Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Goals for Twenty-Ten

Mark and I decided together sometime in early December, as we were running around like headless chickens trying to get things done and gorging ourselves on junk food to the point of nausea, that 2010 would be the year of "Fun and Health."


We definitely have our fun, but we often put off fun things to do more practical things. Fun was put on the back burner for most of 2009 for many different reasons, so this year we're making it a priority, hopefully with both the spontaneous and planned-ahead variety. We already have a few things planned, and of course there will be posts to take you along for the ride.


And is there anyone not interested in better health? With my family history it's high time I start taking mine more seriously. And Mark, though skinny as can be (we look like the number 10 standing next to each other), has high cholesterol. I'm not imposing any specific pound loss goal on myself. I just want to be more fit to keep up with Mark in some of the active things we do. Like when he wants to go on a hike, I want to be walking next to him instead of yards behind him, panting like a buffalo.


So, specifically, here are some of my personal goals for this year:
  • Take a multivitamin daily (6 for 6!)
  • Less meat and dairy, more fruit, veggies and grains
  • Less sugar
  • Less tv, more activity
  • More weekend trips
  • Improve my photography skills
  • Read more
  • Learn how to use a sewing machine

Nothing groundbreaking here, but I'm hoping to stay focused on these key areas, and I'll be sure to share the failures and successes.

Tomorrow: House goals, 'cause that's a whole other can of worms.

5 comments:

  1. That sounds great Ashley. Sam and I need to do the same, he always keeps reminding me that we need to be more healthy. As for sewing, I have to learn how to use the sewing machine Sam got me for Christmas, I have no excuse. Maybe we should get together and work on sewing crafting projecs.

    - Karin

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  2. i can teach you how to sew!!! super simple ~gwyn

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  3. Hey Ash,
    I kind of guessed Mark would be the high cholestorol type. But there's another reason to get healthy and get healthy now (as in before having kids) - as scientists are busy mapping our epigenome, which is responsible for our acquired genes (as opposed to the genes that are simply present in one ancestor and passed about through mating and mutation), they are finding that the unhealthy diseases that strike many children including obesity and deadly and potentially crippling childhood diabetes are actually the product of grandparent's eating habits. You see the way it works is if a person eats an unhealthy diet and is out of shape chances are they may succumb to heart disease and other undesirable ailments. That's nothing new. But this is - let's say that person may decide to change their lifestyle until just before it's too late. And that may spare them and even give them a longer more, productive life. Everything's peaches and cream, right? Unfortunately it won't spare your kids. You see, as you go through life your health habits accumulate in the form of acquired genes. "Bad karma points" you might call them. And yeah, you may decide to get fit in your 40s or 50s but those latent bad genes are still in you. And to tell th truth they might not do you any harm. That's because they don't manifest themselves until a generation or two later. This is multiplied if you reproduce during a "low point" in your life when you are at your unhealthiest. Your kids then get those bad karma points. But the real danger comes when THEIR kids (your grandchildren) are born. Their chances of getting childhood health complications are greatly multiplied. So as you can see what a person eats today may kill or severely affect your grandkids. And of course everyone wants the best for their grandkids. Aside from the genetic evidence there have been wide case studies that show that areas that have experienced famine show large decreases in childhood diabetes and obesity THIRTY to FORTY years later (even though in the present time those areas may have normal eating habits). On the contrary areas that experienced a surplus in food usually feel the adverse effects in their communities many years later.

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  4. Great goals - mine is also to eat less dairy (specifically cheese). Nothing gets me going like a block of cheddar!

    And I am GOING to learn how to my sewing machine, that's been sitting, in the box, for 2 years, darn it!

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  5. so i know we talked about having similar 2010s! i'm going to start my website up to keep motivated. btw, taking vitamin d and a multivitamin regularly has been the best ever. my doctor last year found i was super deficient in vitamin d. now my nails aren't breaking every 5 seconds! phew!

    i'm also going to cook more often, and though it's 2010, i'm going to use that kick ass pie dish!!! i'll make it healthy.

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