Goals for the New Year {inspiration board time}
Let’s get the New Year’s party started early with some inspiration boards! (We party hard over here) I’ll share my list of personal, professional and health-related goals for the year and then delve into creating your own fitness action plan. Post your inspiration boards in the comments so we can motivate each other into the new year!
I have slightly mixed feelings about New Year’s resolutions. Part of me feels like if you want to implement change, do it ASAP, sans the pressure of an ambiguous date. On the other hand, there’s the nice, crisp feeling of a fresh new year and chance to turn the page. Even though I make small changes throughout the year as needed, I also like to take some time at the beginning of each year to assess and create action plans for my goals.
Here’s a little glance at my inspiration board, which you can find on Pinterest here:
My Goals for the New Year
Personal Goals
1. While it can be fun to teach your child facts and skills, my true goal is to teach Livi compassion, kindness and respect to others. The best way to do this is living by example.
2. Have a wine country vacation! I’ve never been and am so excited to live a little closer to the land of my favorite beverage 😉
3. Start speaking Spanish more frequently with Livi
4. Read at least one book per month
5. Turn negatives into positives. Look for a positive twist next time I feel like griping or complaining.
6. Start practicing the piano again. It’s been collecting dust for far too long, and I have no idea if I can still read sheet music. I think it would be good for my brain 😉
7. Find a place to live in San Diego. Derp.
8. Tell myself that everything starts a half hour before it really begins…
Professional Goals
1. Barre certification (either through Pure Barre or Booty Barre)
2. Finish my Weight Loss Specialist certification (due at the end of January!)
3. Start to work on DVD #2 (which will likely not be a physical DVD, but rather a digital download)
4. Finish the manuscript for book #1 in March and start to work on promotion strategies. Maybe there’s a speaking class that could teach me to not be so awkward? 😉
5. Start to explore more freelance opportunities. It’s always been a huge goal of mine to write for a magazine (and design the little tear-out workouts!), so maybe I could look into something along that path.
6. Work on photography skills! I’m pretty sure I say this every year, but it’s something I’m always working on improving.
Health Goals
1. Continue to practice yoga at least twice weekly into the new year
2. Run another half marathon
3. Host a Zumbathon with a live DJ and drummers to support a charity
4. Meditate for at least five minutes each day before bed
5. Focus on sleeping at least eight hours and drinking 96oz of water each day.
As far as fitness goes, I want to stay in my usual routine in addition to the classes I’ll be teaching. I’d love to focus on barre classes, run a little bit more often -California is an amaaaazing place to run!- strength train, HIIT it, and yoga my little heart out.
Do you have any big fitness goals for the new year?
Post-Holiday Fitness Resolution Tips
Starting fresh with Fitness
If you’re just starting out with a fitness routine, make sure that you don’t overwhelm yourself with too many changes at once. Focus on one attainable goal or change you can accomplish each week, and build from there. For example, nix soda the first week. The second week, walk for 15 minutes each day. After you build up your cardio base (30 minutes easy to moderate cardio most days of the weight), you can start to add in light strength training if you’d like. Meet with a personal trainer who can help you with proper form and setting realistic goals for the new year. Remember that if your goal is to become a healthy weight: weight lost quickly often comes back quickly. Slow and steady wins the race.
Maintaining Your Fitness
Keep things fresh and exciting! If you already have a fitness routine you know and love, see what tiny changes you can make to prevent boredom and decrease the probability of plateaus. (Check out this post for ways to change up your routine!) Also, see if there are any challenges or fitness events you can participate and train for in the new year (race, Zumbathon, yoga challenge, plank challenge, etc). Keep your body guessing and constantly rearrange your schedule to keep the fitness magic alive 😉
Getting Back in the Swing of Things
Focus on the activities you know you enjoy. If you hate running: skip it! There are a thousand different fitness activities out there and you probably have a great idea of what you prefer. How did you get off the wagon in the first place? Look back and see what changes you can make to prevent that from reoccurring. Maybe you burned yourself out by doing too much; maybe you were injured or had another personal or health event happen; maybe life got too busy for fitness to be a priority. That’s ok. Assure yourself that chapter is closed, assess what you can do differently this time, and open the page to your new year of fitness.
If you’re looking for fitness and meal ideas and motivation, don’t forget that Winter Shape Up (4 weeks of full nutrition and fitness plans) starts in January. I’ll be posting about it as we get closer, so be sure to check back for more info–it’s going to be a good one! 🙂 It’s free for readers and always will be.
Pin Your Resolution Inspiration!
