Settin’ goals

Wow. WordPress has really beefed up its efforts to encourage blogging.

After I published my last post, I noticed a widget with suggestions for future blog topics. Once I recovered from my FCAT flashbacks, one prompt caught my attention: “Exactly half of the year is now over. List 10 things you want to do before 2012 begins.”

Why thank you for the bucket-list style challenge, folks. I’ve had a number of goals floating around in my head, and this provides me an opportunity to share them.

1. As you know, I’d like to run a 5K. No race commitment yet, but I’m training.
2. Attend a Florida football game — for the first time as an alumna.
3. Save $1,000 from here out. With my pay, that’s going to take a LOT of frugality.
4. Visit my dad’s family in North Carolina. I haven’t been there in years.
5. See my best friends more than twice. Now that we’re dispersed, that’ll be a challenge.
6. Turn 23. Duhhh.
7. Spend the holidays with my family — without missing work. Thank you Saturday Christmas! (Hey, I’ve got five vacation days and I’m being VERY protective of them.)
8. It should come as no surprise that I’d like to lose weight. But I’m adding it because it is possible that I could accomplish No. 1 and still not shed a pound.
9. Get a puppy. Which actually won’t happen while I’m in this lease, which is a kicker because I have a great place.
10. This one’s open. I’ll add something new to the list when it comes to mind.

Here’s to hoping WP prompts me to reevaluate my goals come the new year!

What’s on your list?

Training is fun! … and painful

A couple of months ago, when I called to ask my athletics-obsessed Dad if he would sponsor my fitness endeavor, his response was, “Aren’t trainers for old women with too much money?”

Tuesday morning I had my first personal training session. Ever.

I’ve worked out with a better-informed friend on many occasions, and I’ve even had a gym orientation with a trainer, but I’ve never had a comprehensive one-on-one experience with someone who has my strengths, weaknesses and goals in mind.

Coming out of the meeting, I was elated. I had worked more leg muscles than I thought I had — it seems to me that most people only work their calves, quads and hamstrings — and naming them at this point would be like me trying to say the Spanish alphabet backwards. I even learned about myofascial release, which is essentially a soft therapy for your fascia (a web of soft tissue that forms connective tissue) which is equal parts painful and relieving.

I even called to tell my Dad that I feel like I’ve learned more in one session than I think some of my P90X-obsessed, gym-loving male friends seem to know.

The only drawback? I’ve never been so sore in all my life. Walking up stairs feels like running a marathon, and trying to sit down is only easy when I have some upper-body support. I know the pain indicates I’ve made a great change, but I hope every session doesn’t leave me feeling so tight and restricted.

 

So this is the New Year

All around me, people are fixated on the symbolic cleansing that comes with the turn of each year. Every website I visit boasts cliché headlines and features –New Year, New You!– and even my roommate has spoken at length about her resolution to stop biting her nails.

I find it rather intriguing that many people rebel against this tabula rasa mentality. One blogger I know, Lindsay, makes it her mission to share anti-resolution rhetoric on a noble mission to make us all appreciate ourselves as we are.

And here I am, stuck in the middle.

I’d love to proudly proclaim that resolutions are silly and meaningless (and likely to be abandoned come February), but I’m a sucker for tradition and love a challenge. And, as a student, this time of year is symbolic of change. Fresh off the heels of an internship, I am facing a new class and work schedule and –cue choir of angels—some free time.

Here are my resolutions for the new year/new semester/time being:

1. Pursue a lifestyle dedicated to health and fitness: With this resolution, I am fighting a lifetime of poor dedication and even worse habits. I’m resolving to get into tip-top shape for both fitness and vanity. I’ve enrolled in personal training (a first for me!) through the University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports and prepping for a 5K run using the C25K iPhone app. I’m also working with a nutritional consultant and pursuing a more whole-foods oriented diet.

2. Focus on my professional present and future: When people ask me if I’m eager to graduate, I give them my honest response: I am scared. The future looks tumultuous for even the best writers, so I’m beefing up my arsenal of skills. I’m going to resume carrying my Nikon D70S (on loan from my dad) and complete a capstone class with a focus on multimedia reporting. I’m eager to learn Final Cut and refine my photography skills, and I believe this class will give me a competitive edge. I certainly know it will enhance my blog.

3. Revamp and maintain my blog: A synthesis of my first two resolutions, I’d like to grow more dedicated to my blog. I know, I know, every few months I write that I promise to write more. But I started this blog to share with potential employers, and what I’ve offered so far is inconsistent and infrequent. I promise to write at least three blog posts per week about whatever strikes me, from my fitness pursuits to something I’ve learned in class to a review of a product. I also want to become more experimental behind the scenes with widgets and more displays of my own work, especially as I transition to more visual media.

Please join me in discussing these resolutions and offer some thoughts on your own.