good at drinking water on a daily basis and I want to make this more of an everyday habit. I still don’t drink enough water and I still have an addiction to soda, but I’m working on ridding myself of it. It starts by keeping soda out of my environment and making an intentional decision every day to fill up my cup with water and sip on it throughout the day. I know when I drink it regularly, my body starts to crave it.
• Keep track of my budget by paying my bills first, keeping my Amazon budget under control, and taking out cash for any other purchases I want. I had a bit of a scary moment last month when I didn’t have enough money in the bank for one of my bills. Luckily, my mom loaned me the money and the bill was taken care of but there was no reason for me not to have money in my account for my bills. I know I need to figure out a better system for keeping track of my money – especially my spending money – so I’m devising a spreadsheet to help me figure out how much I need for bills, to pay my mom (for household bills + cruise saving), and how much is left over for myself. I tend to get click-happy on the Amazon website thanks to having an insane appetite for reading which is something I need to keep track of better. December is a tough month for saving, but I’m hoping I can keep myself out of trouble by keeping track of where my money is going. (And only having cash on hand for my purchases!)
• Attend my first jury summons. And try not to freak out too much. I always thought I would be excited to get a jury summons in the mail, but I’ve been dreading going to jury duty ever since I found out my date. It’s not that I had to do my civic duty, but it’s not something I want to spend one of my days off doing. (My work doesn’t pay me for it, so I have to take a personal day.) And I’m just nervous about the whole process of it all.
• Turn off the computer by 9:00pm. I’m having a terrible time getting to bed at a decent hour lately. And since I’m now doing morning workouts, my alarm usually goes off at 5:15am Monday – Friday so I’m averaging less than 7 hours of sleep a night. (Not good for a girl who needs 8 solid hours.) I’m sleepy at work and that’s never a good thing. I think my problem lies with my laptop and being too caught up with what’s happening on it to shut it off and prepare for bed so I can be asleep at a decent hour. Shutting my computer off at 9:00pm is a step in that direction.
• Open my mind and heart for the Joy Council, leaving behind the junk of 2011 and preparing for a kick-ass 2012. I am so excited I was able to join Stratejoy’s Joy Council this year and it’s already showing me things I want to change in 2012, as well as how thrilling 2011 was for me. I want to be able to keep my mind and heart open to be willing to seek changes in 2012 because while 2011 was a great year for me, I want 2012 to be even better.

August. Oh, August! I am so ready for this month. So many changes happening and all of them for the better. My life is going to look drastically different one month from today and I’m excited, but also slightly scared, for what’s coming up. July was a month mainly used for applying for jobs and trying to get my health back on track. I set 5 goals for myself:

1. Reorganize my room. Eh, somewhat. My room is a huge work-in-progress and for the majority of the month, we were in a holding pattern, deciding whether or not we were going to move. (Our rent is only going up by $20.) We’re staying here for one more year so I really need to get my room together. It’s a mess, currently, but I’m confident it will look more put together very soon. (First step: buying a dresser.)

2. Drink 1 liter of water a day. FAIL! Huge fail! While I have been consistently drinking water every day (which is a huge win) but drinking a whole liter every day is a big goal for me. I need to start smaller and focus more on when I’m drinking water, not so much how much. I don’t drink a lot by nature, so it’s more necessary for me to focus more on drinking more water than anything else (especially soda).

3. Start writing again. Another big fail. I did a little writing this month, but not much and definitely not at the level I need to be writing if I ever want to become a published novelist. I don’t know if I’ve just lost my motivation or inspiration, but my writing has stalled a lot this year.

4. Make a budget and stick to it. I didn’t even attempt this goal in July. But, honestly, there wasn’t much need with the money I’m making right now. But! I am starting a new job in August (have I mentioned it enough yet?!) and will be contributing to the bills much, much more. So I’m excited to actually make a budget and learn to play with my finances.

5. Apply, apply, apply to jobs. Oh, success. A big, big success. Maybe you didn’t hear? I was offered a job and START IN SIX DAYS? Oh, my God. Crazy, crazy! In the best possible way. (And yay, for the first time in 3 months, this goal won’t be on my list!)

August is going to be an incredibly busy month, but an incredibly awesome one. My goals are as follows: to start working and embrace my new role with gusto, complete VEDA as best I can, track my food every single day (even if I’m over my limit for the week), begin boot camp at my gym and try not to die, and finally, make a budget and stick to it.

What fun things do you have planned for August?