2022 Goals

I last wrote a resolutions/goal’s post in 2020… and we all know how that year went. I skipped it for 2021 because we were still in the middle of the pandemic and I was just trying to keep one foot in front of the other. I’m feeling optimistic for 2022 though. We are all fully vaxxed in my house (and I get bonus points for being boosted) and we have a fun family vacation on the calendar. I figure I might as well write down some goals for the year.

Oh, and as a reminder I don’t do resolutions. Instead, I like to pick specific and attainable goals to focus on. In the past, I’ve also tried the whole ‘word of the year’ thing like Balance (2017 and 2018), Thrive (2019) and Do Something About It (2020… hahahahahahaha).

For 2022, I think my short phrase of the year will be: Small Steps.

There are literally dozens of quotes attributed to a bunch of different people all with the same theme: take small steps to add up to something big. And that’s my goal for this year. Taking bite sized nibbles towards my goals.

I have a few specific habits I’m hoping to start/keep up this year and I even made myself a little habit tracker to stick in the back of my calendar.

For 2022, I’m hoping to take small steps for each of the following habits:

• Use my Peloton app every day – I started this in December 2020 and have kept it up for over a year. I plan to continuing doing something on the Peloton app every single day, whether it be a cycling class, a stretch, or even a 5-minute meditation.
• Exercise 20+ minutes – This seems redundant to using the Peloton app, but this is actually a separate goal. Doctors recommend doing 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 days a week. So, I’m going to make it a goal to do 20 minutes or more of some sort of aerobic exercise at least 4 – 5 days a week. This can be an active Peloton class, taking a walk around the neighborhood, or a dance party!
• Track water intake – My doctor told me yet again that I MUST increase my water intake. So, I recently downloaded an app called Waterllama to help track my daily liquids. I’ve noticed it helps me drink more, even if it is still very hard to get up to my daily intake goal. I’m planning to keep using the tracker for 2022.
• Adding the Mediterranean Diet to my life – I’ve been dealing with some health issues and the Mediterranean way of eating has been recommended to me by my doctors (again). So, I’m tracking each time I can incorporate a Mediterranean breakfast or lunch into my meals. Changing my entire diet at once simply doesn’t work for me, so instead I’m tracking little steps and trying to add better choices to my daily eating.
• Starbucks visit – I love a nice Starbucks run on a day that I’m working in Baltimore. It’s a great chance to get up from my desk and walk a few blocks to pick up a delicious drink (and maybe snack too). However, it can get out of hand now that I’m in Baltimore three days each week. So, my co-worker and I try to only go on ONE Starbucks run a week. I plan to track my visits for 2022.
• Avoid soda – I’m not a huge soda drinker, but sometimes I tend to get sucked into a soda kick. This will help me track how much I’m actually drinking so I can determine when I need to cut back a bit.

That’s it. Nothing crazy groundbreaking. I’m not looking to run a marathon or lose half my bodyweight. I just want to incorporate some healthy small steps that will hopefully become long-term habits this year.