April Look Back and May 2018 Goals

Follow my fitness plan

"I created a fitness plan for myself two weeks ago and so far, I've stuck to it. My plan consists of me working out twice a day most week days which does seem quite intense and my non-morning person self sure was daunted by the early morning starts at first but I've found that it has really been working for me. My motivation to work out after work is always lacking and I'm the type of person who cannot get back to sleep once they've been woken up so once the alarm goes off, rather than lay there for an hour or so, I get up and work out. By breaking up my workouts in to two less intense sessions a day, I find that I'm working out more parts of my body and I'm doing it more effectively than I would if I had done one big workout after work where I almost always slack off in one way or another, skipping bits and pieces or whathaveyou. This way, even if I skip an after work session (which I'm determined not to do), I can still feel good about myself because I still worked out that day. I can feel myself adjusting to the early morning starts (I can also feel parts of my body that I didn't know existed) and I'm determined to stick to it, especially considering my upcoming island holiday! If you're interested in a more in-depth post about my fitness plan and how I've been staying motivated, definitely let me know in the comments!"

Tick: With the exception of a lazy public holiday, I stuck to my workout plan religiously over April. I must say, I'm rather proud.

Rejuvenate the back yard

"Ever since we brought our little Milla *insert all the heart eyes here* home, our yard has looked worse for wear. I've got some ideas in mind to bring the yard back to life in a more dog-friendly way (read: less plants for her to dig up)."

Tick: It wasn't a huge rejuvenation project, but the yard definitely looks better now that I've added a few small (dog-proof) touches and given it a little bit of a spruce up.

Post to Instagram more
"I've set this goals a couple of times throughout my time as a blogger but with all the drama in relation to the algorithm that is constantly clogging up my feed and just the general negativity towards the app, really, I've been finding it hard to upload consistently for more than a month (on a good month). There was a point where I went for over three months without uploading a single image! If I'm honest, though, my lack of activity goes further than just posting to Instagram and I can't even blame it on the changes that the app has been making.. I haven't really even had the motivation to take photos in general, let alone for Instagram. I've gotten a little better recently but I am nowhere near as consistent as I'd like to be (or have been in the past). The algorithm is pretty shitty, yes, but it's not necessarily about the likes and the comments for me. I don't make money from what I upload and my livelihood is not at stake.. I just genuinely enjoy taking pretty pictures and sharing them with whoever cares. It's as simple as that so there really is no excuse for me to be shying away from the app. I'm chalking it up to pure laziness on my behalf.Come find (and motivate) me @christieee__x!"

Tick: Guys! I actually had fun doing this! I sure didn't post was much as I used to, but I still managed to post once a week, which was the benchmark that I had set in mind, anyways. Nonetheless, I definitely remember why I loved Instagram in the first place. Hopefully this is the beginning of a long-standing rekindling.

Produce more blog content
"Hi, I'm Christie and I haven't been around these parts a whole lot lately. A combination of a lack of motivation, a mild case of writer's block and handful of new personal commitments has meant that I have definitely been slacking in the blogging department of late. I need to find a way to get re-inspired, which I guess more or less goes hand in hand with uploading more content to Instagram, and start blogging regularly, and most importantly, enjoying it, again."

Tick: Heyhey. ;) Not only did I actually bother to blog last month, I've also been batch drafting and photographing. I also realised that I tend to post the same 3-4 things each month, so I ended up brainstorming and semi-drafting a plethora of different topics to publish too. Stay tuned.

Reply to blog comments
"I went from replying to every single comment left on my posts to replying to absolutely no one (I'm sorry. Don't leave me). I read every single one of them, but when it comes to replying.. oops. It warms my heart to see that people care enough about my content to take the time to leave me a comment.. the least I can do is reply so I'm definitely wanting to get back in to the habit. If you get a reply to a comment you left four months ago, heyho! I'm following through."

Tick: If you had commented on my blog any time between February and May, you would have received a very late response. Hooray!



Spending ban
I did it again: I spent far too much money on unnecessary personal shopping. Don't get me wrong: I'm a strong (too strong) believer in treating yourself, but the amount of money that I spent in April was ridiculous. I actually set myself a spending ban back in March (hint: I failed) but I'd definitely like to be far more strict on myself this month and not buy a single non-essential item. My bank account looks atrocious right now.

Continue following my workout plan and lose 2kg
I created a pretty intense (intense for my lazy ass, anyways) workout plan for myself last month and I pretty much stuck to it, with the exception of one public holiday day. Its only been a month but I already feel pretty great. I've been a fair bit heavier than I would like to be for the past couple of years and with our holiday coming up, I just want to feel my best, especially when it comes to wearing a bikini. Continuing to work out the way that I have been lately should definitely yield some results if I don't slack off. I’m hoping to really get in to it and lose 2kg this month.

Make better food choices
I tend to make poor choices when it comes to meals and portion sizes, especially when it comes to dinner. As a result, my weight loss hasn't been as drastic as I would like it to be. I know that no matter how much I work out, eating well has to be a part of the process too, so I definitely need to learn to control how much I eat at mealtime (I always cook too much for the two of us) and be much stronger when it comes to ignoring my cravings. I guess this goal goes hand in hand with a spending ban (bye fast food) and a big ol' exercise plan. I just have to have enough self-control. R.I.P.

Closet clean out
I have a lot of clothes. Many of them are pretty well-worn and have reached the end of their life, and a lot more just plain don't fit anymore. It's gotten to the point where my closet rails are clogged and my chest of drawers is difficult to open and close. I've accepted defeat and am planning to get rid of the clothes that I am hoping that I will fit back in to one day, sigh, so I do need to buy a couple of pieces that fit me properly. What better time for a long overdue clean out?

What are you hoping to achieve this month?

See also:
April 2018 Goals
2018 Resolutions