Last January (a year and a half ago) I had a great idea for a new years resolution. I would pick a goal each month, and focus that month on following through with it. This way I would implement some lifestyle changes, one at a time, instead of committing to too many goals and sticking with none of them. But, I never actually started this brilliant idea of mine, even when the next new year that I was holding out for came and went.
So, I've decided that if I want to make changes, why wait until January first. So I am committing to run every day this month. It doesn't have to be far, it doesn't have to be pretty. If need be it can be a jog down the street and back in my flip flops, although hopefully I can be more thorough than that. It's day 2 and so far so good.What I have realized so far is that I am incredibly out of shape. I guess not exercising for 9 months, plus recovery time after, will do that to you. Even after my morning sickness subsided I was pretty sedentary for the second trimester, and by the time the third rimester rolled around my belly was too big to do much more than stretch. Plus, it's not very fun to run around when it's cold outside, and I'm a wimp.
I have also realized something else. Running can be fun. I would still much rather be running after something (a soccer ball, a frisbee, and obstacle course etc.) but it feels good to get my legs moving and my heart pumping. I was doing a great job of getting in shape last summer before I found out about the peanut, and I think that as the weather gets warmer my motivation is slowly seeping back.
Megan Francis from The Happiest Mom also wrote a post about June. June: It's all about you. In it she says that in planning fun stuff for our families this summer, mom's should also consider how many hours there are and plan some fun stuff for themselves. She also has some good ideas, like taking a class to pursue a hobby. I would love to take a photography, pottery, or painting class. I would also love to join a soccer team or go climbing.
I think that as parents we are better able to serve our kids when we don't feel like we're losing ourselves. By spending time with the people we love, and doing adult based activities we enjoy we are able to still live our lives, which means we can be more committed to our kids when we are with them and we can model for them a healthy balance of serving our families and taking care of ourselves. One of my biggest struggles is filling unstructured time surfing blogs, looking at facebook pictures, or watching reruns on hulu and netflix. I am with my kids but not giving them my attention. But when I take time to do something I love, like going to lunch with friends, I come back ready to give my kids 100%. win win.
Here are some other goals I hope to pursue in the upcoming months.
- Drink at least 8 cups of water a day. I have never been a big water drinker so this is important. I also tend to act on my sweet tooth when I'm really just dehydrated. However, I must add that since I got my new camelbak water bottle I have been drinking a lot more. It has become my new fidgeting habit.
- Read the bible every day. I did this for lent and it was great. I have been much better since, but can already tell I'm slipping again.
- Read a book. I spend so much time reading magazines and blogs that i forget to read quality literature. I hope my kids will see me reading and learn to love it themselves. Part of this is also reading with them every day, patiently, talking about the pictures on each page, and without rushing to the end.
- Play with my children each day. Make my daughter laugh and actually follow through on my plans for her week. I will try to write more about my plans for our weekly schedule that usually is forgotten. Play with and sing to my son more, it's easy to forget to when they are so unresponsive.
- Make out with my husband every day. This post from simple marriage gave me some extra inspiration for this idea. 10 second KISS.
- Edit my pictures as they come. I can take over a thousand pictures in an afternoon if given the opportunity, so you can imagine why I get so behind on posting them. I would love to stay on top of this for a change and maybe even get in a better habit of deleting bad photos. I feel like his is easier to do when the photos are fresh, there is less of an attachment. Hopefully I can stick with this habit and even start making memory books or seasonal slideshows for my kids.
- Stick to a budget and record each purchase. We have the best of intentions to d this each month, but I don't think we've followed through for a full month yet.
- Become more passionate about prayer. Pray with my husband each night., and listen to the spirit. Pray for my friends when they have needs, right then and there.
- Spend time outside each day. This one becomes much more of a problem when it's cold. But even the burden of getting bundled in layers upon layers is worth it.
I'm sure I will come up with more ideas, or find more ideas jotted down on sticky notes, buried in my backpack. But I would also love to hear from you. You can do just about anything for 31 days or less. What are some lifestyle changes you would like to commit to, even if only for a month.
