New Year, New Goals

• Save money. Last year we had quite a few holidays and events and it's safe to say that we didn't manage to get much saving done. This year we don't have any holidays planned and that's the way I like it at the moment. I'm looking forward to putting as much money away as possible over the next few months, as we are getting married next year and have a lot to pay for. I think we will reassess our finances in a few months and hopefully we will have saved enough to have a little bit extra to go on a small holiday or weekend away, just the two of us.
• Remove harmful people from my life. A few weeks ago something happened in my personal life that made me realise that life's too short to entertain people that you just don't get on with. Some personalities just clash and there's nothing you can do about it. It's best for everyone to let go and go your separate ways and I'm taking that view into 2018 with me. Life is too short!
• Spend more time with the people that matter. On a slightly related note I'm going to make more of an effort to spend time with the people who do matter to me. It's easy to just sit on your butt all weekend after a long week at work, but I want to try and plan more outings and days out with my family this year and make more of an effort to actually do things.
• Be more mindful and present. Also learn more about crystals and tarot cards. Just before Christmas I read Material Girl, Mystical World by Ruby Warrington (thanks to Bre from Brianne etc for the recommendation) and it resonated with me so much. Since then I've been meditating more and looking at keeping a mindfulness/gratefulness journal. The New Year is as good a time as any to start a new journal after all! I've also picked up a tarot deck and I really want to try some more layouts with my tarot cards, as I've just been picking one a day so far.

• Do more cardio. Ever since I've started going to the gym, about 18 months ago now, I've focused on lifting weights. I enjoy it, I can see a change in my body when I do and I always feel like I've worked out afterwards. I love it. The only thing is I'm still carrying excess fat, which I don't like. So, I'm incorporating more cardio into my routine and I'm aiming to do 20 - 30 minutes at the start of every gym session. I've partnered up with a friend now who used to do cardio but no weights, so we've decided to team up and she'll push me to do cardio and I'm helping her in the weights section.
• Eat healthier. This relates to the above because it all goes towards losing that excess fat. Throughout December we had so many parties and events that our eating was all over the place, but we don't have anything planned in January or February so I'm looking forward to meal planning and making sure we get more healthy fruit and vegetables into our diets. My IBS plays up if I eat too much junk food, so eating healthier will ensure that I feel my best too.
• Make the most of my time in the gym. I still managed to go to the gym throughout most of December but getting to the end of the year meant that most of the time I was just going through the motions. Our schedule was out of sync and half the time I would just train what I felt like, which isn't a bad thing, but I'm looking forward to getting back to a set routine for the week and putting in 100% effort.
• Start training abs and chest. This is more of a goal for now, rather than the year, but I'll add it in anyway! Currently I don't tend to train chest or abs (you can't see my abs under my excess fat anyway!) but this year I want to mix up my training and make sure I incorporate all muscle groups. It's hard to fit everything into 4 days though, so I need to have a really good think about how to rotate all the muscle groups and add cardio!

• Post at least once a week. I've tried to post twice and three times a week in the past and I find it's just too much with a full time job. It's also hard in the winter to take photos and I'm not too great at forward planning, so once a week should suit me fine. I might throw in an extra one every now and again if I get an urge, but we'll see.
• Post a few more lifestyle posts this year. It will still be predominantly beauty, but I like writing posts about a different subject every now and again. If there is anything specific you'd like me to write about, be it fitness, holiday tips, interiors, food, etc, let me know!
• Work with more great brands. I've been lucky enough to work with some amazing brands last year and I hope that 2018 will present even more great opportunities for me and my little blog.

Labels: Lifestyle