Almost half of Americans made New Year’s resolutions over the weekend, including me. Although I like to reflect on my life and improve my health habits all year long, I also see the new year as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over. Here is a list of the health habits that I will be working on in 2012:

1. Convert to a standing desk full-time. 2011 has not been kind on my behind. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still a size 4 and I have not gained any weight this passed year. Still, as I have moved from working out in the field to working at the DailyBurn headquarters, I spend more hours sitting than I prefer when I am working on key projects. I’m active, so I need to move frequently to get the blood flowing to my brain. Have you ever had an experience where you wanted to smash your face against your computer monitor while working on a hard task, but then the answer comes to you easily as soon as you get out of the office and start moving around? That happens to me all the time. In fact, today is my first day using a standing desk at work, and my productivity has already skyrocketed this morning. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I get to bop to my favorite Pandora station while answering emails too. I think that dancing while answering emails improves the fun factor exponentially.

 

2. Drink two full glasses of water first thing in the morning.I get dehydrated easily for two reasons: I think that water is boring and I have a serious caffeine habit. To combat AM dehydration, I am going to start my morning by drinking 16 oz of water immediately upon waking. This morning I drank one glass before my shower and one glass after, and it was easy to do.

 

3. Work on my upper body strength. I am an ectomorph body type, which means that I am tall and lanky. It also means that I have an extra hard time putting on muscle mass. Working on my upper body strength has been a lifelong journey that has no beginning and no end. Ever heard of the “Song That Doesn’t End”? My upper body workouts are like that. And I love every minute of it.

 

4. Stop worrying about the future and start enjoying the present, while still planning for the future. I know that this resolution is kind of complicated, but that’s ok. I just have to make sure that I remember this resolution each day. Like many of you out there, I worry about the future so much that I forget to enjoy the present. How many of you think that your life would be perfect if you could see yourself in the future 10 lbs lighter, with more money, and less of life’s burdens to mentally weight you down? Forget about the future. The future will never come. The only moment that exists is now. It’s important to realize that you are ok in the present moment. Don’t let happiness pass you by while you are on a never-ending treadmill to Nowheresville. Still, you have to plan for the future too. Even though you are living in the present, you can’t eat 10 doughnuts because that is what would make you happy right now. You have to take care of the healthy of your future self so that you can be the best person that you can be for your friends and family. All of this is easy for me to say, but hard for me to do. But I sure as heck am going to try to get better about this in 2012.

 
I love the support of the DailyBurn community! If you have any helpful hints for me regarding these resolutions, let me know!