If you’re not singing that title a la Motley Crue, then I don’t know what to say. If you are, sorry/ not sorry for the earworm.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t set particular goals or resolutions or words-of-the-year in January, but I do like to look at my collective year-round goals during this month. What can I say, I like the Fresh Start feeling of the New Year, even if it is January 17, and New Year’s already feels like it was several months ago. Time has no meaning.
You know, I’m not even sure that I can classify most of these as goals. They are just things I aim to do every day. Well, I guess technically that is the definition of a goal, but it doesn’t feel like I need to strive to do these things; at this point, they are just habits, habits that I write down in my agenda every week as a to-do list.
Honestly, I think that is the key to any goal: make it a habit and write it down so that you can cross it off, either mentally or physically. What is it about a list that I love? I have no idea, but it’s motivational.
Before we get into that, I have to tell you something that brings me joy and happiness every single day, and that is the increasing amount of daylight. I first noticed a couple of weeks ago that it wasn’t dark at 4:30 pm, and then I started watching for the sunset. Now it happens around 5, and the sky is dusky and navy blue for a few minutes after that, and it’s really lovely.
More daylight! I also realize that since giving up the news, I have more TIME in the day. I didn’t think I spent much time reading the news, but apparently doomscrolling and obsessively checking Covid numbers and updates took up more time than I thought, which gives me time to do other things, like work on my goals/ habits.
So, goals! I’m going to call these all goals, for lack of a better word. These are the Quantifiable Goals, as opposed to my Hippy-Dippy Goals; Yoda-like, there is a do-or-do-not-do feel to them.
Food Is Delicious, Can I Have Some More Please
One goal that I started to work on a few months ago is to add new recipes to my roster. Longtime readers will remember my Eating A Rainbow meal plan that I literally never deviate from. Like, never. During the Christmas holidays, we had Greek salad on a Thursday instead of a Friday and my kids both told me that they were confused all of Friday as they thought it was Saturday. We’re having Greek salad and it’s NOT Friday, what’s happening, all is chaos and turmoil.
You’ll be happy to know that I am still not deviating from my meal plan, but I am adding to it: Pasta Night is still Monday, but occasionally I’ll try a new sauce, Stir Fry Night is still Tuesday, but I might try a different kind of stir-fry. I know! Saturdays, I might try an entirely new thing. I know. How wild can I be?
My general goal is to try two new recipes a month, whether that be for a meal or dessert or baked goods. So far, I’ve nailed it for December and January, so I hope to keep that up. I have so many cookbooks and I don’t use them frequently; I am more of a free-styler when it comes to cooking. I am a recipe developer’s nightmare as I use them as a vague jumping-off point, but still! I’m trying new things! I received this book for Christmas:
Did I follow the recipes to a tee? No, I did not. But so far, the recipes that I free-styled from it are GREAT – Manchurian sauce for stir-fry night and “nacho seasoning,” which I used on one of my usual black-bean recipes – and will be in the regular rotation.
Joyful Movement
Whenever I think of Joyful Movement I think of this:
Mmm. The Land of Chocolate.
The truth is that I really love cardio workouts and getting sweaty and red-faced.
Because I do love this kind of workout, I usually do something sweaty six days a week. The key for me is to do things that I love: Peloton biking and running are the main activities, but I am on a running hiatus right now. I will not run outside when it’s slippery, snowy, icy, and/ or below zero, so typically I use the treadmill at my fitness club for the winter months. My fitness club is still open and requires all members to be fully vaccinated to use the facility, but even so I don’t feel great breathing heavily, maskless, while others around me are doing the same. Instead I’m getting cozy with my elliptical trainer, which is fairly boring, but I find a good playlist helps a lot with my motivation.
I classify these things as Joyful Movement because I truly enjoy them; if ever I feel like I have to do something, rather than I want to do something, I take it as a sign to stop.
A small note here: a year ago I started strength training, and it is NOT a Joyful Movement, in fact, I kind of hate it, BUT I keep up with it because I feel it’s important for injury and osteoporosis prevention. I also keep all strength workouts to ten minutes or so, and really, I can do anything for ten minutes. Right? Right. Occasionally one of my sons will observe me doing my workout, with a massively bitchy look on my face, and say “Go Mom! You’re totally not going to get The Osteo!” which makes me smile and motivates me to keep going.
Go Outside And Play
I make a point to go for a walk every day, every single day, even when it’s minus 30. I think the fresh air is so important and even the coldest walks boost my mood, albeit because I feel hardy and accomplished when I go out in such weather. If I’m walking by myself, I listen to podcasts, which are also Joyful Things.
