A couple of weeks ago, instead of New Years resolutions, I shared with you some of the feelings I’m chasing in the year ahead, and how this can be a useful exercise to complement (or replace) goal-setting.

But because I like having direction and can be a bit Type A, I’m also using the new year as a trigger to evaluate what I want to get done this year and set some intentions to work on. As well as getting more of my Core Desired Feelings (accomplished, magic, joyful, creative, abundant) in my world, these are some of the things I’ll be focused on this year.

Read more.

Using Goodreads I’ve set myself the challenge to read 35 books this year, for a few reasons. Most obviously, I love to read and I’m not doing enough of it. Part of the problem is my attention span feels pretty crappy these days (so the second reason is that aiming for a target will hopefully keep me focused when I am reading). I also shared last week that I want to feel more accomplished and one way to do that is to keep on learning. Reading = learning!

How?

By being more aware of how I’m spending my time, and making better choices — instead of mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed, I can spend 10 minutes on my Kindle. Or instead of reading entertainment news over my lunch break, I can read a useful book or a good magazine (no trash!)

Keep an eye out for my quarterly round-up where I’ll share with you what I’ve been reading.

Get nourished.

About two years ago now I became quite interested in the paleo lifestyle. While I didn’t fully commit (I just can’t get used to black coffee!) I found that following a paleo-esque diet had a significant and positive effect on my health. Before, I thought that I was healthy-ish with maybe a few too many treats, and that’s why I couldn’t shake those pesky love handles.

Turns out, when I dropped bread (which I used to have daily) and pasta (which I LOVE) from my diet, things improved quickly and dramatically in how I looked and, most importantly, how I felt. After falling off the bandwagon about a year ago (and having the waistline to show for it) it’s time to get back to that happy place.

How?

I tend to prefer not to label the way I eat because inevitably it draws opinions that can sometimes be judgemental or patronising. But what it’s going to boil down to is:

– meal planning.

– reducing bread, pasta, and the like. They’re super tasty but my body just doesn’t like them, so there’ll be fewer of those bulky carbs generally.

– much less processed food and snacks.

– making meals based around some protein and a bunch of beautiful fresh vegies, maybe some nuts or avocado, that kind of thing. Yum-o!

The hard bit is the beginning when you get carb cravings and what not so I’m hoping that telling all of you lovely readers will help me hold fast and stay away from what I don’t want to be eating!

Get strong.

Around the same time as I was getting my paleo on, I also started going to the gym regularly. I’ve never been a sporty girl, and I have trouble seeing the point of exercise for it’s own sake. But once I made it part of my routine and noticed that it was working I could see the benefit. I still didn’t always enjoy going to the gym, but I really got a kick out of noticing I was getting stronger and more fit. Then a painful back injury about a year ago derailed my efforts, and I lost the motivation to go back. And of course the longer you leave it the harder it is to get back to. I miss it though, so I need to work on getting back into it.

How?

Three times a week something active has to happen! I’m going to aim for 2 gym or bodyweight sessions and one other activity — this might be a bike ride or a long walk or a third gym session. It’ll be a hard slog while I’m getting into the groove but it has to be done, man!

You’ll notice with the last two that relate to my health, I’m not about losing weight specifically. I’ve come to realise that really the number on a scale isn’t so important (see this article for a great visual example).

When I was in the zone with my eating and gyming, my weight didn’t really change a lot. What did change though was how I felt — I felt strong, I felt healthy, I felt energised and I felt good in my clothes. That’s what I’m going for this time, not some number. Plus, I don’t own scales! Still, you have to track progress some how, so I’ll be using measurements; as my body changes it’ll shrink, even if the weight doesn’t change.

I think three is a good place to start. As the year progresses I’ll see where I’m at and maybe add something new. And I’ll be keeping you posted on my progress!

What about you — are you a resolutions person? What’s something you’re working towards this year? Tell me in the comments below.