I hate, hate, hate new years resolutions with a passion. They just seem like such a gimmick and a guarantee your going to fail, or at least they hold that reputation. Yet here I am writing about mine. To be honest these are things that I have been working on trying to incorporate into my life for some time now. Can you tell I’m not the most disciplined person. I decided that with the new year should come a new found enthusiasm to succeed at these resolutions or what I prefer to call them “life goals”.

I don’t want these to simply be something I do for the next year, I want them to become a part of my life.

Drum roll please…

My 2012 Life Goals

# 1 Drink More Water

I vow to drink at least the minimum amount of water for my body weight per day to properly cleans and hydrate myself.

          My husband is ALWAYS on my case about not drinking enough water. It’s not only that I don’t drink much water but I just don’t drink much of anything and water certainly comes last. Water is so vitally important to our bodies, two thirds of our body is water making it the main “ingredient” of the human body. It’s not only vital to our health but to our life.


A FEW QUICK BENEFITS OF DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
- removes toxins from the body (absorbed through; our skin, breathing, eating etc)
- clearer, healthier, younger looking skin
- less likely to get a headache and supports a healthy immune system
- your body wont feel as sore, tired or rundown
- helps you lose weight (this in itself should be reason enough)
This next one was a shocker but makes sense
- reduces the risk of getting cancer (we can all use a boost to our defenses)

How I Plan To Drink My Water Each Day
Well from now on it will be my primary source of liquids. Anytime I want to drink something, be it because I’m thirsty or sitting down to a meal it’s going to be water.
I have cut out all store purchased drinks that are mostly corn syrup, chemicals, and harmful dyes. This includes all soda, or any other drink sold in stores, even the ones that claim to be “juice”.
(I will still allow myself to drink tea in moderation, one or two cups per day, no sugar, milk or anything else added and the tea I drink does not go towards the total amount of water I need. Tea or anything else is not water and doesn’t count)
Other than that I am just going to drink my water and keep track of how much I’m drinking, so I can reach my goal each day.

TIPS
- Invest in a good filter. Even if you think your water is clean and safe to drink, you can benifit from filtering out anything that has been added to it.
- Don’t drink bottled water (for various reasons) and don’t store water in plastic containers. The water, especially if it is filtered will leach chemicals from the plastic that you will put into your body when you drink the water. It also ads a gross taste to your water that you will notice once you stop using plastic, you really wont want to go back.
- The colder the better. I don’t really like water (though I’m getting more used to it) but I do love cold water, really cold water. I often make what my husband refers to as “Glacier Water”.
I just put some ice in my Vita Mix blender add water to cover the ice then blend smooth. This makes the most refreshing glass of water you can get at home.
- Have a glass (8oz) of water before each meal, before you eat anything. You will eat less and get in an easy 24oz of water (even more if you eat more than three times per day)
- Keep in mind that the body does crave water, although it is often misinterpreted as a food craving. So next time your craving, have a glass of water and wait it out to see if that’s what your body wanted before scoffing down something your going to regret later.

To figure out your minimum amount of water per day for your body weight is simple.
You want to weight yourself, divide that number by two and that is the amount of ounces (oz) of water you should be drinking each day. Don’t let the big number scare you into thinking your going to drown with all that water. If you think about it 8oz make one cup of water. So if the number of oz of water you have to drink each day intimidates you then convert it to cups per day, now that doesn’t seem so bad.

body weight / 2 = # of ounces of water you need to drink each day
(divide the number of oz per day by 8 = cups per day)


#2 Eat Healthy
I vow to eat healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetable and cut out harmful processed foods.

          This is something my husband and I have been doing on and off all last year but we both agree it’s time we stop teetering on the edge and make the change for good. Basically we want to go on a green smoothie healthy eating plan till we get down to our appropriate weight. Eating green vegetable smoothies we make fresh at home using a variety of vegetables, hemp protein and flax oil. We will allow ourselves to snack on all the veggies we can eat and some fruit in between meals and have green smoothies three to six times per day.
Since I “work” from home I want to start eating a small meal(smoothie) every 4 hours with veggie snacks in between. This is going to take some discipline on my part but it is the optimal way to intake food energy to keep your body working at it’s peek, especially for those who are physically active.

Eating healthy is so important yet overlooked by so many, and its no wonder why. When you look at North American towns that seem littered with restaurants and 24hr fast food places, serving greasy barely edible (yet tasty) food, with gigantic proportions that leave you feeling stuffed and bloated. Then you have billboards, commercials and ads just about everywhere that promote unhealthy food designed to lure you into indulging. Your not even safe at the grocery store. I used to think that staying clear of the aisles and focus on the outer walls of the grocery store was a safe way to shop for food but they have caught on that we do this and started to pile tempting, high fructose, corn syrup, chemically packed food right next to our veggies.