Keep The Streak, But Don’t Be Weird About It
Speaking of walks, in March 2020 I decided I would get my daily step goals, as dictated to me by my Garmin watch, and keep that streak going. People, I kept that streak for 504 days, FIVE HUNDRED AND FOUR. I finally broke the streak because I was quite ill with inadvertent iron poisoning, the story/ cautionary tale of which I will save for another time.
I felt sad about breaking my streak, even though I couldn’t be far from a bathroom, let alone go on a 5km walk. But honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking. Did I think I would keep my streak FOREVER? Would I keep going until I had one foot in the grave? I had to shake it off and let it go, thinking I can start a NEW streak, won’t that be fun or something, and now I’m on a 147 day streak. Will I exceed my previous streak? Who knows? Who cares! The point is, sometimes you have to let things go.
On December 28, 2020 I started a Peloton activity streak, which means I am on day 385; 385 little blue dots! If you know, you know. I think this is something that sounds more impressive than it is: for example, when I was on vacation I kept my streak by doing 5 minute stretches or meditations. Hey, logging an activity is logging an activity, and although I meditate every day by myself, sometimes I like a guided meditation, especially when it will earn me a blue dot.
Put That OM In The OMG
While we are on the topic of meditation, this is something I do, along with my yoga practice, every single day. Most days my practice takes around 45-55 minutes, but some days I recognize that I need less. On those days, I may do only standing postures and then sit in meditation for 20 minutes, or I may do a restorative practice, or I merely sit in meditation. I think there is an idea out there that if you roll out your mat, you have to “make it count” and do a certain number of postures for a certain amount of time, and I am here to say THAT IS NOT CORRECT. Some days a five-minute meditation may be all you need, some days you may take child’s resting pose for 20 minutes, and some days you might spend an hour on your practice. And when I say “you,” I mean “me.”
Tickling The Ivories
A year or so ago, I was talking to my son, who is a drummer, about my piano playing. I was finding it hard to learn anything new, my fingers just weren’t what they used to be. Yeah Mom, maybe if you actually practiced more, it would be easier, he said, and he’s right. I vowed to play at least three songs a day, every weekday.
It’s incredible what actual practice will do for you. My fingers remember all my old exam material, I can play without music in front of me, and best of all, I’m really enjoying finding new music to play. Some days I’m pressed for time and play three one-page songs; other days, I go through all four verses of Piano Man.
Pandemic Reading
In 2021, I read 156 books! I do not have a goal number for 2022, but I try to pick up a book instead of my phone when I am bored or have a few minutes to spare. More books, no doomscrolling, we shall see how long this lasts but so far so good.
I Heart Hawaii. I discovered, AFTER reading this, that this book is number eight of eight in a series. Eight! Well, I did not need to read any previous books about the foibles of a British girl in New York City to follow the plot of this one. It was just silly and fun and fluffy, and I recommend it if you just want some mind candy. It’s nice to read about Hawaii in January, I think.
A Carnival of Snackery. Oh, I love David Sedaris! Although I don’t enjoy his fiction, his personal essays are pure gold. If you are like me, you’ll LOVE this book. It’s comprised of his diaries and it’s just so good. At times I laughed so hard my husband came upstairs, alarmed, thinking I was having some kind of breakdown. Even Barkley, who is deaf, would pick up his head and stare at me as I cry-laughed, unable to breathe. It’s not all hilarity though; much is sad and thoughtful and tragic. Since it’s diary entries, there are many current events: the Iraq War, elections, school shootings, police violence, racism, and violence towards and changing attitudes about homosexuality. It ends, of course, with the pandemic. Throughout are observations about his various relationships, and particularly poignant is his fraught relationship with his father, who suffers ill health and is actually diagnosed with – but recovers from, at age 97 – Covid.
Devotions. I started reading this, poem by poem, in March 2020. I would start my day with one poem. After a while, I added other poetry to the mix and then would read one or two poems a week. I had been holding off on reading the last few poems for a couple of months, just going back and rereading favourites, because I didn’t want to finish this. In the words of Grace in Alias Grace when she is asked why she’s not eating the apple given her, Then it would be gone. Finally, I did read the last poem. Mary Oliver’s poetry resonates with me so deeply; her love of nature, her uplifting messages. I just might start again from the beginning.
