Monday, January 4, 2010

Those 2010 Goals!



Okay, the holidays are over. We've ate and drank WAY too much. Spent time with family until we're ready to strangle them all. We've done the shopping, movies, return lines until we're blue in the face. Now it's time to get back to normal. It's always sort of bittersweet for me. The tree is coming down today. The kids are back to school. The hubby is back to work. And I'm getting back to writing. I'm excited to be able to write. I'm ready to dive right in to this ms and get this sucker finished up. But, I already miss my kids and my husband! Hearing/watching them play Rockband, knowing that we don't have anything pressing to do and can just be lazy all day...yeah, I miss that. But life must go on.


So, I was sitting here thinking about my goals for 2010. I hate the word, resolutions. It just doesn't do a thing for me. But goals, now that I can wrap my head around. Usually my goals are simple. Lose weight and get rich. Easy as pie. LOL This year I'm attempting to be a bit more realistic.


I have a writing goal. What writer doesn't, right? LOL So, anyway, I want to finish up the full length ms I'm working on now, that's my first goal. And it's a big one! After that I want to get started on a short story that's been brewing in my head for several days now. Once that's finished, I plan to...and this is the biggie...write two more novels and two more short stories this year. Already that feels daunting! Ack! BUT I think I can do it. IF I stay focused!


My personal goal. I want to lose that last 10lbs. It's not a huge amount, it's just that it's been hanging on...and on...and on. LOL Actually, scratch that. What I really want is to continue eating healthy and exercising. This is a really big deal for me, because I tend to kick myself off my diet once I start to feel good about myself. It's like I sabotage my own diet! What's up with that?! However, several months ago, when I started eating healthier and working out regularly, I decided NOT to look at this thing like a diet. I know, people always say, 'it's a lifestyle change'. Truly, I never realy looked at it like that. I would watch what I ate, lose a few pounds, then go right back to the chocolate and chips. This time I was determined to GET HEALTHY.


I think it all started when I began having anxiety attacks...on a daily basis. It scared me a little. I realized that maybe what I needed was a healthier eating plan. I began by cutting out greasy stuff, diet pop, junk food. I replaced chips with green peppers, I was eating a few candy bars a day, and managed to cut that down to a small square of chocolate once a day with my morning coffee. That led me to cutting out other things that I KNEW was bad for me, like beer and heavy starches. Changing sausage to turkey bacon. That sort of thing. Now I have a nice little menu that works for me. I allow myself one sweet a day, so I don't feel deprived. I get the protein, dairy, fiber and vegetables I need, rather than a bunch of empty calories that used to leave me ready for a nap around 1pm every day.


The thing is, my diet wouldn't work for anyone, but me. I played around with it until I figured out the right combination FOR ME. We all have to pick our own exercise routine, our own eating plan. I was always trying to conform to someone else's diet plan and I think that's why I always failed.


The payoff...I haven't had an anxiety attack for a long time. And I lost 25lbs, stretched over several months, and I have more energy than I've had in years. For me, it was never about looking better, it was about staying out of the damn hospital! No offense to the doctors out there, but I'd rather NOT visit you all if I can help it! LOL


So, that's my goals. What's yours?


Also, while we're at it. Anyone who leaves me a comment and bravely shares his/her own goals is entered to win one of my ebooks, winner's choice! I'll pick one winner tomorrow and announce it here!

20 comments:

Madison Scott said...

My goals are close to yours. I want to finish the weight loss I started though I have much more to go than ten pounds. LOL.

I also have a writing goal. I want to write either equal to, or more than I wrote this year except I plan to do more erotic writing this year than I did last.

Anne Rainey said...

You're a writing machine, woman! LOL I WISH I wrote like you do. I'm slow. I just never realized how slow until recently. Hope to fix that this year though.

Regina Carlysle said...

Ahhhh, weight loss is my perennial goal. LOL. Maybe I'll actually DO it this year. Hoping to drop some weight by eating healthier and NOT eating anything after 7 p.m. Don't know if I'll accomplish a damn thing because I'm such a night snacker but I'm willing to try my best. Writing goal? Write a book a month. Will I do it? Probably NOT but if I am working my hardest, I should get close.

Laurann Dohner said...

My goals... I lost 30 lbs last year. I want to lose that remaining 25 this year. I cut back on sweets, took up yoga (I feel like a human pretzel sometimes, drank more water and I started dancing and it worked. I write fast luckily, landed 4 book contracts last year...so I'd like to up that number this year.

