In the year 2009...

It's happened faster than I anticipated, 2008 has come
and gone. I don’t know about you but this year seemed to pass by at an exponential rate. Seems like just a couple months ago I was playing the first Rock Band with my friends till the beginning of 2008. I can’t help but look back and briefly recollect the events that transpired over the past year. A lot has happened this past year, from getting tattooed, to heartbreak and heartache, to being unemployed. I wouldn’t say 2008 was a good year for me; I wouldn’t call it a bad year by any means as well. 2008 was a gray year for me. The poor happenings of this past year do outweigh the good. But I look back on what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown from the experiences; and as much I loathed the circumstances while they were happening, there is very little I would have changed if I could relive it.
Now to keep with typical New Years clichés, I do have a few New Year Resolutions. And of course as much as I love to add a check mark to them when I’ve succeeded in said resolutions; we all know that we fail miserably after the third or fourth week in January. Some are lucky to have the will power to succeed the first two or three days. So after each resolution I am adding a failure rate from 1-10 (1 being I shall prevail and make this resolution my b*tch, 10 being who am I kidding addicts have an easier time quitting heroin ((Yes I did copy this rating off my friend Aaron’s blog, it’s a good idea and I’m using it)).

1. Get back into shape
Of course everyone’s new years resolutions have one form or another to lose weight, or get fit, or to drop a couple pant sizes. And if you’re not on CBS’s The Biggest Looser, chances are you’ll fail miserably and you’re stuck with a gym membership for 1 to 2 years that will go unused. But I had a very, very sad realization two days ago; I had to actually loosen my belt a notch. Needless to say it lit a fire under my butt. Especially when I think back to how I used to look four years ago; weighing in 195 with a flat stomach. It’s depressing to think how I’ve let myself go. I know how to eat right, when to eat, and the do and don’ts of working out. There really is no excuse to let myself look like this any longer.

New Years Goal: Weigh in at 200, and drop to a pant size of 36.
Failure Rate: 3 (I’ve dropped almost 50lbs in the past, I can do it again)

2. Eat Less Fast Food
I’m not saying "never eat fast food," but defiantly eating a lot less. The great thing about being unemployed is that I have time to cook, and I’ve been able to hone this skill. I’m not a bad cook. There are circumstances where yes fast food is the only choice; road trips, hanging out with friends, or you’re running too late to make something. Honestly skipping a meal is worst than eating fast food(that’s going off that you order the right thing at the drive up menu, Grilled chicken sandwich and a water, not a number 2 combo meal, large size with a diet coke).

New Years Goal: Once a week.
Failure Rate: 4

3. Cut Back on Soda and High Fructose Corn Syrup Products
The true killer of being in good shape and teeth decay. I drink too much soda, and consume too many products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS is what I’ll be referring to the rest of this; it’s too much to type out). And I’m not alone on this; most Americans suffer from this dynamic duo. Over 70% of Americans are overweight according to a percentage I just made up. It’s almost near impossible to find the products at the grocery store that we grew up loving that don’t include HFCS now; it’s in candy, store bought cookies, chips, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, hell it’s even in some brands of canned fruit and vegetables. Only because it’s cheaper to use than actual sugar. Ever since nutritionists discovered how bad HFCS is for you, and it’s bad, it slows down your body’s response to tell you you’re full, so you overeat. A lot of companies have actually stop putting it on the ingredients lists or started naming it something else on their products, so it’s near impossible to not consume some HFCS. Ever wonder why Coke that’s bottled in Mexico tastes better than the Coke we get here in the States? It’s because they use Sugar, not HFCS. And to be clear I’m not addicted to caffeine, I’m addicted to the taste and to the carbonation of soda.

New Years Goal: One Soda a week or less. Consuming as little of HFCS as physically possible.
Failure Rate: 5

4. Reading More
I waste too much time watching TV or playing video games. I really need to read more. I read the first Twilight book over the week of Christmas. I forgot how much I love to read, reading for two hours you feel like you accomplished something. Playing a video game for two hours, you feel like you need to get a life. I used to always have my nose buried in a book; it’s hard to find the time to read with the pressures and responsibilities of day to day life. Well not really for me now, but when I was working, yeah it’s hard to dedicate time to read.

New Years goal: Read at least one chapter a night before going to bed.
Failure Rate: 7

5. Be More Social
I tend to enjoy my time alone a little too much. I’ve always been a pretty independent person; I don’t have a problem with staying at home alone on a Friday night. Yeah I do hang out with my friends, but majority of them are married or live far away and I see them maybe once a week leaving 5 or 6 of the 7 days I’m at home. Granted this will change when I start working again and going back to school, my social life will change but till then I need get out more.

New Years Goal: Break the norm, and getting out more.

Failure Rate: 5

Coming soon... My TOP 10 Movies and Music of 2008

-miniSCHOF