Tuesday, February 2, 2016

January Goals - Recap

January was your normal first month of the year. . . lots of motivation & excitement (on my end, if nowhere else ;-)) to kick off the new year with a strong start. A very last minute trip to Tokyo got added in, which derailed some of my plans a bit. But, here's how I did against my goals!


Finances:

  • Stick to our budget - mostly on track, but our childcare budget is up due to paying for a camp in February ($478 for a week of camp, and we will still need our nanny that week, as camp ends at three. :-((
  • Reach out to new accountant - our old one retired :-(( - Done! 
  • Save $1,000 - yes! I saved $1,756 (in addition to my planned bonus savings). Not that I'm counting those dollars. ;-) Plus, the grand old $.58 of interest. 

Family:

  • Work on plans for the boys birthday parties in February - I've gotten the party invites sent out, and done a lose menu. 
  • Do a fun activity with the boys - Today is the day for the activity! We are going to see Star Wars, and Sam will have a friend sleepover after. That means both boys will have had a sleepover this month as well. 
  • Have a date night with M - I've got to get this planned. Maybe next weekend? I'm heading to Tokyo on Sunday, but could squeeze it in on Saturday.

Fitness (this needs to be a top priority in January, as well as the rest of the year):
  • Lose 3 pounds - I managed to lose 1.5 pounds for the month. Considering that I normally gain on business trips (I held steady this time), I'm pleased with my results. Not perfect, by any means, but a very positive step in the right direction. 
  • Eat 5 servings of fruits & vegetables, 28 of 31 days. I only got 3 & 4, respectively, yesterday & on New Year's Day, so this gives me one extra day of cushion.  - I decided to go for a rolling average, and got to 4.6 per day. I'm pleased, again, given the traveling. All of those flights & meals that I'm held captive to the choices during meals out were difficult, so I'm happy that I was so close to 5. I've definitely changed my eating habits to cut out unnecessary junk, and focus on healthy choices. 
  • Complete 8 stretching workouts (yoga or pilates) - I finished the month with 5 stretching workouts. 
  • Complete 10 strength workouts - I finished the month with 8 strength workouts.
  • Complete 850 minutes of cardio - I finished with 690 minutes of cardio.
  • Average 1450 calories/day - So close! I finished at 1485, which is a vast improvement over the previous six months. Woohoo!
Work/Career:
  • Maximum of one late night/week - Definitely not a win, as I had two weeks with double late nights, plus a trip.
  • Organize travel schedule for the first half of the year - Yes, and in fact, I"m going to try to let Tokyo stand as my only international trip before I leave. 
  • Work from home at least one Friday this month - I did this twice last month, and it was great. Definitely going to try to repeat this.

Personal/Creative:
  • Read a book - Yes, I've read six, in fact. :-) The one way that my international trip "helped" my goals.  
  • Try out my new adult coloring book :-) - Yes! I've enjoyed it, but the kids have also wanted to "help", so it's been less relaxing but a nice family project.  
  • Get together with a friend - I guess I can count my Star Wars movie time, but I was hoping for more of a girls fun hike or workout. I have at least been getting good chatting time with my friend at soccer games. 

All in all, not a bad way to kick off the year! How about you? How did your January goals go? Any big wins or things that you'll carry over to February? 

4 comments:

  1. You know you can laugh at my comment, but I think with lupus you expect too much of yourself. Hee, hee pot calling the kettle black....

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    1. I appreciate that. I often feel like a big slacker, but I aim high & then when I fall short, know that I still stretched myself. ;-)

      And, you could take that advice yourself! ;-)

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  2. Where you find blogging time, I'll never know, but well done. Two books! Keep plugging away. My weight loss has been slow,as well, but it's in the right direction, so good for you for 1.5 pounds-18 by years end at that rate, and that sounds like a victory to me.

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    1. I hadn't thought of the weight loss that way, but love it! And yes, slow but steady. I write a bunch of posts on the weekend, because it helps me organize things in my own mind. I'm a selfish blogger - I do it to keep myself organized & motivated!

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