This time, something completely different

Over the years I've fallen in to the trap of making resolutions. I'm not going to lie, some of them were so unreachable (like the year I vowed I would fit in to a size 2 by June) that I was just setting myself up for failure. But I did it anyway and you guessed it, failed miserably (my right thigh wouldn't fit in to a size 2).

This year I've decided instead to make promises to myself. Call it a list of things I should be doing anyway, but will be less likely to fail at if I promise myself they'll get done. Sounds better that way and makes more sense in my brain, which can be a scary place to be sometimes. Hey, whatever works, right?

The first promise I made to myself was to be more healthy. Not necessarily concentrating on the weight loss (although that is a definite must do) but more on eating better and fitting more exercise into my day. I have two motivations to kick my butt along as well. First is that Will signed us up at a gym that's only 5 minutes from the apartment. It's right on my way to work so I have no excuse for not going either before or after my workday. We're going tomorrow to get started and I guess get some kind of orientation. Having him doing this with me will definitely help to keep me going too. As competitive as I am, knowing he's doing better than I am will just about kill me. My other motivation? I agreed to do the Race for the Cure in Philadelphia in May with my friends Julie and Kristin. I did it for about 3 years in Baltimore, which was closer but now that I'm in the greater Philly area, it just makes for sense to do it here. It's also important to me because of the history of the disease in my family. My grandmother is almost 3 years after diagnosis (her first mammogram was at the age of 85!), still going strong. But it's scary to know that there is a genetic possibility that this disease could effect my mother, sister, nieces, aunts or cousins. The more money we can raise for research the better. Also, it's given me an excuse to dig out the old Couch to 5k program I did a few years ago. I found it a good way to get a couch potato like myself up and moving with little struggle.

So there it is, my first promise to myself for 2010. Hopefully, it's one I won't break.