December Goals & Intentions!

Oh HEYYY it's DECEMBER!!! And to kick off my favorite month of the year, we are headed up to Big Bear today for our church youth camp! I'm so excited to get away and find retreat up in the mountains. I've heard there is no service where we are going, which I am actually looking forward to! We can get so caught up in our phones and social media, so I'm excited to take a forced break from it all and focus on being there with our church family, as well as enjoy Emma's first trip to the mountains!

I love setting goals and intentions at the beginning of each month, and December is no different. December isn't a "wash" my friends, our days still matter and even though that brand new year that is so tantalizing with its "fresh start," that doesn't mean we just throw in the towel for the whole month of December and not focus on our self care or what we want to accomplish! I for one have BIG goals, and that includes some for December! How about you?

Here are my goals for the next 31 days...and if you'd like, share yours in the comments below! I love to read and cheer others on in their quest for growth!

1. Continue with my gluten-free/Paleo lifestyle. I have been eating this way for the past month, and I wrote here about how I've been feeling amazing doing it! I want to keep it up throughout the holidays and make sure that I stick to being gluten free 100% (I have a severe sensitivity), and Paleo when I can! I also want to experiment with new recipes, and finally try making bone broth in my new Instant Pot!! Anyone else have good Instant Pot recipes they'd like to share? I'd love to hear!
2. Go on walks with Emma on days we are home. We don't get out enough, and I want both Emma and I to get out in that fresh air and have some California sun on our faces! We need vitamin D, and the fresh air always makes Emma happy and helps her nap better, which makes Mama happy!
3. "Get ready" 3x/week. This may seem silly, but most mornings, I don't take the time to get ready, do my hair or make up, or get dressed in something other than leggings. I want to be more intentional in this area of my life, so I've made it a goal to get ready 3x/week by doing my hair and makeup, and being more intentional about my clothing choices. I always feel better when I do this, so why not do it more often? I'm so good about staying on top of workouts, but my self-care when it comes to appearance gets pushed to the back burner. I think as women, it's so important to feel good and part of what makes ME feel good personally is feeling put together! I'll start off with 3x/week but hopefully, this will become an every day habit!
4. Continue with my workout program in preparation for 80 day obsession. I've been doing Shift Shop and I want to continue one with that until a new program, 80 day obsession, gets released in January! I love being able to workout from home because it's helped me stay so consistent with my fitness as a new mom, because I am still accessible to Emma when she needs me!  I'm excited to continue on with Shift shop and then challenge myself with 80 day obsession once it's released on January 15th! If you'd like to do it with me, let me know! I could use the accountability!
5. Journal 5x/week. I used to be SO good about journaling, praying, and getting my thoughts down on paper. I haven't been consistent with it, and for me personally, I find that I have so much less stress and worry when I take that time in the morning to brain dump my thoughts and release them to God in prayer. Definitely going to try to do this more often in December and onward!
6. Post more recipe videos in my free FB community! I run a free Facebook group called "the Simply Nourished Community," where I share my meal plans and do LIVE cooking demos for my members! I want to post more recipes in this group and share more content that I hope will be beneficial! I've become so passionate about meal prep and experimenting with new and exciting recipes and want to share that with others who want to learn as well. It is completely free to join, so if you'd like to be a part of it, contact me here and I can add you! And let me know which recipes you'd like me to make/healthify!
7. And lastly, my goal is to enter 2018 feeling my best and make it my BEST year. This has been my mantra lately, because I have spent way too many New Years regretting letting myself go and treating my body poorly, being in a negative mindset, vowing to do better, only to fail again. I want to make this season of life the best I can. I want to feel confident in our family pictures and not shy away from taking pictures with our sweet baby on her first Christmas because I feel run down or insecure. So, I want to keep nourishing my body, mind, and soul and enter the new year feeling great! If you want to make 2018 your BEST year as well, I've put together some nutrition consulting packages for you all that will ONLY be available until December 29th! Click here to check them out and sign up to begin working together and finally reach your goals this year!

I've also decided to make these goals the background of my phone so I really remember and get reminded DAILY of the ways I want to grow. How many of you are guilty of setting goals and then losing the paper you wrote them on, or forgetting about them entirely? I'm guilty of that too! So I'm leveling up this month and going to remind myself DAILY of my goals and dreams! 

I hope you all enjoy your first weekend of December, go see some Christmas lights, listen to Christmas music, and feel cozy with your loved ones!

December Goals

Weeee it's December, friends! My favorite month of the year. I absolutely love Christmas time and the anticipation of a fresh, new year! Everything just seems more magically, cozy, and warm. Don't you agree? 

I am looking forward to lots of trips to the mall, listening to Christmas music, caroling, spending time with family, friends, and church peeps, and cuddling up watching our Christmas tree with Vasken. The weather has been cold here too! Which is so nice for us So Cal peeps...I'm really enjoying wearing some fall/winter clothing! 

As is my typical custom at the first of each month, I have some goals for the upcoming month. There are many areas of my life that I want to grow in, and why not start now instead of wait till 2017? December is the new January in my opinion. 

GOALS

1. Eat at least 4 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day. The non-pregnant me would have had no trouble with this; I used to have over 12 servings a day of fruits and vegetables! But the pregnant me is having a really hard time with fruits and vegetables. I have a huge aversion to veggies and even fruits gross me out from time to time. Pregnancy is so funky! But I am going to try my best to find ways to sneak those veggies into my day because I know that they are good for me and my growing baby! 

2. Fitness-wise, my goal is to walk walk walk! Whether that's a short 20 min walk outside or a trip to the mall, I'm going to focus on walking and light movements!

3. Reading for fun! I read a ton of personal development and business books as I am building my own private practice, but I also want to read for fun! I have a few books on my list that I've been waiting to dive into, so that will be happening this month as well! 

4. Putting my phone on airplane mode before I get into bed. This one is HUGE for me. I used to do this all the time, but lately, I have gotten into bed and just scrolled the night away on articles or social media. So my goal is to put my phone on airplane mode BEFORE getting into bed, then read or just let myself doze off without the use of an electronic! I'm already nervous about how this will go, but I'm determined to try!

5. Entrusted Bible Study. I started Beth Moore's new study on 1 & 2 Timothy and have been slowly working my way through it. I want to be more diligent with this study and spend more intentional time with God. I have realized that since my morning sickness days, my quiet time got put on the back burner as I tried to muster up the strength to get up, not throw up, and get to work. Now that I am feeling better, I want to give that time back to God. 

I feel really good about my goals for this month! I hope that you have set some personal, wellness, and life goals for yourself as well! Setting goals is one of my favorite ways to motivate myself to do the things I always tell myself I want to do. And making them public helps even more with the accountability! If you'd like, share some of your goals in the comments below!