There is one store in particular that is extremely bad for this and because of this I have stopped shopping there. When you enter this store you must travel through the produce section to get to the rest of the food. I think this is actually a pretty good idea, it promotes you to purchase some healthy fruits and veggies but what disgusts me is that slightly down the path you are forced to walk through, is where they put all the packaged cakes, donuts and other sweet goodies. So they deliberately force you to walk through this section to get to any other part of the store. Even if you just wanted to grab some veggies you still have to go through that area to get to the checkout. It’s evil tactics like this that have American obesity so out of control. Yes we are all to blame for not simply saying no, but for someone like myself who likes food and sweets, this can be a challenge. Food, especially sugar, like corn syrup (that seems to be in all processed foods) is highly addictive and it sickens me that we are all prayed upon by a system that cares only about making more money any way they can.

A FEW QUICK BENEFITS OF EATING HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS
- They are healthy for you and what your body needs (packed with natural fiber, vitamins and minerals)
- makes your body and mind stronger
- makes you less likely to get sick / stronger immune system
- the easiest, healthiest way to lose weight is by eating whole foods
- much cheaper than processed manufactured foods
here is one you might not think about when considering what to eat
- you will drastically cut back on the amount of garbage you toss out, especially if you purchase your produce from Farmer’s Markets. If you think about it whole fruits and veggies generally don’t come packaged like processed foods that are often packed multiple times (in a bag that is in a box that is wrapped in plastic… so much waste)

HOW DO I PLAN TO EAT HEALTHIER?
Find out more about My Green Smoothie’s and what else I eat here “COMING SOON (writing post now)”

TIPS
- Don’t let yourself get hungry, have healthy snack to munch on and keep your energy levels up so you are less likely to break down and indulge in some very bad craving
- Drink plenty of water, it will help you to feel full
- Don’t temp yourself. Don’t keep any unhealthy food around the house, if you have it there it’s because you plan on eating it. So cleanse your kitchen and get rid of the bad stuff.
- Always remember why you want to do this. Keep a “personal mission statement” with you to remind you why your doing this and to inspire you to stay strong when those powerful cravings come on.
- Stay active. Your less likely to find the time to crave garbage food when your busy. If you feel yourself breaking down, get up and get yourself out of that situation. Have a glass of water and go for a walk around the block.
- Remember the cravings for garbage foods will pass and you will soon be craving the nutritious food your body needs. Best part of this is you can indulge in all the vegetables and some fruit.


#3 Be Physically Active

I vow to make time to be physically active for at least 20 minutes everyday.

Working out is something I have been getting into for the past few months but I haven’t been as consistent as I should be. I spend most of my day “working” in front of my home computer and in turn get very little to no physical activity, unless I go out of my way and make the time to workout. This is part of the reason I have put on so much weight over the past few years. I definitely want to become a stronger healthier person. I hate this soft, weak, pathetic body. I feel so trapped and pulled down by it.

A FEW QUICK BENEFITS OF BEING PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
- it will make you healthier and your body stronger
- it will give you energy
- it will boost your metabolism
- it’s fun and can be a great way to socialize, try new things or see new places
- can be a great way to have some “ME” time
- you’ll look better, stand taller and be more confident
- you will be more self sufficient and able to take care of yourself
- it makes you happy. the body likes to be active and when you workout you release Endorphins that do just that
Here’s an interesting little fact
- working out increases your libido (naturally without chemicals or gimmicks)

TIPS
- Your more likely to do something that is fun and stress free. Think of it as your reward for the days hard work. Try a few things till you find whats right for you (I hate working out at a gym so I do workouts at home that are just as effective)
- start off slow, work your way into it, your not going to be as good as someone who is in shape and has been working out all their lives (don’t compare yourself to others). But make sure to always push yourself as hard as you can and you’ll get in better shape.
- stay hydrated, it will be much easier to workout and for your body to recover after
- Get a pair of comfortable trainers (sneakers) that fir you properly and give you the type of support your foot needs and the support you will need for the activity you plan on doing
- keep it simple but effective. you don’t have to spend lots of money or have lots of fancy equipment to workout. Get your heart rate up however and wherever you can. Sit ups, push ups and squats are really effective and you don’t need to spend any money to do them, they can also be done anywhere. Going for a brisk walk will get your heart rate up and blood pumping.
- think positive and encourage yourself to keep going


#4 Achieve My Optimum Weight
I vow to work at it until I reach my optimum weight for my height and continue to maintain that weight throughout my life.

I have been over weight all my life. I went through the usual ups and downs all my like but I am at my all time biggest right and I hate it. I hate how I look, I hate how I feel and I hate how weak my body is. The weight has caused problems for me in every aspect of my life. When I first moved to California I was at my healthiest weight ever and I don’t know how I could have ever allowed myself to get this way but it happened and now I have to get back in shape. I don’t only want to get back down to the weight I was when I arrived I want to go all the way and reach my optimal weight which is anywhere form about 115lbs to 145lbs. I’m aiming for somewhere in between, so about 130lbs. I have a long way to go but I will get there and I’ll do it the healthy way. By working out and eating healthy food.

