What I Want From 2018

Did you celebrate New Years? I used to. I used to really get caught up in the hype of it all and plan for ages with friends and head out somewhere, get completely over-charged, drink too much, not really enjoy myself all that much because it would never live up to my expectations and then feel grotty the next day and in no mood to begin any of the resolutions I had planned in the days and weeks before. I don’t do that all now for several reasons – firstly, none of my friends live in nearby so there’s really no hope of getting together without it costing an absolute fortune. Secondly, I am a single mama and to be honest I am bloody knackered and haven’t worn heels in three years and am much more comfortable in pjs and slippers. However, none of this means I didn’t celebrate it just means I do things a little differently now. Our lovely friend Adrian came to stay (Alyssa calls him Annie and is a little besotted) and we spent the entire time eating too much cheese, playing games and once little was in bed, having a few cheeky gins too. Of course, I was embarrassingly snoring by 11.15pm on the sofa but I still had a great time and then when I woke up I sat and thought about my resolutions. Was there even any point in making any? Well, maybe…

Resolutions. Now in the past, I think the longest I have made a resolution last is to February and so I kind of gave up on making any several years ago. Then I stopped and thought about it and realised that I could still have resolutions but maybe I could call them goals. For some reason, goals sounds more to me like they could last all year rather than something you’re attempting to do and give up in the early months of the year. So what goals/resolutions am I setting for 2018?

Image

I have wanted to and been trying to do something about my image for so long. I have struggled with my weight since giving birth two and a half years ago and there isn’t really any excuse anymore. It’s down to me and only I can do something to change it. I’ve decided that in 2018 I would really love to lose 6 stone – it would make a huge difference and I really want to be much smaller than I am before Alyssa starts school as I’d hate for her to be ridiculed because of what her mother looks like and let’s face it, kids can be cruel. 6 stone sounds like a lot but actually if you break it down it’s only 7lbs a month which is totally achievable!

Fitness

Tied in with my weight loss, I really want to work on my fitness level. I used to dance as part of my job and I even used to run without dying and I would love to get back to that. I’m going to start small with walking and then I am going to build up to and go for the couch to 5k – who knows, this time next year I’d really love to be entered for some kind of park run or mini marathon or something!

Work/Life Balance

This is something everyone wants isn’t it – to find that equal balance between work and life responsibilities. It wasn’t until I finally took time off for the first time in two years last November that I realised how important it is to not always work and make some me time. I have taken 14 days off in the last two and a half years and any time Alyssa is asleep or at Nursery and almost every evening I have worked. This year, I want to plan and organise my official work time better so that my down time truly is my down time and I’ll be able to do more things for me.

How?

So, of course the big question is how am I going to do this?! Well the key to all of this for me is going to be organisation and I am going to be managing my whole life from my new Acer Iconia Tablet from Ao. This year, Ao are all about supporting people with their resolutions and goals for the year and are running the awesome #aoresolutions campaign. They sent me the tablet in order to help me organise my life and it is definitely doing that. 

For my image, I have downloaded my Thinking Slimmer app where I am able to listen to the thought training recordings and also fill in my daily food log and watch my progress. I have also downloaded the Couch to 5K app as well as a music player so that I am able to listen to music as I try and get fit which was always a big help to me. Finally, to help with my work/life balance, I am using the in-built calendar on the tablet to plan and schedule what I will be doing and when. The tablet also came with Word installed too which means that when I have been out and about and had 5 minutes I have been able to sit and write posts which normally I’d have had to do during nursery time or in the evenings. It’s about using every moment and the fact that the tablet fits right into my bag means I can take it everywhere for any moment I need it.

So there you have it – my “resolutions” for 2018. What I really love about them is that they don’t have a timescale really – each one of them could be carried on and something I need to maintain. I’m going to pop another post up in early February and let you know how it’s going. Tell me – what are your goals for this year? How are you planning on keeping them?!

*AO sent me the tablet in exchange for review – all thoughts and opinions are my own.