I was listening to a podcast the other day in which the hosts were discussing their ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ for the new year. I like setting goals in January and whilst I don’t tend to think of them this way, I liked the idea of balancing them up so I decided to make a note of my own (in no particular order).
Ins
Lose Some Weight
My weight has slowly risen by about 3-stone in the last 4 years and it’s time I got it back down again. My goal is to be around 14 stone (196lb / 89kg) which seems to be a good weight for my height and build in my experience. That’s 2.5 stone to shed! I feel I’m starting off well on this one as I only managed to increase my mass by 1lb over the Christmas period.
Get Fitter
This isn’t the same as losing weight but I could do with being fitter. My cardio is surprisingly good as I walk for around an hour per day over varying terrain, but muscle strength is falling behind. Good news is I’ve already re-joined and started at the gym I was at previously.
Re-focusing on my Business
The last few years have been pretty tough physically, mentally, and financially. Everything has seemed to be very hard work but I’m fairly certain some extra cash for a holiday and some nice days out would make a difference. I’ve mainly been a web developer since 2021 and I really need to become more of a marketer again for a while – working on my business instead of in my business. I have noticed an uptick in enquiries lately though, so that’s positive.
Cook More
I’m an okay cook. I like following recipes and trying new foods and I rarely ruin anything I’m making. However, I’ve slowed down on this over the past two years and I now hardly do any cooking (my wife does most of it). I’d like to get back into it again. We’ve ordered a few new cook books off Vinted and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes.
Continue Adding Fun to My House
I feel like I’ve always struggled to find my exact preference and style when it comes to home decor. I often lean towards functional over fun or stylish and this can lead to some unfullfilling purchases for our family home. However, since moving to and rennovating my house in 2021, I’ve slowly been finding my groove. Last year was a great year for this and we transformed our living room, and kids rooms into something that works well for now, and for the next 4-5 years, whilst also being fun and playful. The walls still look a little sparse elsewhere in the house but we’re getting there and we have some plans to put into action. When we’re happy enough with it, I’m sure I’ll share some photos.
Outs
Cut Down on Alcohol
This isn’t a full ‘out’ but consumption has been slowly creeping up, mainly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Wine on the weekends can bleed into the week and Wednesdays shouldn’t always be celebrated with G&Ts. This also feeds nicely into the ‘having a bit more cash’ ‘In’, mentioned above, as booze can be pricey. I’ve bought some nice flavoured sparkling waters, a can of something with CBD in it (never tried that before), and some other non-alcoholic drinks to have during the week, all of which are much cheaper.
Stop Reading the News
I never used to read the news but I started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to stay informed. I’ve never stopped and I realised towards the end of last year that it was making me miserable – so little good news and so little hope. I can’t change the world but I can stop reading about it, and so far, I’ve managed to resist the urge to check on things since Christmas.
I think that’s it. I should probably write an update on this periodically to see if I’ve moved the needle. If not in all areas, hopefully (at least) on the bathroom scales.