2011 Goals

Just posting a quickie to let any who are interested in following or communicating with me about my goals.

2011 looms in the very near future and with it comes a myriad of changes. Two years ago, it was an impending wedding and graduation of my oldest child. This year, it's my own graduation, both kids graduation, a memorial run for a dearly departed friend, and a year without band commitments.

In November, I embarked on an elimination diet to try to get my body back in some semblance of working order after severely damaging it at my aforementioned friend's wake. After 2 1/2 weeks, I felt fabulous and although I felt like I lived in the kitchen, I had no complaints about completely changing the way I prepare and eat my food. However... US Thanksgiving rolled in, and then about half a dozen other celebrations of food and alcohol, and I am now almost exactly back where I was at the beginning of November. The one thing I have going for me this time is that I have been fairly consistent about my running, if nothing else.

Today is Wednesday, December 29th and I have 3 days to get my plan together and in place, ready to go by Sunday January 2nd. I do know this: January 1 and 2 will be dedicated to prepping for school and doing an intense "cleanse" of some kind. I have been suggested a gall bladder and liver cleanse by one, and I also have a 2 day smoothie cleanse I'm looking at.

For now, these are my fitness/health goals for the coming season(s) (because a year is just too much to plan for at this point in my life!):

1. Lose 15 lbs (which will simply be a byproduct of all these other goals, but it is a goal in and of itself, so I post it) and keep it off.
   
2. Train and run 2 5ks and a 10k - The first of these (the 5k) will be in March, I believe. The 10k is in the summer (the memorial run for Mahala)
3. Cut out alcohol and sugar from 90% of my diet - This should be much easier now that I'm not in a band that gets free liquor everywhere they play ... So, you know, no more than 2 glasses of wine when out with friends, and then only twice a month AT THE MOST!!
   
4. Streeeeeetch 5x a week - one of the things I have missed most in the last 2 months is my daily morning yoga and my weekly, intensive yoga class with the fabulous Heather Turner.
5. Strength training 2x a week - I know it's crazy, but we got a shake-weight as a gag gift this holiday season, but I'm actually going to try using it from time to time. It's only 6 minutes... add on 5 minutes of ab work and you have a strength training session right there - see how easy that is?!

That's enough for now. I'll likely refine these as the weeks progress. I'll also post any links to websites I'm using to aid me in these goals.