Make an inspiration board on Pinterest with your personal, health and professional goals for the new year. If you’d like, list a few in the comments section -I’d love to read them!- or a link to your Pinterest board. I’ll share a few in this week’s Friday Faves, too!
Have a lovely day.
See ya next year 🙂
xoxo
Gina
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Love this! Side note, pretty sure personal item #5 you meant “turn negatives into positives” NOT “turn positives into negatives” lol. We get the point.
And one of my goals is to run another half marathon this year! My last was in 2011, but then I got pregnant, had twins, and fitness has had to occur in short bursts (which is why i LOVE your workouts), so I haven’t had the time to dedicate to long runs, etc. But I just got a fancy, shiny new double jogging stroller so now I have no excuses – the kiddos can just come with me!!! Still a little nervous, but excited, too!
Love this idea! I just finished setting my goals for the year. I need to refocus and make this the best year yet – 2013 is behind me!
I especially love #1 and 5 under personal. Be kind and treat others (ALL) with respect and be a good example to my kids. SO important! I’m not very good at turning negatives into positives and plan to work on that this year as well. Every day is as good as I want it to be. Make it a good one!!
I love your goal for teaching Livi compassion, etc.
I’m a preschool teacher, and there is such a huge misconception that preschool is where kids begin to learn math, science, reading, etc. While we do teach some of that (and it is important), in my opinion, the MOST important thing to teach in preschool (and in life, really) is social and emotional development and skills – being kind, sharing with others, respecting others, working as a team, empathy, compassion, (i could go on and on, haha). Livi is so lucky to have you!
These are some great goals. I agree that resolutions should be made year-round, but the New Year is a great time to pause, reflect, and create a plan.
I’ve never done one of these before, but I figure with all the changes I’ve already made, what better time to start?! Here’s my pinterest link: http://www.pinterest.com/imadedinner/inspiration-board/
Love you friend <3
I’ve never done an inspiration board before, but with all the changes I’ve made already, what better time than the present to start?? I’m going to continue on my weight loss/health journey, and work slowly on becoming more physically fit. I need to realize that I’m not going to go from doing nothing to running a marathon…but walking a couple miles is more realistic! I made a pinterest board too 🙂 http://www.pinterest.com/imadedinner/inspiration-board/
Love you <3!!
I’ve been a CPT for almost 2 years now and would also love to add Barre certification to that. I’m hoping to do marathon #2, book #1 and grow some personal relationships in 2014!
Love that you have pictures of Frida Kahlo on there! She’s my favourite 🙂
Definitely just repinned a bunch of your #inspirationboard pins to my own!! We’re totally on the same page with most of those things. http://www.pinterest.com/superambi28/inspirationboard/
Wine country! That’s my home! It’s amazing, and you should definitely go. A friend of mine hosts a wine festival every year, it’s a little off the beaten path, but it’s super fun and not at all pretentious like some of them have gotten.
http://www.yorkvillehighlands.org/
I am going to try a snow sport in 2014, since I’ve never lived near snow before. I’m also going to learn to fly, it’s not really a fitness goal but it’s been a personal goal since I was in high school and turning 30 (eep) seems like a good excuse to finally start.
I haven’t been to Yorkville wine country! going to have to head up from the south bay on a little adventure 🙂 thanks for the info!
Like I said, it’s a little off the beaten path, but awesome! I’m from Sonoma County and it’s gotten sooo snooty at some places, Mendocino is still very down to earth 🙂 Enjoy!
Love the goals and your ideas! My hubby and I created some 5 year goals and the piano is one of mine too! My goal is to get back into my running routine after fighting with an illness for about 6 months. I plan to do a half marathon in the fall and slowly get back to running 3 times per week. Here’s my board, which is a work in progress! http://www.pinterest.com/mjcassalia/inspiration/
That’s a lot of goals, Gina! You are one ambitious lady! 🙂 But I love how they’re all small and positive.
My main goal for 2013 is to focus on my end goals, not so much on the paths that might lead me there. I’m hoping this helps me enjoy the process more, and be less discouraged when little things don’t go exactly as planned.
Happy new year! Thanks for a fabulous year of inspiration!
Sounds like you’ll have a busy but STELLAR year! 🙂 I’m so excited for 2014, for so many reasons…I’ve got a lot of pinning to do!
Pleeease let us know if you start teaching barre classes! I’ve always wanted to try a live barre class and I would love to take one with you when I visit my brother in SD!
xo
Great goals! The being on time one is probably my biggest, it drives Josh crazy. Fitness wise I’d love to build muscle! That’s something I’ve never been good at!
Yay for the digital download for your next DVD!!! I also love the read 1 book per month; I may implement that in my own life.
