Holiday vacation is over, which meant back to work for this ad girl today 🙂

While excited to see my co-workers, it’s definitely tough to get back into things. I had my fair share of wine and delicious food over my winter break (which everyone should), and while I will continue to indulge every so often, I wanted to reflect on what goals and changes I want to make in 2015.

Every year it’s usually the same thing – come January 1, I would make a crazy resolution that wouldn’t last. One year I had the crazy thought that I was going to give up carbs – I immediately think of Regina George in Mean Girls asking “Is butter a carb?” After about 5 days of furiously reading labels and wanting to kill everyone in sight, I would find the nearest unhealthiest food I could and devour it. After a few years of repeating this stupid cycle, I came to the realization that any resolutions I have should follow the following guidelines:

•  They should be realistic
• They should be ongoing, lifestyle changes
• They should contribute to making myself a better person overall (emotionally, physically, and mentally)

Since launching this blog and considering the above, I took a few weeks at the end of 2014 to really think about what I want to achieve to become a better “me”. After thoughtful reflection, I came to a list that I think is both attainable and promising. I’ve listed them out from what I consider to be the “easiest” to the hardest:

•  Drink more water – I say this EVERY year, but I really want to do this one. Hydration is so important for overall health and wellness, especially when being active.
• Meditate for at least 5 minutes a day – I’ve heard a lot about meditation recently and it’s health benefits. Working in a fast paced world like advertising, it’s REALLY hard to stop, take a breath, and collect your thoughts. In the most recent January 2015 issue of Women’s Health, Britney Spears discussed how she meditates and how she usually falls asleep during it! I went to a great yoga workshop recently where we set intentions for the beginning of class, including letting go of any negative emotions/feelings we were holding onto. At the end of class, we reflected on those emotions and mediated for 10 minutes. It was really difficult for me to do at first, but when I left class, I felt this overwhelming sense of calm and happiness. While I don’t think I can get to that state of exhilaration everyday, I want to make this a more common practice in my life.
• Cook dinner at a least 3 times a week – As some of you already know, cooking is something that brings pure joy to my life. I cook as much as I can on the weekend, but I want to make an effort to cook dinner for myself and my husband during the week. Not only will it be something I enjoy, but I can cook healthy meals and share the recipes with you all!
• Run a 5k – This is going to be the hardest one of them all for me. While I ran Varsity Track in high school, I really HATE running these days. I prefer workouts that are fun and make the time go by quickly – with running, I’m usually counting the minutes down to when I can stop. I think a lot of this is mental, which will make this even more challenging. However, I am determined to push myself to do something outside of my comfort zone this year, especially in the fitness realm.

I’m going to hold myself accountable through this blog and share my journey with you, including when I’m struggling, achieving, or failing. What are your goals for 2015? How are you holding yourself accountable? Comment below!