(Oh, hi! Looks like you caught me taking a sip of my orange/vanilla milk tea :) It's really chilly in my room and I needed something to warm me up. It's great stuff, by the way ☆)Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe that another year has already come and gone? I know I can't. However, a new year means a fresh start, and another chance for us to do the things that we've been meaning and/or wanting to do. Hence the topic for today's entry... New Year resolutions!
Everyone's got one or more (and even if you say you don't, I know you do!). However, how many of us have actually followed through? I'm not afraid to admit that I've done it too. Yes, I'll do great a few days or a couple of weeks after I start. And then... Well, you know how it goes. Some factors contribute to this; my excuses were school, work and many other things that are going on with me in real life. The biggest factor, however, is that I tend to make goals that are very un-realistic. I'm sure a lot of you have done that too (hey, we're not perfect). It's always best to set goals that suit best for you because if you push yourself over your limit, you'll just mess yourself up. Easier said than done, yes. However, you have to believe in yourself when doing this and by the end of this year, you'll be feeling great about yourself and improve your lifestyle. :)
I'm going for the goal too! So, without further ado, here's my list of resolutions for 2010:
1. Controlling my food intake and drink more tea/water.
For those who know me very well, you'd know that I can eat... a lot. Whenever a co-worker or a friend asks me how I keep my figure while eating that much during my lunch break (example: 1 plateful of meat and a side or two, 1 small bowl of soup, 1 large drink of iced tea, and 1 small dessert), I'm not exactly sure how to answer them. Sure, running around serving food to the elderly gets me going, but then again, it takes a toll to my body later on (such as higher BMI - body mass index - and gaining weight). My goal this year is to continue to eat the foods I like, but cut back. It's nice to feel full, but not too full to where you're feeling uncomfortable. I'm also going to make better choices in the foods that I eat (and I'm not talking about just eating salads either!). And finally, in addition to cutting back on sweets (one of my biggest food weaknesses), I'm going to cut back on drinks such as coffee and soft-drinks and subsititute it for tea - mostly green tea - and water. My mom who has been diagnosed with diabetes for more than a year now has done a great job in not drinking soft-drinks, and now I'm trying to do the same. I'll treat myself once in a while, but not as often as I used to. I used to hate drinking water, but it's not an option - your body needs it like oxygen, so I'm learning to hydrate my body and at the same time, keeping it clean from the inside out. I'm starting to drink more tea in the morning than coffee because not only is it lower in caffiene but also higher in anti-oxidants which is good for cleansing the body of impurities. Green tea is also very good, and as a bonus, it gives a boost to your metabolism. :)
2. Making the most of my day by getting up early.
I'm thinking back to my high-school days - which feels like oh so long ago - where I had to get up at 5am, get myself ready for school, dash out the door at 6:30, and start class at 7:25. Thank goodness I don't do that anymore, but as I'm growing up, I'm realizing that there is so much to do in very little time. This year, I'm going to change that by giving more time to myself and start getting up early. This way, I'll be able to have more time to do the things I want to do, such as doing warm-up exercises, doing chores, reading... even blogging! There's a lot you can do in a day... Why not make the most out of it? :)
And speaking of exercising...
3. Do a few minutes of yoga every morning and hit the gym at least 3 days a week.
I know this may seem a bit un-realistic, but I'm very serious about this! After doing a few yoga exercises on the Wii Fit Plus for Nintendo Wii in the last couple of weeks, I find that it helps me in not only maintaining my center of balance, but lowering stress levels. I get physically stressed when I'm at work, and crashing after scarfing down dinner when I come home from work is not a very good way to ease body tension. During my early-bird hours, I'll warm-up my body with stretches and practice yoga poses. (I'm targeting my core-muscles and I want to tone my waist and upper arms!) There is a gym and a pool provided for both employees and residents of the retirement home where I work, and it's about time I started going. About 1 hour of excercise at the gym 3 times a week should do the trick even after a long day at work. At least it's better than to go to a separate gym, and there's no membership fee. My goal in the summer is to improve in my tennis skills - I haven't played seriously since high school, so I'm pretty rusty! >_<>
4. Read a little more each day.
I love to read - comic books, non-fiction, fiction, fantasy... Whatever I'm in the mood for! However, there are some times when I'm not motivated to do much of that anymore, but I'm changing that. I have a huge list of books that I want to read, and I know that slowly but surely I'll get to that. So even if it's just for a few minutes a day out of my busy schedule, I'm going to set some time to read a few pages of a book. Who knows, I may end up writing about it here on this blog! I know that when I'm finished reading "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, I'll be writing about it. :)
5. Organize, organize, organize!
I've heard from many sources time and time again that "everything has its place". I've been a pretty unorganized person for a long time, and having this kind of lifestyle just adds even more to my stress! In the past week, I've done some rearranging and discarding, and I'm slowly feeling much better about myself. I intend to keep it that way. All of my books and belongings have their own place, whether they be on a shelf, in a folder, or written down in a book. I bought a book to help me write down my work schedule and other important dates. My keys and other personal belongings have their own place so that I won't be scrambling by the time I head out the door for work.
6. As much as possible, try out something new each day.
The food in the picture above looks pretty tasty, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be even better if you were the one making it yourself? If you've read my introduction, I mentioned that I love to cook! In order for me to improve myself as a cook (as well as preparing myself for culinary school in the future!), I want to be able to try something different as my physical abilities (and my money) will allow. I have some recipe books that are collecting dust on the shelves in the living room and I've yet to try a lot of them. I'll post my culinary adventures when I find something interesting and yummy comes to mind. Along with pursuing culinary endeavors, I have other artistic ones as well. I'm an artist: I love to draw, from anime to still-life drawings; I'm a cosplayer (though beginner level) but I'm improving in sewing and crafting props; I also like to knit and crochet.
I enjoy going outdoors too, whether it'd be going into the city, a park, the beach, or even escaping to the mountains. I like to explore new places, such as hole-in-the-wall stores because even in the biggest places, there is one even smaller that can be of bigger interest. I've yet to do that for this year, and I hope to find some interesting places to go. You'll see my adventures here too, so be sure to tune in on my latest finds! Life's an adventure, so make the best of it!
...overall, this is a pretty good list of resolutions for this year, but the best way that I can really sum it up is... Well, live this year to the fullest...and with a smile! I've decided that this year will be of self-improvement, reconcile, achievement and love :) You could say that the ultimate goal is to start and end the year with a great attitude!
But enough about me, you guys - I wanna hear from all of YOU! What are your New Year resolutions? Leave me a comment and let me know! :)
And one last thing: As I said, working on your resolutions and following through may be easier said than done, but it's important for you to remember that you can do it. Success comes in cans, not can'ts! I'm going through the same thing, so you are not alone!
Thanks for putting up my somewhat long entry, but until next time, here's to you, your health, and a great 2010!
xoxo,
~Reiko ☆*.
[Currently listening to: "Fireflies" by Owl City]
No comments:
Post a Comment