It’s almost unbelievable to think that the first two months of the year have nearly passed. Eight weeks in and second-semester, junior-year has certainly proven to be the most difficult. Trying to handle school, clubs, work, my social life and keeping true to my resolutions makes me feel like a juggling bear wearing one rollerblade: a little unbalanced. Still, I made a promise to myself and to the HCMSU readers that I would try my best in reaching my goals and I really don’t like breaking promises.
As I look over the status of my resolutions and to help make this endeavor a slightly easier one, I’ve come up with some techniques that hopefully will be of some help to all of us.
Eat healthier.
This one always gets to me because I know exactly what I should and shouldn’t be eating – and how much for that matter- but temptation continues to get the best of me. I thought after the holiday season passed it would be much easier to eat right but we all know that’s not the case, there is always something: birthdays, celebratory dinners, Super Bowl parties, girls’ night, Grammy parties. I think you get the idea. The point is, there is always going to be some special occasion in which your friends and family are going to make delicious (and probably unhealthy) foods and the temptation is often too much to handle.
So how am I going to deal with this constant teasing? I’ve decided that the best way is to plan. Now, this overlaps with my goal to be more organized and I think that’s because it is the most important. When I know I have a dinner party or other event one night, I try to eat healthy, filling foods during the day so not to overeat when I go out. Another way to plan is to volunteer to bring a healthy dish to the party so you’ll have something to eat without feeling guilty.
Be more adventurous/outgoing.
I’m still struggling to find the adventure-seeker within but I feel it’s because I don’t know where to begin to look. I’ve talked to some friends about trying new things like Hot Yoga, so I guess that’s a start. Still, I want to do something more exciting and different (always open for suggestions!)
However, I do feel confident that I am becoming more outgoing. I think part of this has to do with growing up and maturing, having to meet people for work and clubs and just gaining more confidence in myself, so that’s certainly a plus!
Be more organized, run a half-marathon, 4.0 spring semester.
Somehow I feel that these three overlap in every aspect. Organizing my life allows me to schedule time to fit in workouts and study more. I am able to track my progress during my runs so I can compare to the last and continue to set new goals for myself. Also, I’m starting to feel like a “real runner” in the sense that afterwards I don’t want to crawl up in a ball but I have an extra endorphin high which allows me to be more productive, creative and exciting. It truly is a good feeling.
I’m not saying I am ready to win a gold medal but I have certainly seen improvements in my 5k-time as well as continued to add more and more distance to my runs. Those little victories are great motivation to keep going.
I think the idea of little victories is what I’ve taken most from this experience so far, set attainable goals and grow from there. It is easy to get frustrated when you don’t reach your goal but by making weekly or even daily goals they are much more manageable. Hopefully our HCMSU readers are learning and growing from this like I know I am.