I miss setting monthly goals on my blog. While I’ve still been setting them privately—usually pulling a few from my quarterly goals (which I did share on the blog) and writing them in my planner—it’s just not the same. There’s something about sharing monthly goals that feeds my soul. I know why: I’m an Obliger, which means I thrive on outer accountability. Sharing my goals publicly gives me that extra motivation to follow through. So, monthly goals are back and I couldn’t be happier about it!
I’ve separated these goals into three sections: Intentional Action (these are goal that relate to my bigger annual goals; small progress to make toward those bigger goals), Healthy Routines (small actions I can take on a daily or weekly basis that will help to further improve my bloodwork numbers), and Nagging Tasks (small, one-and-done tasks to accomplish during the month).
Let’s get into it!
Intentional Action
- Itemize everything in my bedroom – I have made progress on itemizing the things in my bedroom, but I still have a ways to go. I need to figure out how detailed I need to be here. Do I need to list every single piece of jewelry, or just have a ballpark figure? I’m also realizing this is a list I’ll have to audit on a regular basis as new items come into my home and older items leave. Hrmph.
- Change 5 email addresses – This shouldn’t be a hard thing to do and yet, I keep putting it off. In May, I’d like to change the email addresses for some household accounts: electric, car loan, bank, phone, and gym.
- Read Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi – This will be my 500-page book for Q2! I bought a copy of the book a few years ago and the length has intimidated me too much to start it.
- Watch Dirty Dancing – One of my goals is to watch four movies that were released during the first four years of my life, and I am already behind on this goal. In May, I want to watch Dirty Dancing so I can catch up.
Healthy Routines
- Eat fruit with breakfast and a veggie snack, Monday – Friday – Some of you guys are great at eating lots of fruits and vegetables, but even trying to get my five servings is a struggle. I made a goal to get five servings every day in my Q2 goal post, but I was failing miserably so I need to make this goal easier. While I’m pretty good at having a serving of veggies with dinner and typically at least one serving of fruit as a snack, there is a lot of room for growth. So, my new goal is this: I must have a serving of fruit with breakfast and I must make sure I have one veggie snack during the day (I am fruits > veggies, but I need to get better about eating my veggies!)
- Five workouts at the gym per week – I have a solid four day per week routine at the gym (Tuesday morning spin, Wednesday evening HIIT, Friday morning HIIT, and then a cardio/weights day on the weekend), but I’d like to add one more day of spin or HIIT to ramp things up.
- Eat a salad twice per week – More veggies! Salads are a diet trigger for me, as I ate a ton of them when I was younger and dieting unhealthily. So every time I make one, I immediately go back to that era of my life. But I want to reframe salads as something good and nourishing for my body.
Nagging Tasks
- Reorganize the kitchen cabinet with my pots/pans/lids – I bought a lid organizer to hopefully help me reorganize this cabinet so it’s not such a chaotic mess. Just need to get in there and do the damn thing.
- Reorganize my linen closet – I’ve been lax on keeping this closet neat and tidy. It’s time to pull everything out and reorganize the space, so I don’t feel like everything is going to collapse on me every time I open the closet door.
- Do a Goodwill drop – There are things in the linen closet that need to be donated and I also have a pretty full bag of items ready to go to Goodwill. So putting this goal on my list assures me that I’ll put in the effort to get it done.
Do you have any goals for May?
I have a box of clothes that needs to go get dropped off at a donation center. *sigh* Why is so hard to remember to bring it when I’m driving by?
I’m nervous for you to watch Dirty Dancing. I think it’s a great movie, but I don’t know if it holds up if you haven’t watched it before. Please don’t just those of us who love it.
Okay, here’s the thing. It took me a long to admit something. I don’t like salad greens. I like salads just fine if they don’t have lettuce or spinach or kale or whatever. My favorite salads are things like green bean salads (beans, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, optional red onions, and a honey mustard sauce with your fave cheese on top – I go with goat) or asparagus salad (asparagus, walnuts, tomatoes, lemon-y dressing) or chickpea salad (chickpeas, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes). It’s the greens that make me think I’m having diet food. I don’t know if that helps you, but it helps me get all my vegetable servings at lunch.
Hey, I am not one to yuck someone’s yum, at least I hope I don’t come off that way! If you love Dirty Dancing, then it doesn’t matter what my opinion is!
Okay, you are BLOWING MY MIND with the idea of a lettuce-less salad. I think that’s what is bothering me, too. I love all of the EXTRAS that come with salads, but I get sad when I realize the “right” lettuce is something like kale or spinach or mixed greens. I just want nutrient-less, crunchy romaine, if anything! I really love the idea of just bringing in the veggies with a great dressing and cheese, and skipping the lettuce.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Dirty Dancing is a subversive movie that was way ahead of its time. It’s just so good! Now, as a caveat, Johnny looks way way way older than Baby, which I’ve heard people talk about as a minus against that movie. Baby is supposed to be 18 and Johnny something like 25, although the actors were older, and Jennifer Grey looks way younger than her age of 27. HOWEVER. I maintain it is an excellent movie with some really interesting themes, particularly about the danger of illegal abortions. Who knew this would still be a hot topic in 2025.
