December Goals

Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to achieve my November Goals. It was a very emotional and challenging month and my routine was completely thrown out. While it’s disappointing, a new month has arrived presenting another opportunity. December will have its own challenges. With an abundance of Christmas events and catch ups planned in the next month, my diet and exercise will be affected. There will also be some financial pressure with my car registration due and presents to buy! By no means am I expecting December to be easier, but I’m not going to let its challenges to stop me from trying.

I’ve decided to revolve this month’s goals around health, money and happiness based on what I experienced last month and what I’m expecting moving forward.

Health

In the later half of November I improved my eating habits, however my gym attendance declined due to living in the city for a week and then falling sick for a few days. While I’m planning to resume my 4 sessions a week in December, I’m also aiming to improve on my consumption.

Money

Heading into December I was feeling extremely confident that my finances were all under control. However now I am less optimistic, as I have an extremely pricey car registration on the horizon.

Happiness

Within the last month I’ve been concerned with my happiness. What makes me happy? Why don’t I make time for things that make me happy? I’ve been so caught up in trying to survive adulthood, I haven’t been living a fulfilling and happy life.

GOAL ONE: Eat Smaller Portions

WHY DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?

I’ll totally confess that I have a tendency to overeat, especially at dinner time. My portion sizes are a big contributor to my figure, and would be the primary reason behind my lack of improvement in my weight and size. To assist in seeing results, I’ll be eating smaller proportions and refraining from going up for second servings throughout December.

WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK? WHAT OBSTACLES AM I FACING?

The biggest obstacle that’ll affect this goal will be the Christmas parties and catch ups. I know I’ve got at least four events that’ll pose a challenge this month, in particular my weekend back home where it’ll be back-to-back brunches and buffets.

HOW AM I GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL?

At home we have two bowl sizes: small bowls and larger bowls. While I use the smaller bowls for breakfast, we have a tendency to use the bigger bowls for dinner and fill them to the brim! But not anymore. While I’m sure Kyal will continue to load up his big bowls (he can afford to with his metabolism), I’ll be switching to a small bowl for both breakfast and dinner time.

GOAL TWO: Record meals on MyFitnessPal

WHY DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?

History has shown that when I use MyFitnessPal, my eating, lifestyle and wellbeing dramatically improves. By recording what I’m consuming, I receive a big wake up call regarding how much I’m consuming and the calories and fats involved. By realising this information, I’m make informed choices when I’m eating, and I really want to resume that habit.

WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK? WHAT OBSTACLES AM I FACING?

Similarly to Goal One, it’ll be Christmas events that’ll throw this goal. In the past I’ve been discouraged to enter meals in MyFitnessApp because I have to make educated guesses about how much I’ve consumed. When it’s a meal I’ve cooked or a product with a barcode I’m fine. But how am I supposed to know the ingredients and quantities of a meal I haven’t cooked?

HOW AM I GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL?

My daily consumption should be easy to track. I’ll just need to set alarms to remind me to submit entries. I am thinking I’ll have “Entry Free Days” on particular occasions (ie. Christmas Day) to make this goal more realistic and obtainable. While I won’t enter what I’ll be eating at these events, I’ll still remain aware of what I’m consuming and ensuring they’re small proportions.

GOAL THREE: Don’t use EFTPOS card

WHY DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?

A few days after I jotted this goal down, I was thrown off by a rather significant cost: my car registration renewal. It wasn’t a normal car renewal. It was changing the ownership from my parents to myself, changing it from a WA to VIC registration and also changing my licence over. Overall, these services were going to cost more than the price of my car. This little hiccup hasn’t destroyed this original goal. If anything it’s made it more relevant. While initially this goal was to save money, it now aims to survive December with the little money I have left over.

WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK? WHAT OBSTACLES AM I FACING?

Buying Christmas presents is 100% going to be the biggest challenge for this goal. Thankfully I’ve purchased a majority of my gifts (cheers Black Friday sales) but I’ve still got a gift or two I’d like to buy Kyal.

HOW AM I GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL?

With online shopping and PayPass, spending money is so much easier these days. If I stick to $75/week throughout December, I suspect I’ll be able to keep a lid on my purchases. Obviously there are some purchases I’ll have to do by card (ie. the car registration), however seeing as most of my weekly purchases are food related I shouldn’t be spending more than $75 per week.

GOAL FOUR: Do One Thing Every Day that Makes Me Happy

WHY DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?

There was something that stuck out like a bright neon light during November: I wasn’t happy. It was a rollercoaster of a month, and I really struggled to find time for myself and do the things I enjoyed. Being such a motivated and driven person, I can tend to focus on what I need to do and I ignore the things I want to do. It’s reached a point now, I’m not entirely sure what makes me happy. So the challenge for December is to learn more about myself, what makes me happy and pursuing it.

WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK? WHAT OBSTACLES AM I FACING?

When the going gets tough, I have a tendency to focus on all the things that have to be done. Washing, dusting, cooking, vacuuming, food shopping – you name it. I worry this will continue to occur throughout December because it’ll be an incredibly busy month.

HOW AM I GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL?

Every day I’ll be doing something that makes me happy. It could be reading a book on the train, enjoying fish and chips by the beach, baking, playing a computer game. But most importantly, I’ll be enjoying these activities guilt free.

 

How did your November goals go? And what goals are you working towards this month? Let me know in the comments!