Great post. still working on my list of things to do 🙂 San Diego has it’s own wine country nearby just north of the 5 in Temecula. It’s a beautiful area and lots of good wineries. When I lived in SD we would make trips that way.
Trying to get back into the swing of things is a big goal. I’ve been sick the past few days and it’s souring my mood.
I completely agree with you on having mixed emotions about resolutions!
My big fitness goal is to get back to running after dealing with injury after injury in 2013. I would love to do a half marathon, but first I’m focused on being able to actually run, then 5ks again, then a 10k, then a half!
Happy New Year!
These are some awesome goals! #8 of your personal goals is something I totally need to do— punctuality can be a huge weakness of mine.
I hope this year is full of joy, great opportunities (looks like you’ve already got some amazing ones under your belt!), and fun experiences. Have a wonderful new year, Gina!
I’ve been doing Pure Barre since June and absolutely love it! Not only has it changed my body and made me so much stronger and fitter, but it’s given me a great deal of confidence and helped me be an even happier person. I think finding a type of fitness that you really genuinely love makes all the difference, and I’m grateful I found that in 2013 🙂 I’m really excited for the Winter Shape Up and would love to see more barre style exercises! Happy New Year, Gina!
I’ve also got a meditation goal for next year, I’m sure the peace some peace of mind will come in handy 🙂
Good luck with your goals!!! Happy New Year to all.
Thank you for including fitness tips for those of us just getting started!
Also, I love and am stealing your “teach compassion by example” resolution! It is too easy to get caught up in the academic competition even with toddlers!
Happy New Year to your family! Some of my goals are to get stronger and tone up, and to finish my personal training certification. Here’s a link to my Pinterest board 🙂 http://www.pinterest.com/mlc84/2014-goals/
***Cue the music… “It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiime of the yearrrrr!”**** I adore vision/inspiration board making! And I love your goals too. You’re such a fantastic role model, both for all of us readers and for Livi. She’s a lucky little lady to have such a fabulous mom! I was in California for Christmas (you’re so right – awesome place to run!) and had a lot of time to think about my goals for 2014, as well as my action plan for achieving them. I’ll be posting mine on my blog tomorrow (I’m still old school – lots of cutting and pasting of magazine pictures!) but among my goals are challenging my body by doing my first duathlon, seeing my friends more, growing a veggie garden, and connecting more often with nature. Happy (early) new year Gina!! 🙂
Great goals. I love them. My fitness goals would be to do more heavy lifting. I would love to run a half marathon this year as well and improve my time on a 5k. I would also love to lead a class to train for a 5k and then run one at the end of the training. I would love to help people this year to lose weight and be healthy through fitness and diet.
I had so much fun creating this board last year, and I loved looking back through out the year to see if what I had predicted came true. Turns out almost every single intention I set last year actually came true.
This year I am planning to focus on getting in touch with myself, writing from the heart on my blog, mastering some yoga poses and hopefully taking some fun trips. Here’s my pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/akschentrup/for-the-coming-year-2014/
I can’t wait to see what comes of 2014. Happy New Year to you and your family Gina!
it’s amazing how that happens!!! happy 2014 to you 🙂 i’m going to be working on some yoga poses too.
xoxo
I’m actually not doing New Year’s resolutions this year. I feel like in the past my New Year’s goals have always been something like “lose weight” which leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth! This year I’m focusing on concepts, instead of goals, such as adopting heathy attitudes about things, or the grow up a little more and be more put together.
i was thinking about spending my evening making a dream/vision board for 2014. The past few years, I’ve chosen to spend my New Years Eve relaxing in my pajamas, going to bed when i’m tired and waking up on the first feeling refreshed and renewed. And I love it so much I’m having a hard time wanting to do anything else, so I’m going to continue the tradition. 🙂
Have you ever heard of Toastmasters? I haven’t quite looked into it but it’s supposed to help with public speaking…
ohhh did you do it? i’d love to see it!
hope you had a wonderful and relaxing new years.
i had never heard of toastmasters! am looking into it now- thank you!! 🙂
I really want to work on learning and Spanish and getting into a regular exercise routine.
http://www.pinterest.com/armfia55/inspirationboard-fitnessista/
love your board!!
xoxo
The Ojai Wine Festival the weekend of June 6 is awesome. My husband and I rent an RV every year and camp out with other couples. Kinda like Coachella for wine lovers! Good luck finding a place here in SD, it all just depends on where your hubs is working. Happy New Year!
oh my goodness, i can’t wait to check it out!
Piano would probably be a good idea now that you’ve made yours so pretty!
I also have mixed feelings about resolutions, which is why I proposed some on my blog, but also encouraged readers to just start immediately instead of waiting.
