Sarah's Weekly Ramblings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!




Call me lame, but I didn’t do a damn thing for New Years Eve, and guess what? I LOVED it. Well, I take that back, I did do something; I hung out with one of my best friends and her 10-month-old. We played with the “lil man” and watched My Sister’s Keeper, then we celebrated New Year’s “New York Time” (or “Ohio Time” and Jason would argue)… so I was headed home and in my warm bed by 9:30 PM. I’m just not one for all the crazy partying that goes on. I’m sorry I’d rather be home than out in a crowded bar with random strangers hoping for a midnight kiss and leaving with what seems like pitchers of multiple beers drenching my nice clothes, then, walking barefoot down the streets trying to find my car that seems miles away – ahem, not that I speak from experience… I hear most 20-somethings love that kind of stuff… but like I stated before, I’m not your average 26 year old.




So, anyway, it’s 2010! Another decade down, and the beginning of a new. For many people a New Year means a fresh start, it’s their chance to set resolutions, and what’s the number one resolution people strive for? Go ahead and Google it, although I bet you can guess… Yep, the number one resolution in America is “losing weight”. That’s why our gyms become so crowded in January, and sadly (although a bit of a relief for those of us who are there year-round and don’t like the crowds!) the majority of those New Year resolutioners are gone by mid-February. They have the “Biggest Loser” mentality and when they don’t see a loss of 30lbs in the first month they get frustrated, upset, and no longer have the will to continue.


I’m not big on resolutions, however, I do believe in goal-setting. Last year was the first year I sat down and actually created a list of goals for the entire year. None of them had anything to do with weight loss (however one was to compete in Figure, which entailed weight loss), they were directed more towards bettering my life and the way I felt about myself. Donating to the homeless, doing charity walks, pampering myself more often, reading more, competing, etc… I had completely forgotten about this list until just a few weeks ago. I was going through my computer files and ran across it; I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I had completed nearly ALL of my goals! It got me thinking about some goals for this up coming year. I haven’t written them down yet, but the feeling I got after realizing I had completed them this year was well worth doing it again.



Like I said, I don’t make weight-loss goals, meaning I don’t say “I will lose ‘x’ amount of weight by ‘x’ date.” But, that’s probably because I don’t believe in weighing myself, either. So, what do I do instead? I make fitness-related GOALS along with PLANS to achieve those goals. I find it much easier to stay on track that way. I always set short deadlines, and reward myself with non-food related items. For instance, this holiday season was particularly bad for me, that’s an understatement… Yep, I completely and utterly BLEW IT with the sweets and goodies. I’d like to say it was solely because I had just come off dieting for a show and that my co-workers were shoving chocolate down my throat against my will... but those would just be excuses and lies. The reality of it is simple- I got off track, I didn’t stick to my plan, and I fell to temptation. So now I’ve gotten myself into a little situation… my favorite jeans don’t fit! Way to go, Sarah, a.k.a. Miss Muffin Top.



I’m lucky enough to have a great coach whom I trust very much. She gave me my new plan, the duration of said plan happens to be about three weeks. So to make things a bit more interesting I set a three week goal for myself, just twenty-one measly days, with a reward at the end.


The P.O.A.: Holiday Disaster Recovery Plan

The Goal: Squeeze my ass back into my favorite jeans – minus the muffin top

The Deadline: THREE weeks

The Reward: A day in LA attending the Fit Expo and frolicking around aimlessly with friends!



So, there it is, simple enough… definitely do-able. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes in three weeks. Maybe I’ll even take a picture – If you’re lucky.



“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals” – Zig Ziglar