For 2012 I set two goals. Since I was a dormant blogger at the time, I didn’t get to share them with you all at the time.

I only set two but they are two things that I felt were important but hadn’t found the motivation to implement. Funny how turning the page on the calendar can serve as motivation.

Goals for 2012:

1. Lift Weights
I am a self-professed cardio junkie. I’ve heard all the talk. You need weight lifting to lose weight. While that might be all well and true, I’m living proof that you actually don’t. I’ve lost all my weight (and maintained that loss) entirely through strenuous cardio. And that daily sweat session is addicting! I’ve tried to add weight lifting to my routine before but always found that giving up time from my regularly scheduled cardio left me antsy.

That’s part of why I knew I needed to change things up for real. I had gotten to the point where my idea of my health was directly correlated to how much I had sweat that day. If I had to skip a day, it made me anxious and unhappy. Yep, things had to change.

So starting on January 1, 2012, I committed to at least one year of strength training three days a week completely in place of cardio on those given days.

It was definitely a bit difficult at first. I worked for a few weeks to wean myself into it, doing 20 minutes of cardio and then finishing up the hour with the weight set. Then came a week with only two of the three weight training days being split with cardio and then finally a point where I felt comfortable alternating cardio and strength every other day. And I really enjoy the variety! And…I love the visible results! Will makes fun of me for stroking my new biceps but I’m mostly just in awe. I never had upper body strength before. The day I did my first full push up was a proud moment for me.

2. Stop Buying Crap!
Which means – buy expensive things in moderation and not just a void of useless junk.

In high school, I was friends with some very wealthy kids. Because what they owned was nice, it influenced me to prioritize my spending on nicer items. While I didn’t buy as many things, what I did purchase was higher quality. I just resurrected a Coach purse I got my senior year of high school and it’s still wonderful!

A little scuffed but still completely in tact and not showing any signs of stopping.

Last November I started to notice how much stuff I own that I don’t want. I have three pairs of jeans that don’t really fit but I bought each subsequent pair because the other didn’t fit quite right. Hey, it’s only $20. Who cares if it’s not perfect? Umm, I do and I don’t have space to accommodate that habit anymore.

So this year, I’m working on really evaluating my spending. If it doesn’t really fit, I’m not going to get it. I’m going to hold out for something that does and since I’m not buying 10 so-so shirts, I can afford the one really nice one I actually like.

So far so good. I don’t buy too much but I did finally find a pair of jeans that fit. They were $100 but I bought them anyways because I know I won’t need to buy a bunch more. Plus, they’re good quality so I plan on using them for a long time to come.

Eventually, I’d like to transition this mentality over to buying organic. Since I don’t buy too much food that I don’t need, that extra money will need to come from somewhere else but he mentality stems from the same place: only adding things of value to my life.

I wanted to share these because this is the first year I feel I’ve set realistic goals that are also important goals. And as such, it is the first year I’ve ever kept at them. It will be April next week ad I’m still going strong!

Did you set goals for 2012? Have you been successful at keeping to them?