New Year’s Resolutions? Oh, Yeah, Those…

It’s been nearly six months since New Year’s… and in typical INTJ fashion, I have not forgotten about those pesky Resolutions.

1. Lose inches. 
   Since committing to a strict diet about a month ago, I have already lost about 10 pounds, and continue to shed weight by the week.  I can finally fit back into the clothes I wore when I first interviewed in the big city; in fact, they’re actually a bit large now.  Logging everything I eat in a public online profile has made me accountable for my nutrition decisions; knowing that anyone and everyone will know that I had six Oreos for dinner makes me think twice about eating garbage.

   I’m most proud of how I’ve stepped up my fitness routine, however.  Realizing that I averaged just two taekwondo classes per week during my first year and a half with my school, I made a vow in February to start attending every class I could, only skipping when I absolutely had to work late and couldn’t make it back home in time.  As part of that, I even go to class on Saturdays now.  The extra practice is paying off: at the last promotion test, Master Song commented that I had improved since the last time he saw me!  Last but not least, joining the New York Road Runners made my goal of running the NYC Marathon a lot more tangible and real, and incorporating running into my life has probably been my favorite accomplishment so far this year.

2. Devise a better strategy for keeping in touch with everyone.  This is definitely still a goal-in-progress, but getting my brand-new BlackBerry today is going to be a big help!  Soon I’ll be able to e-mail and IM on the go, and I plan to take advantage of the connectivity.  I’m also going to try and visit each of my closest friends in their natural habitats before the end of the year.  As soon as I nail down a few key client meetings I need to have next month, I’ll be able to start looking at flights!
3. Incorporate more vegetables and healthy protein (read: not steak tartar or cheeseburgers) into my diet.  I have made a lot of progress on this front.  Haven’t had a burger since I visited Kevin in Madison (okay, that wasn’t all that long ago), and in the past two weeks alone, I’ve introduced whey protein shakes, tofu, and seitan into my regular meal rotation.  My breakfasts in particular have gotten a lot healthier: I now eat cottage cheese, a banana, and a homemade protein pancake instead of a white-bread bagel with cream cheese and a sugary coffee on the side.  I am learning more and more bean recipes, including a 10-bean beef and tomato soup I didn’t think I’d like, but is now a favorite dish that I prepare in bulk and freeze.  It’ll still be a while before I invite brussels sprouts into my kitchen, but I am moving in the right direction. 
4. Save enough to cover moving expenses.  I won’t lie: the government’s Economic Stimulus Payment helped a lot with this one.  If they can patch up my peeling bathroom, though, it may just be worth staying put.  The devil you know…
5. Take my black belt exam proudly and competently.  I attended my first tournament this year, rather unexpectedly and somewhat against my will, and performed a lot better than I thought I would.  After really enjoying myself during the sparring competiton, I am feeling much more confident about my ability to at least hold my own in that event.  I still need lots of work on my forms and higher-level kicks, but I should start seeing improvement soon, since I’m averaging about four classes a week.

Progress!