So I wanted to take a minute to reflect on 2014 and establish my intentions for 2015. Some people tend to take a negative view of resolution making and all the nostalgia associated with ringing in a new year. I like to take a more optimistic view of things. Sure, I've fallen victim to making the same resolutions over and over again, only to "fall off the wagon" weeks later. Most often, it is the promise of losing x amount of pounds - usually a lofty goal ranging from 40-80 pounds depending on where I was along my journey. Since last year, I've stopped assigning a specific number goal to the coming year.
Why? Well I already have a goal weight in mind but how the hell am I supposed to know how long it will take me to reach it? Or how many pounds are healthy for me to lose in 12 months? Second, when I was gaining the weight I didn't do it all in one burst. The weight crept on insidiously, about 10-20 lbs per year since high school. For me it seems like the best idea to keep my weight loss goals "separate" from my life goals. To focus not on pounds but rather processes. To make it my goal to produce lasting change in my life - make healthy eating a given, daily physical activity, stress reduction, develop a good self-esteem, etc. All of these changes will LEAD to weight loss. By just focusing on the scale, I am diminishing the importance of all of these ESSENTIAL behaviors. As we are told time and time again, real change happens when it become part of our lifestyle. Do not do anything you cannot sustain long term.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I will address this more tomorrow when I talk about 2015.
So. Goals. How else can we keep ourselves motivated and on track if we don't have something to work towards? I found the goals I made for 2014 and decided to do a short inventory to see how I did!
Goals for 2014:
1. Volunteer somewhere meaningful to me in Indianapolis
I did get involved in a free clinic this year although it's super hard to get there to volunteer. Many of the shifts are during class time in the morning but I hope to continue to give back there whenever possible!
I did get involved in a free clinic this year although it's super hard to get there to volunteer. Many of the shifts are during class time in the morning but I hope to continue to give back there whenever possible!
2. Continue to be active within school organizations.
I think I do this. I go to talks and speakers that interest me, stayed involved as an officer in EM club, and serve a course liasion for Intro to Clinical Medicine.
I think I do this. I go to talks and speakers that interest me, stayed involved as an officer in EM club, and serve a course liasion for Intro to Clinical Medicine.
3. Finish my half marathon.
I did! I finished TWO.
I did! I finished TWO.
4. Stay focused on WHY we're getting married & not get caught up in the details.
Yeah there was definitely no time for details. HAHA By the time our wedding day came around, I was so over planning and just wanted to be married!
Yeah there was definitely no time for details. HAHA By the time our wedding day came around, I was so over planning and just wanted to be married!
5. Get some type of physical activity daily.
I really wish I had done a better job of this. I sit SO much during the day whether in class or studying. I try to walk/dance around between lectures but I NEED to do a better job of get more activity! Not just gym time.
I really wish I had done a better job of this. I sit SO much during the day whether in class or studying. I try to walk/dance around between lectures but I NEED to do a better job of get more activity! Not just gym time.
6. Focus on learning because I want to be a good physician, not because I want a certain grade.
I do this moderately well. I try not to dwell too much on grades as long as I'm staying around the class average. A lot of what we learn is very clinically based which won't be stressed on boards (boards is more basic science, mechanisms of disease, etc.) but I also try to remember those nuggets of information for rotations.
I do this moderately well. I try not to dwell too much on grades as long as I'm staying around the class average. A lot of what we learn is very clinically based which won't be stressed on boards (boards is more basic science, mechanisms of disease, etc.) but I also try to remember those nuggets of information for rotations.
7. Make an effort to call my family & friends more often.
Yeah. I'm still horrible at this. My phone is always on silent and I'm very bad a spontaneously calling loved ones. Not because I don't care but because I hate talking on the phone and I'm not very thoughtful. I'm sorry, family! I will do a better job!
Yeah. I'm still horrible at this. My phone is always on silent and I'm very bad a spontaneously calling loved ones. Not because I don't care but because I hate talking on the phone and I'm not very thoughtful. I'm sorry, family! I will do a better job!
8. Blog three times a week.
NOPE.
NOPE.
9. Reflect daily on the things I am grateful for, the progress I've made, and the tasks that still need to be completed.
I try to stay mindful but I still struggle with this. It's easy to complain, get down, maybe even a little depressed during school. School can be very isolating, especially when my family and friends are living their lives, working, etc. Regardless, though, I'm am still very blessed and need to recognize this!
So overall, I think my 2014 goals went really well! A lot of my goals are longitudinal - things I can continue to work on forever and ever!
Tomorrow I will discuss my goals for 2015, share my progress report for fitness journey, and lay out my plan for the New Year!
I try to stay mindful but I still struggle with this. It's easy to complain, get down, maybe even a little depressed during school. School can be very isolating, especially when my family and friends are living their lives, working, etc. Regardless, though, I'm am still very blessed and need to recognize this!
So overall, I think my 2014 goals went really well! A lot of my goals are longitudinal - things I can continue to work on forever and ever!
Tomorrow I will discuss my goals for 2015, share my progress report for fitness journey, and lay out my plan for the New Year!
Happy New Year!
How did 2014 go for you?
What was most challenging for you in 2014?
I'll share with you my experience. Another way to overcome weight loss woes is instead of focusing on numbers, focus on performance. For instance, can you run a certain distance within a given time without losing breath? Take a note of your recovery time between each test run. If it takes less time to recover in the subsequent attempts, that means your stamina is improving a bit. Lifting also helps, since having the muscle mass gives you the foundation to move around. If you can lift heavier or do more reps in the same weight without losing breath by the end of the month, that's an improvement in performance. If you focus on that, the weight will naturally follow.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful 2015!