2012 Resolution: Create a new me!

There is one day left of 2011, and this whole week I've been thinking about my resolutions for the new year. I'm usually not one to set resolutions because I tend to expect too much of myself, then by June I've pretty much forgotten the laundry list of things I was supposed to be working on through the year.

Well this year I've decided to set just one single goal, one that I'm sure most of you have made as well:

Take care of myself and get in shape.

Since getting pregnant with Oliver I've been on a crazy roller coaster when it comes to my weight, my fitness, and my diet. I get these crazy rushes of motivation, overwork myself and set unrealistic goals, then self-sabotage when I don't meet those goals and eat everything in sight. The biggest problem with this scenario is that going back and forth from eating super healthy to eating garbage just wreaks havoc on my body, both physically and emotionally. When I'm not eating right I'm tired and depressed all the time, my skin breaks out, I'm winded just walking up the stairs, even my nails get brittle and break constantly. No bueno.

So here's my plan. 

EXERCISE

I can control this much easier than I can my diet, but what I've struggled with in this area is constantly getting injured. I've got horrible knees and even when I wear braces I'm in moderate to severe pain through any form of exercise that requires any high-impact move (i.e. jumping jacks, skaters, and even lunges). And running? Forget it. So how do I get a high-intensity, calorie-burning workout without doing anything high-impact? I think I may have found my answer. I saw an ad for Karve Studio here in Lindon and looked it up online. They specialize in a body sculpting method that combines ballet barre work, pilates, and yoga. It's very low-impact, but incredibly effective at sculpting and toning your body. Do I sound like a commercial right now? I'm just really excited about this! I'm starting it next week and trying it out for a month to see how I like it. If it seems like it'll work for me, I'll continue to go four to five times per week. On days when I can't make it to class I'll work on my elliptical machine at home.

DIET

I'm going to take my diet month-by-month with the intention of detoxifying my system and reprogramming my brain to crave healthy foods rather than junk. January will probably be the hardest month because it's the most restrictive, but I look forward to breaking a lot of my bad eating habits and really focusing on treating food as fuel instead of something I turn to whenever I'm bored or depressed.

My diet for January will consist of the following:
- Vegetable soups and broth
- Fruit and vegetable smoothies (like the Detox smoothie on THIS site)
- Fresh fruit
- Fresh or steamed vegetables (no added salt or butter)
- Nuts and seeds (mostly almonds)
- At least two liters of water a day
- No dairy, meat, coffee, breads, pasta, rice, or alcohol

I know it'll be incredibly hard to be on such a restrictive diet. Food (particularly foods filled with carbs and sugar) becomes almost a drug of sorts, and the withdrawals from eliminating those foods from your diet can have a lot of negative side effects - mood swings, escalated cravings, a feeling of hunger when your body has already had enough to eat, even anger and depression. I'm prepared to experience all of those withdrawal symptoms, but I'm confident that at the end of the month my body will have re-regulated itself and I'll be much better off. At that point I'll decide what to re-introduce to my diet and in what quantity.

I'm really excited to start taking better care of myself and get in shape. I'll post some updates periodically to talk about my progress and challenges. Wish me luck!

Happy 2012 everyone!