My 2018 intention for the year was BALANCE and I feel really good about the work I’ve done, more on that tomorrow in my Measuring Monday free-write.
I’ve set my 2019 intention as PURPOSE. I have clear goals and priorities and I want 2019 to be able serving them to the best of my ability. When faced with a decision or I choice I want to let my purpose chart my course.
Tomorrow I’ll share the full logo and rebrand, but this is the heart of it and will be my profile picture across all social media.
I first came across my previous silhouette picture in 2007 during an early iPod marketing campaign and I liked that it was Jessica Rabbit-esque. Jessica Rabbit has that “perfect” hourglass body. When I launched my Measuring Life Tumblr anonymously in 2010 I thought back to that picture as #goals plus music is something I always pair with fitness. So when it came to a custom logo I had a few inspiration pieces. Needless to say the hourglass is central to my Measuring Life identity.
Excited to give the new @blueapron and @ww partnership boxes a try! I did Blue Apron most of 2016 and loved it, my fiancé really got into cooking as a result. Excited to give this a whirl and see if we can build it into our meal planning. I’m thinking after the first month doing it every other week and recycling past recipes. @ww friendly planning is a big part of my 2019 goals!
I’m a week into my staycation and I’m totally out of wack and itching to get back to a normal schedule.
I had a 2 pound GAIN at @ww today which is from some holiday eating, but I think it’s more due to being off schedule. My meals are all over the place, generally I’ve been eating lunch and dinner only because as soon as I wake up I have somewhere to be. I’m trying to take advantage of sleeping in a little, but then last night I tossed and turned for 2 hours before finally falling asleep.
I’ve been working out plenty, but not getting enough steps each day. I’ve been productive, but also I have almost too much free time that I’m having trouble making the most of it.
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I don’t want to work a traditional 9-5 forever, but times like this make me really value my routine. A few more days until it’s back to work on January 2.
Ending 2018 with a habit I started in January 2017. Gel manicures.
For much of 2014, 2015, and the first half of 2016 I did my own nails with polish color wraps. I’ve always loved painted fingernails, but I was a chronic nail bitter for years. I curbed the habit in grad school, but still I have stubby brittle nails.
When I got new job (with a new salary) in summer 2016 I thought I’d start getting manicures then, but we spent 6 months painting and doing minor renovations to our new townhouse so my nails were a mess, not even painted the second half of 2016.
One of my resolutions for 2017 was to get and keep up gel manicures. I was partially motivated because I had a feeling 2017 was the year we’d get engaged and I wanted pretty nails (yes and yes), but getting manicures turned into an important self care practice every 2-3 weeks. Summer 2017 I was at the height of my workaholism, but I still made time for manicures and I’m thankful I did. I remember once just quietly weeping when getting my nails done one particularly difficult day.
However looking at my polished nails makes me feel like less of a mess. I can gather strength from you fingertips inwards, seriously. My fingernail polish is like protective armor or something and I’m thankful for it.
Oh I was due a pedicure, which I do every every month. I went with glitter pink to coordinate with my new Measuring Life brand reveal coming soooon!
My bestie S and I have a tradition of binge watching the new seasons of Fuller House together. This year we did it in the lap of luxury. As our gift to each other we got a room yesterday at the Four Seasons Baltimore. We used their guest spa and fitness center for the day before being up half the night watching Fuller House. We wrapped up the series this morning and then grabbed a surprisingly delicious lunch at a cute local coffee joint. This was a turkey macro bowl with all the pickled veggies including sauerkraut. The “campfire”coffee was a spiced coffee with hot cocoa!! It was a epic self-care 26 hours!
According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are against us!
Starting Measuring Life in 2010 helped me hold myself accountable. Accountability has always been the key for me to really make a change!
I would love to be your accountability buddy to get you through the first 6 weeks of year. You let me know what works for you, texts, calls, emails. I’m flexible, but I also have ideas. Send me a message if you’d like me to be your 2019 resolution accountability buddy to help you reach your goals!
The joy of not being horrified by a candid picture being posted to Facebook! And also I’m excited about getting The Greatest Showman on DVD!
AFAA (Athletics & Fitness Association of America) crunch time. Making the most of my staycation. I reviewed the text book weekly over the past few months, then I took a break to focus on BodyPump. Now it’s time to review/cram!
I plan to take the groups fitness certification exam before the end of the year!
Maybe I’m not a big holiday person because holidays equate with families and I’m not really a family person. Yes, I know (and believe) family can mean many different things, but when it comes to holidays that’s generally the blood-related family time. I saw some of my family at Thanksgiving so we’re staying local for Christmas and we’ll spend tomorrow with my fiance’s family. Most of my holiday memories involve yelling, feeling uncomfortable, and that feeling of sitting on pins and needles. I’ve long established that my mom is a terror, but so is her sister and their mother. The holidays for a long whole meant bringing all 3 of them together and it was just horrific, carnage everywhere.
The mental and emotional trauma of these days will never really be something I think I can totally heal from. From little things like being forced to eat fish on Christmas Eve at my grandmother’s house before we could open presents to explosive fights over stuffing at Thanksgiving that resulted in my mom kicking my Aunt and her family out of the house before dinner and then her throwing most of the food she made away while my sister, Dad and I just sat shell-shocked and yet not totally surprised. My “traditional” holiday task since I turned 18 has been buying my mom cigarettes – Capri ultralights. Mom never lets me drive her car, except to buy her cigarettes. One year I found a local Turkey Trot a few towns over and wanted to run it with my sister, but my mom refused to let me drive her car. I knew there was no winning because she likes to keep control over the few things she has control over, but still, it was a big fight that year. When I was home for Christmas last year fetching her cigarettes was the last request I fulfilled for her – in my car because I can no longer stand to be there without a clear escape option.
My adult years involve finding alcohol my mom hid around the house and trying to dump enough of it that wouldn’t result in me getting lashed out at. I also often spend the holidays get slurred at from my mom about “when does she get to be Grandma,” meaning when does someone else host Christmas since my Grandmother stopped hosting holidays after my Grandpa died when I was 12. For the record, I would LOVE to host a holiday and have offered, but that would involve my mom coming to my house. Which means leaving Long Island and being in a car for more than 40 minutes which are all things she doesn’t do. She came up to my grad school graduation in eastern Connecticut for the day with my grandma in 2007. That’s the last time she traveled for me and she constantly reminded me of what a taxing request it was for her to drive 2.5 hours each way. Aside from that, she hasn’t seen a place where I lived since I was a freshman in college, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.
Social media makes this time of year especially painful because sometimes I like to imagine all families are as broken and dysfunctional as mine, but then I see pictures of family game nights, family Christmas pajama parties, family hat parades, and more. It breaks my heart every single year and yet like a car accident I can’t look away. I get kicked while I’m down during the holidays thanks to the TimeHop app. Here’s a random sample of what popped up today – Christmas Eve:
If this is the stuff I felt comfortable posting – crying for help – via twitter or other social media you can only imagine what I didn’t post. In reflecting on horrible holidays what does it say that Thanksgiving 2007 doesn’t even crack the top 5 of horrible? Let me remind you my Dad died unexpectedly the Sunday before Thanksgiving that year and his wake and funeral were the 2 days after Thanksgiving. Yet I truthfully have had worst holidays. Bah Humbug feels like an appropriate way to end this post.