For the love of 2013

So, the title of this blog (which is subject to change, possibly) is a reference to my career & the fact that sometimes, writing is just straight up therapeutic. Also, I live in Chicago and maybe I am a little obsessed with the city.  

Starting a blog like this (one that is more "mature" in nature, not from when I was 17 years old) has been something I have wanted to do for several months now & I've just never gotten around to it...till now.  I guess I can write it off as one of my 2013 goals.

To me, saying "resolution" sounds so scary. So final. I feel like it's such a heavy word, carrying so much pressure, and possibly, eventually guilt.  Thus, I like to say "New Year's Goals."  The word "goal", at least to me, sounds far less intimidating than resolutions. ANYWAY.  I digress.

I have several goals for this year, some having to do with health/fitness, some having to do with more personal stuff, and some that I think I'm going to keep to myself, at least for now.

They are:

• Focus more on cardio at the gym.  I HATE cardio. With a passion. I think it's boring and tedious and far less enjoyable and gratifying than strength training (which I LOVE).  If I'm going to take a rest day or just straight up skip the gym, it's a cardio day I'll happily forgo.  However, I know that cardio is hugely important for the obvious benefits, as well as for fat burning and helping with core definition. So, I want to focus more on it as part of my weekly workout regime.  No more slacking and "riding" a bike for  my cardio days...I need to have them actually count.
• Piggy backing off of that, I want to run the Color Run 5k in June.  A 5k is approximately 2 miles, yes?  I can run about a mile to a mile and a half before I start REALLY hating life, and I have plenty of time to build up to 2 miles...it's something I know I'll be proud of because really, who would've thought I'd ever actually run any type of race?  Who cares if it's only a 5k? You gotta start somewhere.
• Do a workout that scares me at least once a week. I hate clean and presses and snatches...so I tend to not include them in my circuits. Why? Because a) in my opinion, they're hard & b) I'm a little scared of them.  
• Focus more on my diet and eating "clean."  I have learned how to cook-somewhat.  I have a selection of several meals I can make easily (the crock pot is seriously the best invention EVER) & I'm getting slightly better & more confident with it...now, it's all a matter of making sure I'm making healthy meals with some more variety.
• GET A JOB...although, this is not really, truly, fully in my control.
• Create a "mini goal" for each month (personal, fitness, health, food...anything)
• Give up something new each month (Starbucks, chocolate, alcohol, eating out...)
• Learn how to budget...or at least, manage money better. You would think this would be easy, because of my father and his being a business man and all of that...however, I did not inherit that ability.  At all.
• Live alone.  Last year and this one, I've had a roommate...and it's been...different.  I think I'm ready to live alone for good now.  Get a dog of my own (my parents won't let me kidnap Chloe), have my own place that I can make "mine" and not have to worry about anyone other than myself. 
• Do something that scares me..I'm not going to say "once a month" or "once a week" or put any type of time stamp on it b/c I think we all have different "scary" things and they all crop up at different times.  I want to stop over thinking, stop worrying, and just DO.  Where's the harm in that?  That's how we learn and grow and become, in my Adrija's words, "wisdomous."
• There are a few that I am keeping to myself.

JANUARY Specific goals:

• Giving up Starbucks.
• Focusing more on abs/core stuff during my workouts...I tend to save this particular group for the end of my workouts and then rush through it or skip it completely.
• Make at least 2 new meals this month.