Here you have it, dad, my 2015 resolutions:

My parents are BIG on resolutions. Ever since I can remember, they have both written out their resolutions and made us write our own as well. Each year we'd all write our list and they'd seal them in an envelope marked with the date and then put it away until the next New Year's Eve.

As a kid I HATED this tradition. As an adult, I'm still not huge on New Year's resolutions  but I try not to disappoint (plus my dad already mailed me a sheet on which to fill out my 2015 resolutions and we know he'll ask whether I did them.) I'm going to think of them more as goals and plans for the year rather than "resolutions," which for many are things that we say we'll do but have very little intentions of following through on.

So, dad, here you go - my resolutions for 2015:

1. Keep working on balance. In life and in my work. 
Anyone who knows me will agree that I'm that person who thinks they can do it all and who tries to do it all pretty regularly. I think it's one of my good qualities (Andrew might not agree!) I say this is one of my resolutions/goals and if I'm honest with myself, I know it'll be right back on this list next year too, just as it's been on the resolution list pretty much every year since I was mature enough to understand my propensity for over-achieving. Some may disagree but I don't think I need to prove anything to anyone or be better than anyone - it's more that I am passionate about a lot of things and I don't want to compromise and give any of them up or do any of those things with any less than 100% of my effort. What that means though is I'm often stretched thin, often tired, and very often not as able to give my family 100% of the attention they deserve. I do realize though that a happy, fulfilled me means that when I'm with my family, I'm able to be more and give more of myself - hence the eternal struggle. So it's enough to be aware of this struggle and keep working to find some balance between the things that I love.


2. Keep pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.
This year has been about pushing myself to try new things and be more out there. Comfortable was getting me nowhere in terms of my personal growth. While it hasn't always been easy, so many amazing things have come from pushing myself past what felt safe and comfortable. I know it's making me a stronger person, a better role model for my kids and I love that it's helping me to connect with so many new people every day.

3. Stay committed to my health and fitness. 
2014 was the first year I didn't let my health go as the winter set in, cold & flu season descended, and work got busier. Not only am I proud of myself for breaking out of that pattern of workout in the summers, fall off in the winters, but I can also see the fruits of not quitting. I'm more fit, healthier overall, sick far less often, and I haven't had many flare-ups of my lupus which I consider a win on all fronts. I'm all about keeping it up and making 2015 even stronger. Can you say Insanity Max 30?!

Beyond my workouts, I need to keep working on eating clean and finding ways to enjoy the foods that I love without it being a vice. Food is my love. I love to cook and I love to eat which, when we know that 80% of fitness is based in the kitchen, means that food will forever be my problem area. I've made huge strides over the past year in cleaning up my eating, finding new, healthier recipes to cook in place of the butter and sugar-laden ones I used to love, and really getting into a good, sustainable routine around meal planning and prep. I want to spend 2015 building my repertoire of healthy recipes and stay on track with planning and prep. It made a huge difference this fall when we were shuttling kids to and from soccer, tutoring, and school. We were crazy busy but we didn't fall victim to the ease and convenience of take-out more than our planned once a week pizza. Huge win for the budget and for our waistlines! I want to continue feeling good about the choices I'm making and be mindful of the choices I'm making whether I'm practicing the 80 or 20 side of the coin.

4. Help at least 50 people get healthier and more fit.
What's new for me in 2015 is that I want to keep paying it forward. I became a Beachbody coach in August after finally finding a system that worked for me. After years of on again off again workouts and attempts at eating healthy, I found success and support in challenge groups. 2014 was the first year I can say that I feel really good about my work, family, friends and a lot of this stems from being in a good mental and physical place. I'm proud of the work I'm doing as a Beachbody coach and I want to keep doing that work in 2015 and help support other people in doing that work too either as a challenger or as a coach themselves.

So there you have it. I'm not a big resolution person but I am all about goal setting. I'm sure there are a million other big and little goals I'll be working on this year beyond these 4, but these are my biggies. They are the non-post-it note goals, the ones that are bigger than a to-do list goals. They are the underpinning of what I'm doing every day and are and will most likely be at the root of my goals in 2016 too.

Have a happy and healthy New Year!