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Showing posts with label New Year's Resolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year's Resolution. Show all posts

Moody Mondays: Goals for the New Year

I honestly can’t believe that we’re more than halfway through the month of January and I’m finally writing my first post of the year.  Believe me, it was never my intention for me to take a break this long and there’s frankly no excuse for it.  However, I’m not over here beating myself about it because I’ve been honoring one of the few goals that I set for myself this year.

I realize that it may seem super late to jump on the New Year’s resolution bandwagon and don’t worry I’m not going to go through a laundry list of things that I want to accomplish for the year.  Just like everyone else, I want to get in better shape, eat healthier, go to church every week, save money and spend more time with family and friends.  But this is a list that I already do for the most part on a regular basis or at least I should be doing it. I also believe that it isn’t too late to start something good.  I think we can all agree that goals are ongoing and there isn’t anything magical about the month of January.  Well, this year I decided to create a few goals for myself to start off just to keep things manageable and to avoid feeling overwhelmed.  The main theme of all of my goals is BALANCE and I'm going to share one of the goals with you here.  

MORE SLEEP
When I reflect on 2017, the one thing that I wish I had more of was sleep.  Even as I write this post, I can’t recall a day last year that I didn’t drink a cup of coffee or take an energy supplement to give me that little extra boost to get me through the day.  And as a result, I created a viscious cycle of sleepless nights and caffeine filled days. Although I powered through to get my work done and even got in a workout at the gym, I was severly sleep deprived.  One of the goals that I wanted to share with you all here is to get more sleep. I’ve decided that I’m going to start going to bed at a decent hour regardless if I didn’t get everything on my to-do list done.  Here are a few ways I’m working on this goal:

i. Limit caffeine and alcohol: 

We all know that drinking a caffeinated drink before bed will keep you wide awake for some time.  But did you know that studies show that caffeine stays up to 6 hours in our body? Therefore, you should limit your caffeine intake up to 6 hours before your bedtime.  Also consuming alcohol might put you to sleep quicker, but it does not help you sleep better. Alcohol can actually keep you awake as the sugars break down.  Increasing your water intake throughout the day allows your body to produce melatonin at night, a hormone that helps you sleep.  I’ve cut out caffeine and alcohol from my diet so far and I try to stay hydrated by drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day. 

 ii. Bedtime Routine:

Having a regular bedtime not only helps you get to sleep faster it allows you to wake up refreshed and ready for the day.  Create a bedtime routine that is both calming and relaxing, but at the same time prepares you for your sleep. Your bedtime routine can include taking a hot bath or shower, reading a book or using natural oils like llavendar or eucalyptus scents.

iii. Turn Off Technology:

Turn off your electronics at least an hour before going to bed. The blue light from your electronics decreases the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps you control your sleep and wake cycles. If I happen to wake during the night, I don’t reach for my phone because I’ll have trouble going back to sleep due to the blue light. Turning off my technology has really helped me stay well rested.

I know that little changes can add up to make a big difference to your overall health and well-being.  And I'm totally focusing on that this year.  

What are some of your goals for the year? Let me know in the comments below!


Happy New Year and New Goals!

I know that I’m a little late, but I wanted to wish all of you a blessed, prosperous and healthy new year! Over the past several days, I’ve been reflecting on the ups and downs of 2016 and I’m currently working on my list of goals for 2017.  I’m really hoping for some big changes in the new year and I wanted to share a few of my goals with you here on the blog.  

(photo via)
Put God First: All Christians face the challenge of maintaining spiritual focus. This physical world can be distracting and it often takes us on a path different from what would benefit our goals as Christians. I will continue to work on drawing closer to God by putting him first.  I plan to schedule some time each day to focus on reading the bible and meditating on the passages I’ve read.  I also want to get more involved in my church by taking an active role in a small group and by volunteering more with different service projects in the community. 

I continue to struggle with this goal each day, but I have to remind myself to trust God and surrender my fears to Him.  I know that the more I do it, the more I’ll notice His work in my life, which will strengthen my faith and inspire me to keep making my relationship with God first in my life.

Travel: One thing I didn’t get to do a lot of last year is travel for fun.  I travel every week for work and while I love my job and all of the perks, the traveling back and forth gets a little draining after a while.  On my down time, I just want to relax in my own apartment and stay close to home, but that’s no way to live. I need to just suck it up and make time to explore new places again.  So I’m currently planning a trip in the Spring to visit my cousin in London and I’m eagerly planning a trip to Morocco with my sister – I’m really looking forward to both of these trips.

