Area 1 - Health and Fitness

Ok, so the first area of my life which needs a bit of a kick-start is my health. Back in October I took part in a London-based programme called Sweat in the City. I basically got a three month gym membership free and just had to feed back to the organisers on what I did and didn't enjoy.

I really got a lot out of the programme but towards the end I fell off the wagon, slipped out of my routine and never went again! (Ooops!). However, exercising more seems to have kickstarted my metabolism which, if I'm scientifically correct, means that I have to exercise more to avoid piling on the pounds. And I'm now noticing that my jeans are a little on the tight side - no it's not just the post-Christmas bulge either!

I know that I wouldn't be able to maintain a gym membership so I'm not about to waste my precious pennies signing up. However, I've decided to start running again. I won't put any grand targets and plans down because I suffer greatly from the guilt factor if I slip up. So I'm hoping if I go little and often that I will just slip into a natural routine that will amount to three times a week on average...... good plan? We'll see, I'll be logging everything on here so you can check on my progress (and give me a kick up the bum when needed!).

So now, to dig out my dusty trainers!

Goals

- To go running at least once a week, never feeling guilty if I miss a session but starting small and working up from there.

- To keep reading magazines like Zest and Health and Fitness, keeping the topic at the forefront of my mind and so beng healthier simply by 'osmosis' - it works, seriously!

2009 - a clean slate!

I am a big fan of new year. There's the anticipation of all that lies ahead, the year has gone, a new one has come, the world is my oyster and 2009 is the year that everything will be as it should be. Right? Ok, so one thing you will learn about me is I am ever-the-optimist. I approach life with a slight air of idealism, vague naivity and innocence. My husband thinks it's endearing... I like to view it as the secret to survival! :0)

Anyway, so this year is going to be the year that life reaches perfection and all falls into place. I've decided. And, my fellow bloggers, you guys get to watch it unfold on this little diary of mine. There will be a life overhaul, a strategic plan of action and constant reviews of my progress (or lack of it!).

So, before I inundate you with my grand plans and resolutions, let me tell you a bit about life as it stands.

I am 23 years old, I live in the wonderful city that is London which I love dearly. I'm a wannabe writer who currently travels 56 miles every day to write for a magazine which is not going to score me points on my CV, nor start up interesting conversations at dinner parties. I enjoy it a lot, yet it feels somewhat pointless in the grand scheme of my life.

I eat far too much junk, have no idea how to cook, and no inclination to learn. I do very little exercise, yet manage to maintain a reasonable figure... which somehow allows me to justify my unhealthy lifestyle and stops me from doing anything about it.

I have an amazing husband who keeps me grounded. We've been together four years, married for 16 months. I have an immovable faith in God and go to an incredible church, and yet I still sometimes feel lost in my spiritual journey, or as if I'm just floating by in a cloud of busy-ness.

I love to shop but can't really afford to. I still live with the financial legacy of my student overdraft and credit cards that are way beyond what I can afford. This is something that I aim to tackle - more on that later.

I have some great friends both from days gone by and from London, but I'm crap at keeping in touch, remembering birthdays and making visits. I never call when I say I will and I very rarely spontaneously meet people for coffee. I don't know why. I just don't.

If I had unlimited time and resources I would do a round-the-world trip to visit all my friends across the world, learn to sew, get a degree in business and while away my time in bookstores drinking chai tea. One day I'd like to write a book.

So, now that I've finished critiquing myself, it's time to change. Don't worry, I'm not depressed, I just understand my current limits and know this is not where I want to be. Where I want to be I'm not sure. But we'll take baby steps and see what happens. Looking forward to it!

So how to change? Well, instead of pinning up a long list of resolutions on my wall, I thought I would post my goals in bitesize chunks on here. Now I've never been one for making goals. I can't remember a time when I've set myself a target and actually bothered to achieve it. So this in itself is new territory!

So goals so far:
- Work out what my goals are
- Blog regularly enough for this to be worth it
- Achieve said goals little by little
- Live a better life