Goals, goals, goals. That’s all of mine – any of yours you want to share? xo
I love all your habits! The one I most want to adopt is the fresh air one. My parents do that too and I admire it so much… I just need to make it a priority, right? I think I get caught up in how much time it takes to bundle up but probably it is an extra 5-10 minutes tops, right?
I love that your piano habit is paying off! I have been doing it more often too but nowhere near daily.
I know what you mean, sometimes I face the multiple layers I have to don and it seems like a bridge too far…but it’s always worth it and really, it is only about five extra minutes.
I like your goal list! The one that I would add for myself is getting back on the piano. I had a “I am not good and this and I will never be good at this” meltdown last year and stopped, but my youngest stepson started taking lessons last fall and is up to the point where he not only does his required practice but plays for fun on top of that. I feel like I should step up.
I don’t have any formal reading goals, but I always have a book going and read a chapter or two before bed.
I just read in my “Daily Stoic” book TODAY that sometimes we give up before we start because we don’t think we can excel at something – but it’s important to just start and put in the work. This resonates with me! Playing just for fun is key, I hope you get back on that horse/ piano bench 🙂
I think going outside every day is so crucial. I love having a dog so I can use “I need to walk the dog” as an excuse whenever I want to. It’s less awesome when it’s really, really cold or really, really hot, but I think just leaving the house reminds me that there’s more to the world than just what I can see in my house!
I used to love David Sedaris, but recent rereads have made me think he’s a bit caustic and mean at times. I wonder if it’s because I’m a more sensitive reader or if his writings just haven’t aged well. Probably a combination of both!
Yes, leaving the house! Fresh air! Such great things. It’s rarely really hot here, but often really cold, and I do think it’s easier to dress for the cold than it is for sweltering temperatures.
Oh, I want to read the David Sedaris book. It sounds really good.
You have some impressive habits. I’m in awe of the walking outdoors and the piano practicing. Not to mention your ability to read SO many books. Wow. I’d like to get out to walk more. And I should. One obstacle is the constant presence of tots and babies. I’d have to walk before 7 am BEFORE they arrive. I’d also like to include Finn in my walks and he is still asleep at that time. Lad has him on a late night schedule and I don’t really want him in the kitchen during drop off. What’s this? Excuses, excuses.
My goal: make my people do more. That sounds simple, right. I announced yesterday that they all need to wipe down the counter top EVERY time they eat or are simply in the kitchen space. They are ridiculous. Make food, snack, pour a drink, and they rarely wipe up after themselves. Done with that.
My other goal, get back in the habit of cleaning certain spaces in the house on certain days. Like; TOWELS ON THURSDAY, VACUUM ON FRIDAY, etc.
Mostly, I want to make the time to work on writing my book.
I think those are really good goals, Ernie! I definitely think your people could help you out – and I like the idea of having certain jobs for certain days. Of course, making time to write is a great goal too!
I’m walking around my house singing GOALS, GOALS, GOALS like it’s 1987.
Congratulations on your streak! That is a great goal to have. Speaking of goals…I know I said no to resolutions, but I secretly decided that in 2022, I wanted to do exercise of some kind every single day. I’ve only missed two days because of health reasons, but I love how I feel!
I have so many friends who adore David Sedaris and I’ve tried. I have tried so hard. Maybe I need to listen to an audiobook?
Sedaris isn’t for everyone! I know I’ve recommended him before and had some friends say “Wtf was that.”
That’s so great about your daily exercise! I think it just feels good to move, whatever that means, and it helps with mental/ emotional AND physical health! Good for you!
I’ve been walking outside for at least 1 km each day; I didn’t set out to make this a goal for January, but it happened organically and I’m loving it.
I dropped my running 3x/week because I…wasn’t loving it. The weather is just too cold/icy/unpredictable right now and I just don’t like running inside on the treadmill. I appreciate that you say when you don’t enjoy something it’s a sign to stop. For me, that’s winter running. After years of trying to force a fit, I just admitted I only want to run when it’s safe/nice to do so outside and that, in Eastern Canada, is really only 8-9 months of the year. And that’s okay.
The kids returned for a 1/2 day of in-person schooling today (sent home at lunchtime because of another snowstorm which was a good call because the roads are now terrible), so I got 4 km walking on the walk to/from school. Not sure if I’ll try to keep this up long-term, but getting outside each day is literally feeling like a sanity saver right now.
I think that’s 100% the key – movement in a way that suits your life, that you enjoy. After all, if it’s a chore or feels like something to dread, it’s not joyful. 8-9 months sounds really nice, I think Calgary is less runnable (although people do) because of ice and cold temps. It’s just nice to be outside, running or walking!
