February Goals & Intentions

We are one month DOWN in 2017...isn't that nuts?! Life goes by so fast, and this year isn't going to be any different. Being pregnant, I feel like I am more conscious of each week that passes by as we get closer and closer to our due date. I'm excited because we can't wait to meet our little girl, but I'm also anxious! I'm such a planner and this is a situation where I just have to trust God and can't plan out much since there's really no telling when she's going to make her appearance or how life will look once Baby Girl enters our world! We are so excited to meet her and my heart just bursts when I think about finally seeing her face! It's been such an exciting time for hubby and I, and we keep praying that everything goes smoothly and that God continues to bless us with a healthy baby girl! 

Since it's the beginning of a new month, my habit is to set goals and intentions to give myself direction and focus for the month ahead! I have a lot of big goals and big dreams, and these small, monthly goals help me take the baby steps required to reach my bigger goals. I love goal setting and that feeling after you CRUSH a goal and can check off that box. I blame my type-A personality! We dietitians are all type-A...so it is what it is! After brainstorming, prayer, and reflection, here are my goals for February 2017! 

1. Workout 6x/week. I am loving being able to workout again during this pregnancy! My doctor told me that I can walk, dance, and do any low impact workouts that typical pregnant women would do. No running or sprinting obviously, and I am listening to my body, but I have just been so much happier and have less anxiety since I've begun to workout again! I am in week 3 of Country Heat, an awesome line dancing program I started, and have begun adding some of the Active Maternity workouts on Beachbody on Demand (BOD) into my routine. If you don't know what this is, BOD is basically like netflix for workouts! Beachbody streams their programs online and actually has an all-access pass right now that give you access to every single program Beachbody has ever made, plus the 3 new programs they are coming out with this year! BOD has given me SO much flexibility with my workouts! I've been able to follow along with the Country Heat program, plus add some BOD exclusives, such as the Active Maternity workout series! I am loving being able to workout, so my goal is to continue to workout 6x/week! 

2. Follow the 21 day fix container system. I've been following the 21 day fix container system to actually help me eat MORE during this pregnancy (I am following the highest calorie bracket because....pregnancy) and it's been helping me balance out my plate and eat more nourishing foods! I've had a lot of food aversions during this pregnancy, and following this meal plan has helped me eat more variety and actually get over some of the aversions I've been having. I am going to continue on with my meal plan, especially since my challenge group is starting tomorrow and the accountability will make things even easier! 

3. Figure out how to use our fancy camera. While we were on our honeymoon, my husband and I splurged and got ourselves a Canon SLR camera. We took pictures with it in Hawaii, and since then it has just been sitting in a drawer in our bedroom. I want to take my picture taking skills up a notch and start playing around with this camera this month! This goal has been a long time coming, but now that I've written it out publicly, I HAVE to follow through, right? So expect to see some higher-quality pictures soon, folks! 

4. Practice gratitude every day. This is something I KNOW I need more of in my life. Counting our complaints is so much easier than counting our blessings, isn't it? I have found that, with the complications we have with our pregnancy, getting used to a new job, and the typical stresses of everyday life, I've stopped feeling grateful and really thanking God for His blessings. But if you stop to think about it, God's blessings are always overflowing! We should be thanking Him daily for His grace, mercy, and provisions. Which is why I want to start practicing gratitude on a regular basis by keeping a journal next to my bed and jotting down three things I am thankful for each and every day. By doing this, my mind will focus on the good in my life, and not the countless worries and anxieties I could conjure up at a moment's notice! 

5. Track my spending. Ok guys, this one is a biggy. Considering my OCD personality and my love of tracking things, you would THINK I would have this concept under wraps. But, I don't. Each month, I start tracking my spending, only to stop by the 5th or 6th and then wonder where all the money went! Well, this month I am going to REALLY track every dollar spent and evaluate where I am spending my money, which in turn shows where my priorities lie. My hope is to be able to better budget my money and be a good steward of the blessings God has given me! 

If you'd like to join in with me on any of these goals, please comment below and let me know! I'd love to have the accountability and buddies to check in with! Goal setting and following through gives us such a sense of accomplishment and direction, so I hope that you will join along this month! And if these goals don't jive with you, set some of your own based on how you want your life to be! And above all, trust the Lord with all of your desires. We make plans, but God knows which path we should take and He will lead us in HIs way if we let Him, because His way is the best way! 

Happy February, y'all! 

Fabulous February

I know I'm a little late with this post considering it is already February 3rd, and I despise being late! But I have a pretty good reason, I promise. I have been super sick! I feel like I am always sick, but this one is a really doozy. I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. I've been so out of it the past couple days...but I hope to slowly recover soon! I've basically been a homebody except for a few times I ventured outside to get a little bit of sunlight. I've been eating whatever, barely moving, drinking a ton of tea, and just surviving. Needless to say, fitness has taken a back burner. I've barely walked, let alone worked out. And let's not even talk about food. If it's there and ready to eat, you bet I'm eating it! I've been a lazy bum, but I am hoping this rest and relaxation will lead to a healthier me in a few short days!   Since it's a new month, per The Joyful Harvest's fashion, I have my list of goals and aspirations for this month. Even though this month got off to a rough start with how sick I've been feeling, I am still motivated to make some goals and plans for when I start to feel better! And, to top it all off, my fancy new Erin Condren came today in the mail! I was so excited!   FullSizeRender  

The planner is A-MAZ-ING. A type A personality person's dream come true (anybody else??) I love to plan and map out basically everything, so I got very excited and motivated when this baby got dropped off at my doorstep! I added all my events for this years so far (including my wedding in 75 days AHHHHHHH!) and am ready to use the planner to its full potential! Did I mention I'm excited? Well, I am! :) Anyways, without further delay, here are my goals and plans for this fabulous month of February!

 

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1. Run my 10K. My 10K race is in 12 days and I am so nervous/excited! I've been following my plan somewhat, with a few more rest days than I had originally planned. But for the most part, I feel ready for the race! My knee hasn't been bothering me too much, just some dull pain. I will admit though, that after this 10K, I may take a break from running longer than 3 miles and do some easier cardio workouts such as the elliptical and walking. Running is such a HUGE stress release and is really a passion of mine, but I would rather not injure myself seriously and especially not before my wedding!

2. Keep up with my Bible Study homework. My church is doing the new Beth Moore study on 1 & 2 Thessalonians and am LOVING it. God is really speaking to me through this study, and I don't want to fall behind! My time with my Savior in the mornings, and throughout the day, is so important, and I get distracted way too easily. I want to keep up with this study as much as possible!

3. Rest day Tuesdays. Yep, you read that right. I am the person that takes NO rest days. I used to wake up as early as I needed to in order to workout. I worked out for 35 days in a row once without a break. Yea, it's a problem. So I am going to start to force myself to take a break on Tuesdays.

4. Go to Yoga once this month. I'm not aiming too high with this one. It's been a goal of mine for a while to get into yoga, and it just hasn't fit into my schedule (or I haven't made an effort to make it fit...hmmm) but i want to be better about it this month. So just ONCE, I want to go to yoga.

5. Spend more time outdoors. I love being outside, but I've realized that with my schedule, I get to work, sit inside for 8 hours, then am home by the time the sun sets. I am never outside! I've been taking walks on my breaks at work and it's been wonderful, so I definitely want to keep that up this month!

I really want to take time this month to rest and relax, as well as workout and push myself. I want to find that sweet spot, that beautiful balance between doing and resting. I pray that God teaches me how to best glorify Him with what I do and the person I aspire to be.