Staying Healthy in 2012

I've been trying to type out a New Year's Resolution/ goals post for the past hour and have been too distracted by my current pounding headache and runny nose. I have tons of goals for the coming year. I want to excel at work, improve my relationships, and take more risks. But I think I'd like to actually try and stick to one major resolution this year: be healthier.

Up until this fall, I was the type of girl that fed into the 100 calorie snack pack version of "healthy eating". I ate low calorie microwave dinners that were bursting with salt. I went to the gym and used only the elliptical machine, because the display showed that I burned more calories than I did while running. I suppressed my emotions so much that by the end of the year I felt like I had a stress ball resting inside my chest. For most of the year, I took only minimal care of my body and mind. While I succeeded in maintaining my weight, I didn't feel healthy.

This October, I watched as a family member dealt with health issues she couldn't control. I realized that I since I was lucky enough to have the luxury of fixing mine, I needed to take action. I got rid of the low cal snacks and started running. I introduced vitamins into my diet, and by December was feeling the healthiest I've felt in a while (aside from my current cold....) I've made progress, but I know I still have a long way to go. So this year, I am resolving to stay on track with my healthy lifestyle. I am going to to continue eating as many raw and whole foods as possible. I want to develop a recipe book for go-to healthy recipes that I can make after work. I want to find more workouts that I enjoy, and continue to tell myself that being slender doesn't necessarily equal healthy.

I am lucky enough to work at a company that provides health benefits and I also plan to use them more in 2012 than I have in the past year. I need to suck it up schedule a physical and a few other important exams that I've been putting off. Even though these appointments might be the last thing I want to do after work or on a weekend, I know they're important and I resolve to get everyone of them taken care of in the first few months of this new year.

While physical health is very important to me, I recognize that my mental health could be improved as well this year. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how it's so hard for many post grads to just disconnect after the work day, and realized that I was basically describing myself. I need to develop a better way to manage stress. Whether it's taking up yoga to calm my nerves, finding the right herbal supplement, or even seeing a therapist, I need to do something.

I'm resolving to stay healthy this year. Who wants to join? :)