Love your attitude to goals. I’m in a similar space where I don’t want to list, enumerate, and calibrate every single thing but aim to do more of X and less of Y. That said, I’m so in awe of all your physical activity: cardio+yoga+outside activity? It’s a trifecta or perfection!
Thanks Maya!
I am the opposite with exercise – could do weights every day but I have a harder time with cardio, although I loved aerobics classes when I was younger. I don’t have trouble getting myself outside most days but my feet and back make long distances troublesome when I can’t just wear my proper running shoes with orthotics. And good lord I cannot make myself remember to play the piano. Can you just maybe remind me every day? I don’t make resolutions either, I just keep trying to form more healthy and happy-making habits.
Oooh, I did used to love those step classes. I think my joints wouldn’t hold up anymore. But those were fun, weren’t they? YES I will remind you to play the piano. *makes note to harass Allison every day*
No resolutions here. With diabetes, I think I’ve had to make enough changes recently as it is. I was considering upping my Fitbit step goal by 500 steps, but I haven’t done that yet.
Oh, no kidding, that was a lot of changes already!
Ooh! I don’t have Vegan Richa’s cookbook, but I’ve made some recipes from her website. They are good! My only complaint is that some things are a little odd- like the recipe will call for seven ounces of pasta (what do I do with that last ounce?) or 1/3 teaspoon of something, or the oven to be set at an odd temperature like 360. Just curious to know if the book is like that. Speaking of books… the Mary Oliver book is on my TBR- still haven’t gotten it but they have it at my Barnes and Noble, and I have a gift card! I’ll be getting it soon.
Yes to everything you said about exercise- love cardio (especially running of course!) and force myself to do strength. And I’ve been doing yoga, and loving it.
I love all your goals (habits?) and you’re inspiring me to read more. 156 books is truly impressive!
Hmmm, I haven’t noticed any weird measurements or temperatures, but I will keep my eye out. I’ve liked everything I’ve made, but I did really change the spice levels on some of the sauces, because otherwise I think my husband would die. And I don’t really want to kill him off!
These are all great goals. Although I dislike cardio (and love weights) I fully support everyone doing the exercise that they love the most. I read about people doing these huge Peloton streaks… but what about your butt?? I ask because I just got a spinning bike and MY BUTT. Maybe there is a secret??
Oh, this I can answer! I used to wear padded bike pants when I started, but I think I developed some kind of…I don’t know what to call it, but maybe I just got used to it with time? I don’t get a sore butt at all anymore and I don’t wear the padded pants either. So I think you just get used to it.
I really want to get into a habit of going outside at least once a day. I think it’s so crucial to get that fresh air and vitamin D, but I get so lazy about it sometimes with working from home. You mean I have to put on a bra and shoes? Wahhhh.
156 books is amazing! In 2020, I read 153 and I don’t think I’ll ever read that much ever again. Or maybe I will! Who knows what the future holds. 🙂
Who knows indeed! I don’t know if I’ll ever get to this level – 2021 was WEIRD, so I read a lot – but who knows!
Nicole, I JUST got the post title. I was thinking– Motley Crue had a song called Goals, Goals, Goals? Seems a little off brand. Then I remembered the real song many hours later.
You are much more organized than I when it comes to meals. We are much more likely to decide on dinner on the fly, although we eat lots of fruits and vegetables. You LIKE to move? Send some of that energy my way, would you please. I dislike moving/exercise/things that remind of PE in high school. And when it comes to exercise just about everything does. I walk, but with gritted teeth.
I wish I could decide dinner on the fly, but I can’t do it! I’d like to be more spontaneous!
You have the most steady habits of anyone I know. For real!
I’m envious of your talent for playing the piano; I have zero musical talents aside from remembering 80’s lyrics. But, I’m not a Motley Crue fan; so I read/sang your title to The Thompson Twins: LIES, LIES, LIES, Yeah!
Your boys are the funniest ever; I can see that they keep you entertained.
I love your habit list – I am the same way, most of my goals are just “keeping up my (good) habits” 🙂 I do hope to catch you on the leaderboard sometime… spinning and running are my go-to cardio exercises of choice and then of course strength and yoga.
I did not know that you also play the piano: something else we have in common! Unfortunately, my piano sits at my parents’ house, 6000 miles away. Sigh.
Oh yes, and you’re so right: time has no meaning. How is it 1/20 already?
We have so much in common, San! I wish we were neighbours! Specifically, I wish I was YOUR neighbour (it’s cold here!)