Its officially February 2018, so that means my birthday month is officially over and I can reflect back on 2017 and refocus my energy to 2018. (I challenge anyone reading this to do this same reflection if they haven't already).
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| Jack and Jill Marathon - July Wa |
Looking back on 2017, it was a make it work type of year. First the positive, I survived it. Duane and I managed to break free from our busy schedules to relax and visit his family in Hawaii. I was also able to make a few trips up to Washington to visit family. I even managed to meet up with my parents in Puerto Vallarta for a quick weekend get away. As always I completed a few races, including marathon #5 (Jack and Jill Downhill) and marathon #6 (Disney World Marathon) (technically this was 2018).
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| Ziplining - Puerto Vallarta |
The rest of the year was busy working. Several satellites launched this year, which meant my schedule was completely random. My hubby on the other hand spent most of the year traveling back and forth from DC. Whenever he was home, I was on shift with weird hours, and when he was on travel, I was off work. I think the only holidays we celebrated together was Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. I believe we even missed our birthdays and anniversary. These crazy work schedules left me stressed out with not a lot of time to focus on the normal day to day stuff. So it is safe to say my eating habits were anything but healthy and my house was anything but clean. In summary, busy year at work, managed to maintain training through out all this. But work life balance was definitely lacking.
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| WDW 5K - Mom, Aunt, and I |
So that brings me to 2018 and how I want to recenter myself. After much thought, here are my 2018 focus areas:
1. I want to focus on eating healthier. In doing this, I will
-attempt to make more meals at home
-make healthier decisions when grabbing take out
-reduce unnecessary sugars and sugar substitutes
-drink more water
I'm not going to refuse myself any foods or treats, but enjoy in moderation. Doughnut Sunday's will still exist but maybe not a on weekly basis.
2. Continue with my active lifestyle. For the past few years I've been focused on cardio activities. I would like to add other exercise into my weekly training activities, including additional strength training and stretching. I've picked out my A-race (Chicago Marathon in October). I know my minimal goal will be to PR, but I haven't decided my official time goal. More to come on that as I get closer to the start of the training cycle in June. Until then I will work on shorter distances speed work and continue to work on my mental toughness. I do need to be better about being wearing sunscreen when outside and enjoying the Southern California sun.
3. The final thing to focus on 2018 is my work-life balance. Work should be a little less hectic, and I need to remember to have a positive attitude at work. Outside of work, I hope to spend more quality time with my husband. His traveling and my crazy shift work should be calming down, so we should be able to make more time for each other. It will be our 10 year anniversary this year, so we really need to make time to celebrate us. I also hope to stay connected better with friends from near and far. And of course continue to make time to see my family.
I'm sure 2018 will definitely have its challenges, as all years do. In writing down these thoughts, I'm hoping it will help me to stay honest and accountable with myself.
