New Year, New Me

I love January.  Yes, there is the sadness that comes with the end of the holiday season, and true Mother Nature has gifted us with subzero temps each day of this new year, but with each January comes a new beginning- a fresh slate, a new start, a symbolic do-over for all one's good intentions.  I experience a mini-January ritual virtually every Sunday evening- each Sunday I have a plan in my head for the great things that will take place THIS week, things I will accomplish and things I will do differently THIS week.  So the beginning of a New Week in a New Month in a New Year is brimming with such potential that I am nearly giddy with the confidence that surely this time I will follow through with all the good intentions that- until now- have just been living in my head.

There's nothing wrong with shooting for the moon when it comes to resolutions, goals, To-Do's, whatever you want to call them.  I'll spare you my laundry list of needed self-improvements (as there are a LOT of them!) but one that I can proudly say that I got a jump start on is overcoming my sedentary lifestyle.  I have Jillian Michael's to thank for that, and as of 10:07am I have officially completed Day One of her 30 Day Shred .  Her workouts are 27 minutes including warm-up and cool-down...perfect for naptime and leaving room for a 5 minute shower, 10 minute dress & go, and a quick post-breakfast kitchen sweep.  My goal is to do Jillian's workout every Monday and Wednesday, and to also do Bob Harper's Biggest Loser Yoga  each Tuesday and Thursday.  Quite lofty coming from one who has a spotty exercising resume, but now that it is officially recorded in BloggerLand, all the more incentive to follow through.  Plus I am eager to watch my favorite show on television this season without feeling like a loser of a different kind while I sit idly by and snack on Chili Cheese Fritos.  (Well the snack might still be in hand but the sedentary lifestyle will be absent...)

This morning between sneaking a blog entry in during snack time, and beds stripped and sheets already on the dry cycle, I'm well on my way to a productive new decade.  Now if my angels will just cooperatively engage in educational play for the rest of the day, I can get on to the rest of my list....before you know it I will have cataloged digital photo files, a clean house, a blooming garden, a well-behaved dog and bilingual children.

Happy 2010!