New Year New Resolutions

One of my favorite times of the year is this week between Christmas and the New Year.  For me, it is a time of deep rest, resolve, and reflection.  I get to rest because my University is closed and we get a paid vacation every year.  This is truly a blessing, so thank you Cal Lutheran University!  My resolve to know better, be better, and to do better becomes more apparent in this quiet time.  And then I take the time to reflect the year that is passing and on what resolutions will carry me to a better place next year.I have one of those personalities that demands resolutions and goal setting.  I’ve mentioned before that I’m a type A.  Other personality tests describe me as an achiever or driver or task oriented and analytical.  And oh yeah, I’m an introvert.  I greatly admire, value, and appreciate people who are more people-oriented, laid-backed, and who have extroverted personalities.  I have to constantly remind myself that it’s okay to be me.   While others are naturally thoughtful and considerate, I really have to work at it.  I’m more likely to think deeply about how to solve the systemic problem of hunger before feeding the hungry person starring me in the face.  It’s only by following the example of the thoughtful people I admire, that I’ll feed the hungry person in front of me.  But then I’ll look for solutions to the flawed system that caused the hunger.  This is why diversity is so important.  It’s going to take each of us using our strengths to make this world a better place.

This year I’m going to be better with my eating habits.  Losing my brother this year greatly influenced my decision to make major health improvements.  My son in law gave me a book titled, “The Paleo Cure” by Chris Kresser.  I’ve read half of it already and have signed on to this new way of eating for better health and weight loss. As a habit, this will mean eating whole foods and severely limiting processed sugars, bad oils, and foods I may not digest well.  January 1 will be the start of my strict “reset” for 30 days.  My husband, daughter and son in law have all signed on.  Yesterday I emptied the cupboards of the bad stuff (and there was a lot of bad stuff) and went shopping for the good stuff with my husband.  I think he’s in shock and a little scared, but he’ll manage.

I have also resolved to work for another 8 1/2 years.  Seeing how Congress might tamper with Social Security and Medicare, I substantially  increased my financial retirement goal.  I attended a financial planning workshop on retirement and decided that I will open an additional retirement account, a Roth IRA.  I’ll continue my contributions to my 403b (like a 401K but for non-profit sectors).  The difference is that the 403b is funded with pre-tax dollars and reduces my taxable income each year.  It is taxed when I start taking distributions.  The Roth IRA is funded with after tax dollars but is tax free when I start taking distributions.  This will be a bit less shopping at Homegoods and Macys this year.  But as I’ve mentioned before, I already have too much stuff.

Back to health.  I love my treadmill and I have been faithfully working out on it Monday – Friday since we purchased it in January 2017.  At the same time, I purchased a Fit Bit and set my step goal at 10,000 per day.  Most days, I’ve met that goal with the exception of Sundays.  I’ve seen and benefited from the results so much so that all my medical numbers have improved.  We are about to purchase a new stationary bike to go along with our treadmill to add some variety.  My goal is to either bike or tread for those same 5 days and do my major gardening on Saturdays. I’ve addressed eating and exercise, but the third piece for good health is a little more difficult: sleep.

One thing I love about my Fit Bit is that it tracks my sleep.  And the verdict is that I am a terrible sleeper.  This year, I am going to try to sleep better.  I’ve taken a trial and error approach, paying attention to all the advice I hear and read about.  I’ve gone from averaging five hours to six.  This year, I am trying to reach the recommended seven and a half.  I notice that I wake up because I am hot.  I can’t convince my husband to turn the thermostat down below 70 degrees because he runs cold.  Maybe I can convince him to wear warmer pajamas.  I notice too, that if I go to be too early, that I wake up in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep.  I’m an early bird, so the math won’t allow me to stay up too late.  2018 will be spent figuring this out.

And finally, I will spend 2018 doing my best to convince as many people as possible to vote in the mid-term elections.  I’m on the Indivisible team to help increase voter registration, but I haven’t been that active.  I’m going to step up my game in this regard.

My prayer for 2018 is better health for me personally and for the country I love.