Goals? What Goals?

Well it's now the beginning of April and while the weather in Southern Ontario isn't feeling like spring, the beginning of a new month still means a goal recap and new goal setting.

Remember the goals I made for March? Me neither...

Well said, Churchill :)

I always say that I don't make New Years resolutions because by a few months in, I can't even remember what they were. Well, it turns out that my memory isn't even good enough to remember the goals I seemed to be devoted to 4 weeks ago!

Looking back through my posts, I will recap what my March goals were supposed to be.

1. Go easy on the boozing

I actually did pretty well on this one, although I did have a night or two where I went overboard. The night we celebrated my roommate's birthday was definitely extreme. Apparently, when men are looking for entertainment, they will make up drinking games and invite 5'1" girls with low alcohol tolerances to play. Just a warning to everyone out there: "Shots" is not actually a drinking game. It is exactly what it sounds like... Don't worry, I still managed to find my way back to my own bed (alone) that night ;) 

2. Get back on track with school

Meh, I have technically been getting everything done, I just haven't been managing my time terribly well or trying quite as hard as I used to. I had a tough semester, physically, emotionally and mentally. I probably just need to take a break from school for a while to gain back some of my enthusiasm and motivation. I'm giving myself a free pass on this one ;)

3. Eat more intuitively

I think I have been doing better with this one. I still always need to have something sweet after a meal, but I don't think that having a piece of chocolate when I'm already full is going to do too much damage, so I'm content to do it :) 

I have also been drinking a lot of water lately and that has made me more conscious of what I put into my body in general. I am definitely someone who is prone to drowning their stress in peanut butter, but keeping hydrated seems to help. Although, I have not been using water to fill me up or replace food, don't worry!

I have also noticed that since I ditched the artificial sweeteners, I haven't been craving as many sweet things. I also haven't felt the need to fill the time between meals with non-food "fillers" like gum, diet coke or sugar-free "foods". I found that I was sometimes reaching for these things when I didn't think I needed to eat but wanted something sweet anyway. Now I realize that I don't actually crave those things anymore, which my body is probably thanking me for.

4. Go to yoga twice a week

Fail, fail, FAIL! I don't even want to talk about this one because I'm so embarrassed. I have still been practicing at home sometimes, but the people at my studio are starting to forget who I am :(

5. Smile more

I am happy to say that, although it wasn't the best month for me, I still managed to greet the world with a smile most days. I wouldn't say that this is phony or insincere in any way. I just think that, regardless of your mood, when you smile throughout the day you shine a light on other people that shines back on you and is bound to lift your spirits in some way :)

***

So, what are my goals for this month? I don't think I'll make any! At least not formal monthly goals...

As you can see, the goals I am forcing myself to come up with every month have not really been put into practice. I find that I am much more successful when I set goals as they become important to me and tailor them to my life at the time.

If you remember, I set the goals mid-month to drink tons of water and cut out artificial sweeteners for a week. Well, I liked the way both of those goals made me feel so much that I decided to just keep going with them until they don't fit my life anymore. I am still drinking lots of water and [minus a Diet Pepsi that I caved and drank on Sunday because my friend offered me the rest of hers and I was thirsty] I have not been eating artificial sweeteners. So far, I like the results :)

***

I am also going to make an effort for the next few weeks to buy foods I don't normally buy and experiment with different meals. I have already been making progress in that area and it is good for me. 

The other day, I had almost no groceries, but I had eggs and some random leftover chili that needed to be used up. So I beat the eggs together with hot sauce and nutritional yeast and cooked them omelette-style in a pan. Then I spooned the chili into the centre, folded it over and enjoyed my saucy, makeshift Mexican creation. Creative? I think so :)

I never seem to buy avocados. I have always loved them, but I think I just never got in the habit of buying them for myself at the grocery store because they had too many [delicious] calories for my liking. However, that changed on my last shopping trip and as soon as they ripen, I will be putting avocado on EVERYTHING (and I am open to suggestions).

Lastly, I ran out of peanut butter the other day, but needed something a little bit rich and decadent to put on top of my oats. My solution? You can never go wrong with chocolate ;)

Terrible picture, delicious result :)

Well, I'm out. Have a marvelous day!

Do you set monthly goals for yourself?

What is your favourite way to eat avocado?