New Year's Resolutions

This is more to keep myself accountable than anything, but here are some of my goals for the year...

(1) Get the novellette published. It's an awkard length (just shy of 17,000 words - on the cusp for most magazines), but I think my chances are pretty good. I actually submitted to a magazine in mid-December; obviously, I don't expect it to work out the first time, but I feel pretty confident that it will be published some time this year. Spooky Action at a Distance - (hopefully) coming to a publication near you!

(2) Work out more consistently. I did really well the second half of the year (ie, after the honeymoon) and gained about ten pounds of muscle, but really dropped off in December. The ideal schedule would be alternating days of resistance and cardio. Obviously, that's not realistic as things will come up, but it's a good goal to shoot for.

Here's January's routine: handstand pushup, diamond pushup, knee jump, one-leg squat, headstand leg raise, door pullup, and the Mahler body blaster. It's a bodyweight circuit taken from Mike Mahler. The goal for this month is to simply get to the point where I can do one complete circuit with minimal rest: 5 reps each exercise, except for the "blaster," which will get ten, and the "diamond," which will get thirty (eventually, the diamond will be replaced with a one-arm pushup, so I'm starting with an alternate exercise in order to build strength). Should be fun and effective.

Cardio will be a combination of things. Kate and I used to jog quite a bit, but it's far too cold right now. We have a stepper which really works the calves/quads, but I don't want things to get too repetitive, so I'm actually considering yoga/pilates/dance/etc. Anything new to keep it engaging. We also have a jump rope, but not really a place to use it until the snow melts.

(3) Drink less soda. A constant goal. I used to drink two or three Pepsis a day in college. Thankfully, that's tapered off, but I still drink more than I should. The goal is to only have soda "outside" the house - ie, at the movies, parties, etc - if at all. Sounds pretty realistic.

(4) Eat less sugar/fat. I'm starting to get concerned about my intake. I don't get enough vegetables, and I think I'm eating too many sweets. This will be hard because I'm always fighting to supplement caloric demands (and the easiest way is to have a "treat" or two throughout the day), but it's important. I want a long, healthy life! My thinking is: start taking salads to work rather than snacks. I'm almost always hungry during the day (even after lunch), and I think this is from calorically dense/nutritionally light foods. I'll keep taking sandwiches because they're quick and easy, but rather than my usual trail mix I'm thinking a salad to go with. Sounds tasty!


Obviously, the overall goal here is health. We're getting older, we want to start a family in the next couple years - time to get ahead of the curve. Now, I don't want to turn out like Marky Mark here...

...because he looks ridiculous (I know he's supposed to be playing a 'roided out buffoon, but he's so big he looks awkward - should have lost some muscle), but overall strength and fitness is important. Wish me luck!