Fact: the holiday decorations don't put themselves away...

It's true, the tree, the lights, all the little decorations around the house... no matter how much I wish for it to be true, they just don't put themselves away. So this morning I tackled that job, determined to not quit until I reached my goal.

I've discovered that the same principle applies to my progress toward healthy goals. Just listing goals, without digging in to do the work required to achieve them will not get me my desired results. So I'm digging in to work on my own personal challenge to get myself back on track after a zany, chaotic, wonderful, whirlwind fall and holiday season. Here are my healthy goals for 2011...

First, I plan to get back to regular working out. Weekly, I put my workout schedule on my calendar so that it is a regular appointment that I MUST keep for myself. My goal is to complete 4-5 workouts a week at my boot-camp style gym. Also, I keep my gym bag ready to go in my car so I can't make excuses about skipping the gym after a long work day. Also, SP makes it fun to log in exercise and be rewarded with points! The points still motivate me after 2 1/2 years on SP... LOL!

Next, I plan my food and log my meals in early in the morning. Since I pack my lunch the night before, and I try to cook some things ahead, I usually know exactly what I'm going to eat for the day. Logging my food in early helps keep me accountable for calories and portion control. Staying within my healthy weight-loss calorie range, and drinking 8-12 glasses of water per day is included in my eating goal.

Finally, this year I am committed to eating as few processed foods as possible, or "eating clean." The closer my food is to its tie to the Earth, the better. I'm not saying I won't indulge in a canned veggie or a condiment or two from time to time, but I'm really trying to keep my eating plan simple, satisfying, tasty, and clean (unprocessed.) I'll definitely eat things I really like, but I'm making good choices.

That's it! I'm excited about getting 2011 off to a healthy start, and I'm wishing you all the same! Happy New Year to the SP community!