Buy a Home: Lately I’ve been obsessed with watching HGTV, picking out furniture and adding new pins to my Pinterest page for the new home that I haven’t bought yet.  Can any of you relate? Another reason that I didn’t travel too much last year is because I was planning on buying a home.  However,  my plans fell through unexpectedly, so home buying was delayed to this year instead.   Hopefully by the end of the year, I’ll be in my new home.

Get Healthy: Like everyone else in the world, I’m going to focus on getting back into shape.  I’ve been on a downward spiral ever since Halloween and the pounds slowly continue to creep on, so I need to change that ASAP.  I’ll start eating healthier and utilizing the 21-Day Fix system to eliminate the crappy foods I’ve been eating lately - goodbye french fries, brownies and cookies!  I also plan to add more weight training to my already existing workout routine.  I’ll start off by lifting weight at least 2 days a week – I don’t want to go too crazy just yet.

Start Running (Again): This goal is part two of the Get Healthy goal above, but I felt that my running journey needed a separate entry.  I have to admit that I haven’t been running as much as I used to over the past few years and I’m not really sure why.  Overall, I think my body and my mind just needed a break from all of the training and races that I completed in the past.  But now I feel like I’m ready to get back on the pavement on a regular basis. For now I’m aiming to run three days a week, in addition to my other workouts. I’m pretty confident that I can stick with it, because it’s not too much running for now.  Eventually, I want to challenge myself to add a few more half marathons under my belt by the end of the year. 

Well there you have it – I tried to keep it pretty short and manageable. Do you all have any New Years resolutions for 2017? What are they and do you think you can accomplish all of them? I think we can do it.  We just need to remember: It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward. ~ Old Chinese Proverb

Well, here’s hoping that 2017 is way better than 2016!


Dare To Be


Every year we all have the opportunity to start fresh and become a better version of ourselves. New Year’s resolutions usually involve vows of eating healthier, exercising more and sometimes spending more time in the self-help section at your local bookstore. And for others it also means renewing efforts to grow closer to different family members, friends and/or God.  Each year, I always jump on the bandwagon and create my own list of resolutions.  Most of the time, I don't complete my list and I upset with myself for not finishing what I started. I wanted to share the quote below that I found a few weeks ago on Instagram. When I saw it, I decided that it would be the perfect theme for me in 2014.   This year, I’m daring myself to be the best I can be and that’s it.  I’m no longer going to worry about the end of the year results.  I’m just going to focus on myself one day at a time. 

                                Dare to Be



When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.


When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.


When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.


When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.


When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.


When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.


When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.


When times are tough, dare to be tougher.


When love hurts you, dare to love again.


When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.


When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.


When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.


When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.


When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.


When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.



Dare to be the best you can.

At all times, Dare to be!

Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free


In 2014... I dare to be:
  • Spiritual – I will end each day with Bible reading and improve my prayer life.
  • Athletic – I will rain for and complete 4 half-marathons.
  • Swift – I will run under 2:00 hours for at least one of my half-marathons.
  • Healthy – I will drink more green smoothies and eat less carbs.
  • Responsible     – I will recycle my wardrobe and minimize unnecessary impulse purchases.
  • Crafty – I will learn how to sew at least one skirt and a dress.
  • Artistic – I will enroll in a photography class and take my camera out of "auto" mode.
  • Frugal – I will create a budget to save money from each paycheck and spend less.
  • Balanced – I will perform a headstand without the support of the wall by the end of the year.

Well, those are my resolutions for the rest of the year.  No Apologies, No Excuses, No Regrets... What are your resolutions for this year?  Who do you dare to be in 2014? Let me know in the comments.

A Giveaway for the New Year!


(The Giveaway is now CLOSED)  

I never had a chance to post a giveaway during my blogiversary this past September, so I’m taking the opportunity to do it now.  To celebrate the beginning of 2013, I thought it would be nice to give away a little something to my loyal readers as a thank you for sticking around with me all year long.

One of you will have an opportunity to win a $50 E-gift Card of your choice to either Anthropologie or J. Crew!


 OR 

To enter, all you need to do is be an official blog follower Moody Girl in Style on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment sharing your new year's resolutions with me. You can share one resolution or ten…it’s totally up to you. Be sure to leave a comment with which gift card you would choose and include your e-mail address if it is not easily accessible on your profile or blog.

You also have a chance to earn extra entries too – check out the Rafflecopter below:


The contest will run until Saturday, January 19th at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be selected at random announced shortly after the contest ends. I can't wait to hear what you have planned for 2013!  Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



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