Do You Have Realistic Expectations of Goal Setting?

As many of you know I am not a "New Year's Resolution" girl.  However, I am a goal oriented gal that made a few goals at the beginning of 2013.  I try to look at these goals at least every other month.  (I should make it a goal next year to look every month!)  As I look at my list I am happy to cross things off, but I am seeing that there were many goals left to accomplish.  I don't think that I was very realistic at the beginning of the year in setting so many goals for myself.

I have accomplished a few things and I feel like I did them well.  I have exceed my goal for gardening this year.  Even though it was not as productive as I was hoping, I am glad I committed myself to this and will continue to have a vegetable garden each summer.  I also smashed my goal of running a 10K and completed a half marathon instead!  I exceeded my deadlifting goal by 5lbs.  For a whopping 205lbs!  I also committed myself to reading 5 books this year.  Well, after getting sucked into the Game of Thrones series I crushed that goal too.

I also realize that some of the goals have been started and not completed.  This list would consist of some home improvement projects, organization, and an unassisted pull up.   

Then I have my I never even started it list!  I won't bore you with the details of this list, but there were plenty of things that I put zero effort into and accomplished nothing.  

So what do we do when we set such high goals or expectations and do not accomplish them?  Did we really give ourselves a realistic time frame to accomplish the goals we set?  

Here's my strategy for 2014.  Those things that have been started will be a priority.  I am then weighing the effort vs payoff of the things I never started.  Are they really important to me a year later?  Many things can change in a year's time and most of those goals are no longer things that mean something to me.  

I for my final goal TODAY I completed the last of my miles...300 miles of running logged between August 1st and today.  This happens to be the goal that I did not finish in 2012 and I was determined to finish this year!

14 Tips for a Stunning 2014!

1.  Treat your hair right~You do not need to wash daily.  Rinse hair each day and then use a Paraben free shampoo and/or         conditioner when washing.

2.  Take your vitamins~We are not able to get all the vitamins and minerals that we need to consume daily, so resolve to take a good mulitvitamin every day.

3.  Repair the hair~Use a weekly hair treatment or mask to keep it healthy and shiny.  Healthy hair shows your youthfulness!

4.  Take a bath~Relax in a bath for 30-40 minutes with oils and salt soaks at least once a week.  Turn off the phone.  (I have dubbed this my Princess Bath)

5.  Make lips easy~Rather than using a lipstick that requires using a mirror, use a lip gloss or polish that will hydrate lips while you wear it.

6.  Drink more water~Many times we mistake needing to hydrate with hunger.  Drinking more water and less caffeine will help hydrate skin and hair.  It also will help with digestion.

7.  Moisturize~Use a hydrating night cream that does not use animal by products in it.  

8.  Use SPF~A daily moisturizer that contains SPF is great for everyday.  If you will be spending more time in the sun use a broad spectrum SPF for the body.

9.  Illuminate your skin~Add a highlighter to your daily make up routine.  It will give you a dewy, youthful look.

10.  Protect your hands~Hands will show age before your skin will.  Use a cream that is designed to be used on the hands to help protect them.  Also, wear gloves in the cold months, it will protect from extreme dryness, cracking and nail damage.

11.  Detoxify~Whether it's sweets, sodas, or processed foods we all benefit from doing nutritional cleanses.  It will help skin, hair, and over all health to clean up and edtoxify.

12.  Focus on your skin~Try a weekly sugar or salt scrub, dry brushing, and moisturizer for the body.  

13.  Exercise~Working out will help in many areas.  Find something you enjoy.  Find a 5K and train for it.  Try a Zumba, Spin, or CrossFit class.

14.  Smile~A smile is your best accessory.  This is a must to have on you at all times!

Here's to a STUNNING 2014 to all of my readers!

  

Tastes Can Change

Today I went to a coffee tasting.  Who knew that coffee was alot like wine?  I didn't!  There are different aromas, flavors and bodies to the coffee depending on how the bean is roasted, how it is brewed and what the temperature of the coffee is when you drink it.  It was very informative and interesting.  I also liked drinking it black.  The only thing I really knew before this, was that I was drinking fair trade coffee in my home and that it was a middle priced coffee.  I had no clue what grind to use or how best to enjoy it.  I am so glad I got educated!  I can enjoy my coffee much more now!

I have been working on different recipes for my challenge starting in January.  I will be following a weight loss plan and working to drop a few pounds to get ready for my half marathon in April.  The goal is to drop 1 minute per mile off my time.  That is 13 MINUTES!  Pretty big goal and weight loss is necessary to make it happen.  I will blog about my journey of sugar detox and low carb in the next 2 weeks.

I also only have 10 days left to complete 25.8 miles to accomplish the 300 miles since August 1st.  I set out to do it this year and need to get moving.

Also check out the newest recipe posted to the Recipes! tab.  I added Miss Molly's Chimichurri recipe.  Tonight I used it on Gluten Free pasta and Chicken.  It is delish!  Here's a picture of dinner.

Don't forget to check out the Fav Products tab as well.  

Sugar Is My Nemesis

Ugh!  It's the holiday season.  Living in Ohio means it is dark, cold and dreary.  If it's not snowing, it's raining.  That is compounded by the exorbitant amount of sugar that is available to consume constantly. Sugar and I go way back.  I love the sweet treats.

I learned during my sugar detox back in April that sugar is a hinderance to my ability to function as a normal person.  It affects my sleep patterns, my hunger, my moods, my motivation, and worst of all my ability to focus.  So after learning that about myself, one would conclude that I no longer indulge in the sweet stuff right?  ...WRONG.  I cannot help myself.  I am a glutton for punishment I guess.

Sugar is something that I feel strongly about, I know how it affects me and I continue to consume it.   It is in almost every processed food there is.  I recommend reading Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss, if you want an inside scoop on sugar in processed things.   I have also recently started listening to a Podcast called America's Angriest Trainer with Vinnie Tortorich.  (warning this podcast is sometimes rated explicit, listen at your own risk)  It is about living No Sugars No Grains.  It is amazing to me that we are told that these things are needed in our diets.  In reality sugars and grains have no nutritional value that you cannot get from somewhere else.  They are unnecessary to our diets.

So why do I have such a hard time?  First, it is everywhere this time of year.  I cannot go anywhere without being offered something and I rarely can say no to it.  Second, it instantly gives me a "pick me up".  I feel great in the moments after consuming it.  Only to crash and consume more to get back that feeling again and again.  So my goal for 2014 get this sugar thing I have going on under control once and for all.  But in the words of Vinnie Tortorich, "Put a little life into living."  Meaning it's ok to have on an occasional basis, but it should not be a daily thing that I depend on.

PS.  For anyone interested I am pretty sure there is another sugar detox in my future.  Let me know if you are interested in joining.  I can send you the information on the plan I use.