How I Plan To Reach My Optimal Weight and Maintain It
All the previous life goals I listed will help me achieve this one, so I’m already on my way. But I want to rev things up a little and that’s why I’m starting to do the Chaleen workout videos again. Last time I did them for a very short time and my husband quickly started to notice results. Like any exercise, it’s only as effective as you want it to be. You really have to push beyond your comfort zone and make it count. I will also be walking for an hour a day on my elliptical trainer, pushing myself till I can jog for the full hour. I have started eating two Herbalife meal replacement shakes per day instead of meals. I am also drinking their “herbal tea concentrate” for an energy boost. So far I am really satisfied with the products and will be reviewing them in about a month. I am putting myself out there and by publicly posting every step of my weight loss journey. I hope this will encourage me to succeed. My husband who is also overweight is going to be going through his own weight loss journey with me, so we can be pillars of support for one and other.
I’m staying positive and contentiously tell myself I CAN do this. I know it’s going to take time, hard work, determination and discipline. This is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I’m up for the challenge, even excited about it. I can’t wait to see the results.

A FEW QUICK BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING YOUR OPTIMAL WEIGHT
- being over weight puts a huge strain on your entire body, especially your heart and this becomes more dangerous the older you get
- drastically reduces your chances of getting diabetes
- reduces your risk of getting certain types of cancer, especially for women
- you’ll have more energy
- look and feel better with more self esteem
- you wont be limited by your weight. you will be free to do what you want and wear what you want.
- your will be stronger, more flexible and more agile
- you will be healthier and feel healthier

TIPS
- set small, reasonable goals for yourself
- praise yourself each step of the way. every workout, every healthy meal, every sacrifice is a huge deal so remind yourself often how well your doing
- remember why your doing this and stay motivated. Keep a personal mission statement to remind yourself why
- don’t give up if you mess up or miss a day. Just get right back on track and keep at it
- do it the healthy way and you’ll develop good living habits that will stay with you through life and keep you fit and healthy
- have fun


#5 Have a Better Outlook On Life

I vow to not become a bitter old woman, by focusing more on the good, rather than the bad in life.

I’ve noticed that although I am happy I have become rather cynical and I don’t like it. So I have to change before it’s too late, heaven forbid I become an cranky, bitter old woman. There is far too much for me to be happy about and I have noticed that I do feel much better when I have a positive outlook. I’m not sure why I am like this now but it could stem from the fact that I have been betrayed by many that I have put my trust into, that I feel that society is superficial, conceited, arrogant, artificial, money motivated, and for the most part heartless. It’s left me feeling rather detached. I have also noticed that with the more weight I have gained the more bitter I seem to become. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part I am very happy, I smile and laugh with my husband all the time, I love to make him laugh with my silly ways. It’s when I get out in the world around other that I tend to feel it, something dark and rotten growing inside of me, poke at me, irritating and annoying me to the point where I often can’t stand how some people act. I refuse to accept that this is simply associated with the fact that I am getting older and more detached with the current trends of the world. I have always been a kind. happy, outgoing person and I want to keep being that way.

How I Will Become Less Cynical
The only thing I can really think of is to have a more positive outlook on the world. To be more tolerant and forgiving of others. I’ll try to remind myself of what matters and what doesn’t and to well, not sweat the small stuff. There is still good in the world and the bad is there to help us see the good, or at least I’ll try to tell myself that. I’m just going to have to keep reminding myself to stop any time I catch myself being cynical.

A FEW QUICK BENEFITS TO STOP BEING CYNICAL
- lower stress levels
- over all happier person
- less wrinkles (from not frowning)
- less annoying and more sociable, your friends will want to spend more time with you

TIPS
This is kind of a tough one to think of any tips
- be aware of your behavior
- try to smile more, it’s hard to by angry or bitter when your smiling
- focus on what and who makes you happy and ignore/forget about the rest (don’t wast your life being miserable)

#6 To Write More Often

I vow to give myself time to write something, anything everyday in 2012.

I love to write and it’s something my husband is ALWAYS encouraging me to do more often. I love how much he enjoys reading what I write (or listening to me read it for him). I get so much pleasure from writing and sharing it with other. Yet I rarely give myself time to write, so I really want to work on that.

Not only writing but I want to give myself time to do creative things, time for me, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, reading etc… I have a strong creative spirit that needs to be allowed some freedom from time to time. I also notice how much better I feel when I allow myself time to write and be creative.

I want to try very hard to write a post on here everyday till the end of the year and to find time to work on my art so that I can also share it with all of you.

For me 2012 is all about growing as a person and opening up to the world. I hope you will join me in reaching for the stars or at the very least our Life Goals.

Do you have any “life goals” for 2012, if so what are they?