Happy New Year!!! We made it to 2015, and I am so happy! I hope you had a lovely time watching the ball drop wherever you were! It is definitely a time for reflection and appreciation for all the good things you have in your life.
New Year’s Resolutions: Setting Goals
I’ve mentioned this several times, but I am huge on setting goals. The only way that I get anything done is to write it down, make a plan, and execute. This not only works in setting goals in regular life, but for fitness-related goals too! Check out my guest post on City Fit Girls’ blog on Setting Realistic Fitness Goals for 2015!
It’s crazy to look back at what I wanted to accomplish in 2014 and see how I did. Some of my goals were spot on, and others weren’t even close! (150 blog posts in 2014? That definitely didn’t happen!). So below are my GOALS for 2015, covering all different areas of my life. I’m also linking up for Friday Five with Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up For What, and Mar on the Run!
Keep running with the City Fit Girls. Last year, I wanted to get involved with Black Girls Run, but the City Fit Girls are more my speed, no pun intended. These girls are a lot of fun! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone, and maybe I’ll be able to lead some of the runs in the future!
Do more Boot Camp-styled workouts. Strength training is SUPER important. I have to make it more of a priority, so between the class offered at work and City Fit Girls, I’m looking forward to getting stronger!
Yoga, yoga, yoga. I know, I keep talking about it. I have been practicing with yogadownload.com, and my membership lasts until May. I really miss being in a studio though. My goal is to make it to a class once a week. With the holiday season dying down this should be much easier to tackle!
Stay injury-free! I have a lot of races on my plate this year. So I HAVE to do everything in my power to stay healthy. I have to continue to listen to my body and always do my exercises pre- and post-run.
No pressure, just fun! I am not giving myself any timed race goals this year. I repeat, NO TIMED GOALS! I have learned that the best races I’ve had was when I was not worried about time. Now of course I’m going to run hills and do speedwork to become a better runner, but I am not going to chase any finishing times…quote me on this!!
Love running with the City Fit Girls!
Nutrition
Cook, cook, cook! I was on a roll for awhile but fell off after studying for the PE took over my life. Bret complains that my meals take too long to make, so I’m going to continue linking up my meal planning with Jill Conyers and Mommy Run Fast and use Pinterest to find quicker, healthy recipes. Now that I have some new cook books, I’ve got even more inspiration!
Green smoothie love! I love my Nutribullet, and I need to work the heck out of it! Green smoothies are so good for you and I love experimenting with flavors. I gotta make sure I get my fruits and veggies!
Get back on a FarmShare. This was really the best thing ever. My company offered FarmShare last year and it was great trying new foods at a great price!
Continue to work with my dietitian. This goes without saying! I have been keeping a healthy weight thanks to my work with Danielle. As I learn more things I’ll continue to share with you!
Love fresh veggies from the Farm Share!
Career
Network to the fullest. This is huge, especially now that I’m a PE (I’ll never get tired of saying that!!)! I really want to learn more about what’s going on in my industry, and I’m hoping to make meaningful contacts. I’ll be going to the National Society of Black Engineers’ National Convention this year in Anaheim, so I’ve gotta be ready!
Increase my involvement with SWE. SWE is the Society of Women Engineers, and I’ve been going to several events since joining my local chapter this past year. I want to keep it going, so maybe I’ll join a committee this year to make more of an impact.
Kill it at work.Now that I am a Professional Engineer, I need to put my money where my mouth is. I really need to step it up at work and take on more responsibility on upcoming projects…and there are some big ones coming up!
Hobbies
Try to learn softball. We had fun playing kickball last year, but I’m setting my sights on learning softball. We had a league at work last year that was pretty popular, plus Bret used to play regularly and wants to get back at it.
Do more volunteering. I had some volunteer opportunities during the holidays that I planned to do but unfortunately had to cancel. I enjoyed volunteering at the Philly 10K, but I realize that I need to do more for the less fortunate, especially because I am so blessed. So I really need to look at more things I can do to help others, such as food drives or student outreach.
Get back to the arts. Last year I pledged to get back to playing the clarinet, but it didn’t happen and it’s not going to happen, lol. But I really do miss the culture, and I’d love to go to more orchestral concerts, plays, musicals, and museums. It’s a side of me that I really enjoy exploring.
Personal Life
My hair, my hair! I am really loving getting to know my natural hair, even though it is darn frustrating most of the time! I will continue on with this heat-free journey and learn as much as I can. I really want to achieve more growth, so learning how to protective style is huge! There are so many possibilities!
Have fun quality time with family. I always need to do more of this and I will continue to commit to it.
Develop my personal style. Because I work in a Plant environment, I pretty much wear the same type of clothing every day…flame resistant pants and tops that are blue or gray. I’ve been trying to step up my wardrobe for some time and I want to continue to do so in 2015, for those times when I’m not at work! In the pic below you can see me trying to look cute haha!
Keep working hard on the blog. I am really proud of the accomplishments I made in 2014 with Run With No Regrets. Not only did I upgrade to WordPress with a new design, I created a Facebook and Pinterest page to promote the blog and expand my network! Things are still pretty slow and steady, but I’m hopeful that I can continue to make this place grow. I don’t want to reveal everything on my mind just yet, but please know that I’m going to be working really hard to improve this place!
Join an Ambassador Network. I have my eye on a couple of Ambassador programs and I am finally starting to feel ready to apply. I am hoping these opportunities will help make the blog more valuable to YOU as a reader!
Create a blog newsletter. This is one of my goals that I really want to knock out of the park. I’m going to be doing a lot of strategizing to create a newsletter that again, is most beneficial for you. What would you want to see? Let me know what kind of questions you have or what kind of articles would be helpful for you!
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions or set goals as you start a new year? Share some!