I have no real resolutions this year, just some goals as well (Pilates certification!) I guess a resolution would be to teach my kids more about gratitude and generosity since Christmas was kind of a mess this year with my 3-year-old.
i still haven’t sealed it! (oops) need to do that.
3 years old.. i have to say i’m a little afraid haha.
xoxo
Love the idea of inspiration boards on Pinterest. I’m sad and excited about a new year ahead. In 2013 I got divorced and my life fell to pieces. This next year I’m unapologetically doing what’s good for me and taking time to learn who I am again. I start my new job Thursday and moved into my new apartment yesterday, I’m ready!! Here is the link to my board, still a work in progress. I want to read, travel, be active, nourish myself, write, all kinds of things this year! http://www.pinterest.com/emccaughey/2014-inspiration-board-inspirationboard/
Happy new year to you and your family!
wishing you lots of love and good wishes for this year of change. it’s going to be a good one for you! keep taking care of yourself- i’m thinking of you <3
xoxo
Though I never seem to quite stay true to my goals at the beginning of the year I love putting them together because I love lists. Now that I’m a mom a lot of my priorities have changed and sometimes all I want to do is sit and watch this little man change every day a little more. But I know that’s unrealistic so instead I’m going to be the best wife and mother I can be by living a healthy and positive lifestyle! http://www.pinterest.com/karanicole22/2014-goals/
Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true this year.
loved your board! sending lots of great wishes to you for an amazing 2014 🙂 xo
Great post Gina, congrats on your book deal, and all of your other opprotunities! Happy New years! Have a BLESSED YEAR <3 Lots of Love C
thank you, court! happy new year 🙂
Happy New Year!!!! 🙂
thank you, you too!
Love the fitness inspiration! Gotta get wedding ready this year! 🙂 I hope that you have a blessed 2014–I know it will bring great things for you! xoxo
thank you! have a lovely 2014!
Happy New Year — Great list! If you are looking to improve your public speaking skills, you should check out your local Toastmasters club. It will do wonders for your public speaking. You’ll find it a little strange at first (there is lots of clapping and it can be quite structured) but you’ll be amazed at the improvement in your skills. Wishing you a happy 2014!
i had never heard of this! will definitely look into it- thank you!!
happy 2014 to you too 🙂
MY GOALS:
1) Get in the BEST shape of my LIFE! (the healthy way)
2) Quit drinking Diet Coke COMPLETELY
3) Start sewing again
4) Complete a TRIATHLON!
5) FINALLY go on a honeymoon with my husband! (We got married last May)
Here is my pinboard! Can’t wait!
http://www.pinterest.com/annaowolf/2014/
You can definitely dust off rusty piano fingers! Music is total joy.
Here’s my board! http://www.pinterest.com/abbydumont/inspired/
Not much on my board but enough of stuff to motivate me! Plus I’ll keep adding to it through out the year!
http://www.pinterest.com/btseko/inspiration-for-2014/
I know exactly how you feel about goals – I’m terrible at setting them and following through, but try and work towards those hazy visions of where I’d like to be on a daily basis regardless. This year, I’ve actually written down some goals; mainly goals to keep moving, to do more cooking and to learn more skills (not too different to yours in hindsight).
I’ve written more at http://findingstability.blogspot.com/2014/01/thoughts-for-2014.html and am looking forward to 2014.
Happy new year!!
Great Post!
http://www.pinterest.com/theskinnylife/2014-inspiration-board/
I have some running goals I posted about on my site, but I also have personal goals of really stepping up my writing to pursue some dreams I’ve had for a while but never thought were possible. I’m trying to be daring and fearless because I never know what might happen is I don’t try.
http://www.pinterest.com/catladyruns/inspiration-board-2014/
http://www.pinterest.com/tracystandage/2014-inspiration-board/
I just started my board!
Here’s my 2014 inspiration board! Thank you for all your inspiration, Gina, and I hope 2014 is absolutely wonderful for you and your family.
http://www.pinterest.com/meaghale/inspiration-board-2014/
Hey Gina, this is my second year where I have been following “your” inspiration board idea. I love it! I checkd off my reached goals in 2013 and put the ones not completely acquired on the on for 2014.
So this is to a happy, healthy and successful 2014: http://www.pinterest.com/letoiles/inspirationboard/
I wish you and your fam all the best for the upcoming 12 month!
Here’s my Pinspiration board: http://www.pinterest.com/ellie531/inspiration-board-2014/ 🙂
I loved coming up with this board. So much fun, and so motivating! It’s my year.
http://www.pinterest.com/cnsbtt/2014-my-year/