Judy said...

My main goal is also weight loss. My husband and I as of today have started counting points!! My daughter in law has been on the weight watchers counting points diet for two months thru her job, and has done real good. So, we have decided to try it.

Maria said...

My goal is to write one book this year and submit it. I've never done it before but have had ideas in my head for some time and have decided that no matter what, I will do it this year. I would also like to continue to eat healthy and exercise more so that I can lose more weight and stay healthier.

J.K. Coi said...

I have writing goals and personal goals as well.

On the personal front, I too want to be able to lose some weight, and with that I'm exercising again and cutting out a lot of the between-meal snacking I'd gotten into the habit of doing (and not in a good way, like munching on carrot sticks)

On the professional front, I want to edit my current manuscript and get it out into the world before the end of January. I also want to write at least two novellas and one more full length novel this year.

It sounds like we're all going to be very busy and in great shape by 2011. :)

Valerie T. said...

You lost 25 lbs? Honey, you didn't need to lose them. I've seen you in person! You're gorgeous!

I'm determined that this is the year for me to get healthy too. Back on the eating better plan, and I've got to exercise.

Today is the first day... we'll see how it goes!

Keep up the good work!

Valerie
:D

Lisa G said...

Like many, I want to get healthier in 2010 and continue losing weight. I also plan to reduce the clutter in my home thereby simplifying cleaning and freeing up more time for reading!

Fedora said...

Good for you, Anne!! As long as I'm regularly walking the kids to school, I count that as getting regular exercise. My perennial goal is to declutter--I'm such a packrat, and it's driving my husband slowly insane :( It's such a slow, tedious, painful process though, because I have such a hard time just cutting it all loose. My husband occasionally jokes about renting a dumpster, and just hucking everything out the window ;) We'll see how it goes! A new year, a new start!

Anne Rainey said...

Regina--The not eating after 7 REALLY helped me!

Laurann--Congrats on the weight loss! I'll be sending you positive vibes so you can lose that remaining weight!

Anne Rainey said...

Judy--Weight Watchers has such a great program. And it's always a little easier when the hubby decides to do it too, less chances of temptation that way!

Maria--Good luck on the novel. Crossing my fingers for ya!

Anne Rainey said...

JK--I want to finish up my current ms by the end of January too! Let's hope we hit that particular goal!

Valerie--If I told you how much I weighed before losing the 25lbs, you'd probably call me a liar. LOL I tend to carry my weight all over so it SEEMS like I'm smaller than I really am. It wasn't until my daughter took a picture of me that I realized I needed to start watching a bit.

(I'll email you and tell you the number, I'm NOT broadcasting that over the internet. LOL)

Good luck on your own weight loss goal!

Anne Rainey said...

Lisa and flchen--Funny you both mention clutter. My husband got us on a kick lately of decluttering our house. So far we've done the garage, the pantry, the two junk drawers, the coat closet, and the linen closet. Tonight the kids are going to clean out a few cabinets in the kitchen for me. After that we're going to stop until it gets warmer so we can do the basement and tackle my closet (I have clothes in there from 20 yrs ago, lol).

Fedora said...

Wow, SO good for you and your family, Anne! I've got to get tossing, too! :)

Bekki Lynn said...

I envy you all on your plans for the year.

Goals -- the very word is as evil as exercise and organization.

The moment I commit to any one them, my internal rebellion kicks in. So, I don't commit. I do what I do when I do it. Makes for a happier me.

Asylumgirl said...

My goal was to get back in school this year and I'll start Wednesday, so I'm really excited.

Deidre

Z said...

My goals were to buy a book by Monica Burns, stop eating so much fast food (0 for 4 days now), read more, declutter the house, work on losing 50 lbs, eat healthy and make sure I keep up on bills.
Zina
seawitch6464@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Here goes: 1. lose weight, 100 lbs and get healthy. 2. find me, somewhere in the last 30 years of marriage I've lost me, the woman I was and the one I wanted to become.

How's that for heavy! I know this will be a work in progress for the rest of my life...but I am up for the challenge.

Happy New Year!

Anne Rainey said...

Thanks for sharing your goals with me!! Here's hoping we ALL meet them!

The winner of the ebook is: Zina Lynch! Please go to my website http://annerainey.com and choose ONE ebook, then email me with your choice at: annerainey11@gmail.com