Re: fruits and veg. How do you feel about smoothies? Super easy way to get a ton of fruit, and in my case veggies as I add like 8 cups of spinach. That’s not a beginner move though, if you make a green smoothie start with only like 1 cup of spinach and then work your way up. For me a great salad is like what Elaine says in Seinfeld. “It’s a salad, but big? With lots of stuff in it?” I love to add great dressings, roasted crunchy things like chickpeas, nuts, dried fruit, an apple, goat cheese, maybe some cold roasted veggies…I am a salad fiend! But that said, if it’s triggering for you maybe another way to get some veggies is a snack of veg with dip or hummus? There are certain things that are mentally triggering for me and I feel like it’s best to avoid them. But if you want to reframe and you have any questions at all about salad, I’M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY (maybe you haven’t seen Tombstone? You were probably a toddler when it came out. That sentence would make a lot more sense if you’ve seen it.)
I have tried smoothies and they just don’t work for me. I have a very strong gag reflex and for some reason, smoothies don’t go down… er, smoothly… for me. Plus, washing a blender every time would drive me mad.
I think the block I have with big salads is SO MUCH PREPARATION. I can get a good amount of veggies pre-cut, but I just haaaate having to cut up veggies and other things to make a salad. I am a baby, I know.
I was a kindergartener when Tombstone came out, so I don’t get the reference, lol.
I love your Dirty Dancing goal! I think it’s SUCH a good movie, even if Jerry Orbach isn’t at his best (as a character; as an actor, he’s lovely). I used to have the Dirty Dancing soundtrack on CD and I would crank it up and do chores while singing to it at the top of my lungs. I’ve had, the time of my li-y-ife!
I adore salads, and you know what makes a salad feel like less of a salad? When it’s something else, like a taco (salad) or nachos (salad) or pasta (salad). Take a thing you enjoy, start with that, and then pile on the veggies. I would also say do not underestimate the transformative power of roasting things and turning them into a salad. A big salad with roasted cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, and sweet potatoes is a thing of beauty. (Also, hot tip: Roasted/toasted quinoa makes ANYTHING better.) You definitely don’t need lettuce to make a salad a salad. Good luck!!!
Thank you for all your helpful salad tips! I like the idea of starting with something I enjoy and going from there. I always feel like I have to make a salad PERFECT (aka, must use spinach leaves because they’re healthier than romaine lettuce), but I need to just find a way to make it satisfying.
Salads as meals are a slippery slope. If you go too lean, then you can definitely trigger deprivation/diet stuff. If you hit the other side of the spectrum, you can end up with quite a heavy meal. But with that said, I made a Greek salad over the weekend with enough ingredients for 3 servings and I’m really enjoying it. I can’t remember the last time I made a salad as a meal.
I really struggle with salad as a meal! I think making it a side would feel less “diet-y” but I did buy this big bag of Caesar salad and some Just Bare chicken nuggies, and the idea of air frying those bad boys and adding them to the salad does make my mouth water a little. Gotta follow that feeling!
Stupid diet culture trying to steal the joy from Stephany’s salads. I hate that for you. I hope there is a way to bring joy to salads for you, and I like all of the suggestions that you have here. I remember eating cottage cheese with my mom once, and her saying she hated it (to clarify, I was eating it, she was not) and it was because of all of the diet stuff around it. She had bad memories about everyone else at the table getting dinner, and her getting cottage cheese. She was 10. Thanks Grandma, for passing your disordered thinking down to your kids. SIGH. ANYWAY, I hope you are able to bring more veggies into your life in a way that is genuinely lovely and delicious.
Oh, my heart breaks for your mom with that story! It’s truly wild the things we used to do to be skinny. I’ve been unlearning so much of diet culture over these past few years… and now I’m at a place where it’s time to start thinking about how to eat in a healthy way for my overall health without falling into the trap of diet culture again. It’s a vicious cycle!
I love Dirty Dancing! If I lived close to you, I would do a girls night and watch it with you!! It’s such a delightful show!
I don’t know that I consistently get 5 fruits/veggies each day. It really is challenging unless I have a salad for lunch.
No goals for May as lame as that sounds. It’s going to be chaotic with 3 works trips. I am really hoping I can sneak over to visit my sister one night when I’m in DC for work so I can meet their new baby boy!!
Ahhh, Lisa!! I would do ANYTHING for a girls night with you!
You have enough going on without adding personal goals to the mix! I really hope you can meet your nephew. <3 So fun to have another squishy baby in the family!
It really is time for you to watch Dirty Dancing. We need to talk about – hoping you actually enjoy it.
I love that you are back with your goals. And I love the clusters you have come up with.
Here is to checking them off in May.