A New Year

Over the last year I have made some big changes. I started healthier eating habits and found the 80/20 balance. I began making the gym a commitment, and have slowly gone from afternoon workouts to being in the morning crowd. I transitioned from the elliptical to the treadmill (something I have always been terrified of looking like a fool doing) and I increased my speed and endurance beyond anything I've ever had. It has been a year of milestones and a year of making small changes to benefit me in the long run. I even lost 30 lbs! It's mostly from my arms, legs and boobs, but it's finally starting to attack my burrito of a belly.

I could have starved myself dieting, pushed myself harder at the gym, or did a million other things to drop the weight already, but I know that doing something that drastic wouldn't have been good for me in the end because it would be a quick fix. I've learned the right way to do things this year, making smart choices, focusing on nutrition and still enjoying my life and not being a slave to the gym. I never told myself a certain type of food was bad, or ate things that said "diet" or "low cal" on them. I simply focused on hitting all of the areas of the food pyramid and trying new things.

This year, I plan to take it a few steps further...

♥  Green tea will be my friend. The health benefits are off the chart for Green Tea and I love the flavor of it. Not a hard transition since i'm a huge tea drinker anyways!
♥  I plan to do challenges while tv watching at night. Right now i'm working on the plank challenge. A series of 5 planks that you hold for a longer period of time each evening. You are supposed to do it in 2 weeks and get up to a full minute for each version, but i'm taking my time and moving at a comfortable speed. I'm up to 35 seconds! I think after this one I might try the push-up challenge.
♥  Once all of the new resolution crazies are out of the gym, I would love to add in a weekly class. I finished up school, so why not continue my one evening out routine and try my hand at yoga, cycling, etc. I'm excited to find a class I can look forward to and enjoy being in.

Overall, I'm just excited for a new year. I changed a lot in 2013 and made myself a better person.

It will be exciting to see what happens in the next 365 days!

Jenni ♥