Dry January 2016

I thought for my first goal of the year I'd start off with an easy one; well I guess it's something that is easy for some, but less easy for others. I also know that I can do this one, as I did complete this last year. Having said that, it was a challenge, and something that I didn't find easy everyday. The trickiest bit I found, which may seem odd,  was when watching TV if someone on the tellybox was drinking a big glass of red wine, I would get some major cravings and it would make me feel sad 😞.

Since last year, I have started my first year of teaching... my stress levels have very much upped and I have found that so has my midweek drinking. I'm not a big midweek drinker, but one or two glasses of wine in an evening as helped me out on the particularly bad days. It will be interesting to see if Dry January is a bit more of a struggle this year, for my own good it is probably better find an alternative way of dealing with my stress! 

I'm lucky that my gorgeous fiancé is going to be doing this one along with me, which will make it easier. I imagine that this might be quite difficult if your partner was drinking throughout. Unlike my fiancé I will not be running a half marathon at the end of the month to celebrate. He did this last year and he got a pb. He said that he felt great, and the month sans alcohol was a big part of that. 

I'm not a believer in giving things up like this cold turkey, as I don't think the change is sustainable, but I think this particular challenge is a good kick start to a healthier year. I have had a particularly indulgent Christmas and New Year, I think a month off the booze is no bad thing...provided I don't drink like a fish in February to compensate. I'll let you know how I get on.

New Beginnings; Health & Wellbeing Goals January 2016

New year brings lots of promise and hope doesn't it? I've not been terribly successful at fitness drives in the past, you see I am not a naturally athletic type. I am lazy, I love to sleep, I love food, I like a drink, and the fitness clothes I possess are more frequently worn to veg in than for fitness purposes. My fiancé however, is one of those sporty types, he loves his food and likes a drink too, but when it comes down to it he can run a half marathon without too much a change in his lifestyle, as he already regularly  exercises. He has long been extolling the virtues of exercise as stress relief, and that if I built up my core muscle strength that I would experience less of the aches and pains that I complain of. My stress relief strategy is currently a nap, a veg in front of the TV and a glass of wine. This has served me fairly well in the past, but I think it's time to accept that I need to up my game a little, as these are not working as well for me as they have done in the past. My new year promise to myself is to try and take care of myself a little better, so I'm going to think of my 2016 project as more focussing on my health and wellbeing rather than a diet and fitness kick, and then hopefully I maybe a little more successful than I have been in the past... where I go for a few weeks, but then nothing really sticks. 

I'm going to go for some achievable goals this month and see how I go... as a teacher when I set targets for my students they need to be SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time-bound

It's time to practise what I preach and make these targets SMART baby. We'll review at then end of January. I'll try and do an individual post for each of these to focus my mind and explain their 

smartness, as I do need to set myself some clear rules so that I don't weasel out... I'm very good at loopholes and justifying my laziness! So here they are in no particular order:

1. Dry January

2. 10,000 daily step target at least five times a week

3. Join my local Slimming World group

4. Complete a pilates/yoga/stretch routine at least twice a week (that's at least 8 sessions this month Emma)

These all may seem very easy targets to you, but I literally do nothing at the moment. I'm hoping to go for some small wins then build from there; minimising my failure at the first hurdle risk. 

Here's to a great January *toasts with a cup of peppermint tea as I'm dry this January you see*

Welcome 2016

Hello and welcome to my new blog. My name is Emma, and 2016 is going to be a big year for me; I get married in July to a gorgeous man, we're going on honeymoon to Australia in August, and last September I began my first term as a teacher. Life is pretty good, but also very busy, and it looks like the next few months are going to get busier. 

With all the stresses of my first term's teaching I have seriously slacked off with the looking after myself biz. As 2016 looks like it might be my most photographed year yet, call me shallow, but it would be good if I could be in a little better shape than I am presently by the time my wedding comes round. Also, my stress levels have not been optimal these last few months, and being the wrong side of thirty, I think it maybe time to think a little more about my health and wellbeing, as I have heard a whisper that your first year of teaching, and planning a wedding are both a wee bit stressful. 1st January 2016 seems like a good place to start... here we go!