I like the process of goal-setting, reconfirming my sense of “me”, what’s important to me, to think “how do I want to spend the next few months of my life?”. That’s not really true, though. Like the cliché that no battle plan survives an encounter with the enemy, no life plan survives encounter with, well, life. So, while I like planning, and it gives me an illusion of control, I also know that I’m really planning about 10% of my life. Most of it is already set by previous decisions — choice of career, marriage, having a kid, working for the government, working from home, where I live, etc.

My goal-setting is really about how I use about 2 hours of day of non-linked time. And sometimes it is just going to be about vegging out (like the Pretty Woman quote, “Yeah, be still like vegetables, lay like broccoli.”) or spontaneous side-quests. But other times, when I feel like being productive, I can choose what I’m working on, projects that are important to me or that I think I’ll enjoy.

I already have much of my goal-setting broken down into various categories, so I’ll use the headings that work for me. Note that they are not in a specific order of priority, this is from my tracker. When I have the full list, I’ll worry about prioritization then.

Health

This category is about specific health concerns, so obviously the first thing is to stay healthy. Following pandemic protocols, continuing isolation, keeping the family safe. But honestly? That’s part of life now, not really a goal. I mostly just have it on my list so I’ll remember that I’m spending time and energy on it. Or having energy sucked out of me by it.

More pointedly though, I’m worried about my spending too much time in a dark basement with no light, so I’ve bought a Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD) UV light and need to get that going. I also need to get curtains on the windows down there so they don’t have to be completely blacked out. I also have a social worker that I use for occasional chats about mental health, which I may continue; I want to get into meditation; and I have a gift card for a small B&B that I had hoped to use for a weekend getaway by myself at some point, but that will likely need to extend past COVID, alas.

I’m also monitoring headaches/sinuses and a sore on my leg, but those aren’t really a priority. I’m hoping my fitness goals below will have some benefits for this part too, but I’m also going to keep seeing chiro to keep my back in shape, particularly given that I’m spending a lot more time sitting at a computer.

Fitness

My fitness goals are much more ambitiously detailed. I’ve restarted tracking my weight, and have a spot to do it on my iPhone which will be easier than what I had been doing (mix of tablet and desktop). While my weight has been holding steady during the lockdown, I’ve lost muscle. Which explains how my girth increased, my stomach is larger than it was as evidenced by how my shirts fit and some less-than-flattering photos in October to December. Just as building muscle can initially increase weight, since muscles weigh more than fat, I’ve replaced less muscle with more fat. Sigh. That just won’t do.

Initially, I’m going to make sure I get out of the house twice a day for a walk, hopefully with Jacob (11:00 and 3:10 are good times for his schedule). But even on days when he can’t make it, I still need to go. It’s a small step, hehehe!

I have a small workout area almost ready in the basement, and hopefully we’ll (all of us) be able to use it for yoga and stretching videos. I need to get a good stretching routine going. But the real “boost”? I need to assemble a BowFlex and re-assemble our exercise bike. My goal is to have both up and running by February 15th. When the weather improves, I also want to use my scooter more. Of course, once I get the Bowflex and exercise bike up and running, I can merge it with walking, riding, and other activities into a larger fitness regimen.

Jacob and I are also going to go to the driving range at Hunt Club. We may have to do a lesson or two to get J and I back into the “swing of things”, so to speak, but that’s easy enough to do as the Kevin Haime school is operating there.

Cooking

This category is a bit of a double-edged sword. While it obviously serves the overall section if I’m managing to cook and eat more healthy foods, the real goal for me is just to make more things from scratch (usually healthier) and to do more of the cooking rather than leaving most of it to Andrea. Recipes help me do both. However, not all the recipes, such as the desserts, are going to be about health choices. Some are just tasty. 🙂

I tried to get a baking and cooking challenge going last year to help drive trying out new recipes, but it kind of fizzled. So I’m deleting that group.

Beyond that, let’s start off the category with some good old-fashioned bread. While, maybe not old-fashioned. I have a new bread machine that I want to use more regularly as well as some other tools for doing bread by hand.

I also would like to do more for breakfasts, and that likely starts with re-finding a good recipe I had for crépes. I also want to make ice cream, tiramisu, and come up with a really good apple pie option, as well as my mom’s peanut butter cookies that I miss.

Beyond those, I am going to give an attempt at a really complicated cassata recipe that a friend gave me years ago. But most of my energy, I think, will be more around trying out recipes of certain types:

• More insta-pot recipes;
• A special short-ribs recipe;
• Some Dutch-oven recipes;
• Ground beef recipes;
• Some from the SEB Cookbook we did for GCWCC;
• Some from the Coconut Lagoon book, a gift from Andrea and Jacob; and,
• Some from a new subscription service for Jacob called Raddish Kids (i.e., “radical dishes for kids to cook”…we have a Thai one that is really good, we quite liked it).

I’m tying the “new recipes” in with family time with Jacob too, cooking them together when/where we can.

What am I going to do in January?

So that’s my big list for the year. What am I going to add to my plan for January?

1. Set up my UV light in the basement.
2. Go to Chiro every other week.
3. Track my weight.
4. Walk daily
5. Finish setting up the work-out area
6. Make bread.
7. Try one new recipe per week, hopefully with Jacob.

What are you going to start your year with in the area of health, fitness or cooking?