Sunday Sweats: 2017 victories and goals for 2018

I learned so much about my health and fitness this year. I have two excellent trainers at my office, and I've been motivated by some of my Instagram and blog follows. I've challenged myself and succeeded more often than not. I may not have seen the scale move much (except to just bounce back and forth), but I definitely feel like I made progress in becoming healthier and fitter.

Now, let's look at my goals for the past year.

These were my fitness goals for 2017:


> Do more yoga.
I did yoga almost daily last January. I think it was a bit much. I still haven't fallen in love with yoga even though I know it would be so good for my body and my mind. I'll keep trying.

> Conquer push-ups.
My goal was to do 37 on my toes. I don't know if I got there (and I'm not going to drop and do them at this moment). But I did do 20 on my toes at one point earlier this year. And just the other day, I did 100 (in segments of 20) on my knees.

> Join or find a running group.
I tried to start a running group with people from my Facebook friends list. But it didn't go well. I only had one actual running meet-up. After that, nothing. However, I did find a group of women at work to run with every Wednesday. So I'm calling this a victory.

That's not too bad on the goals.

Beginning of 2017:

End of 2017:

Do the photos show the progress I feel? I'm not sure, but ... that's OK. I still feel it and that's a win for me.


Here are my fitness goals for 2018:

> Do at least one new race.
I've done so many local races, but there are still more I want to try. I need to choose one and do it.

> Take on monthly fitness challenges.
There are a ton on Pinterest -- planks, squats, etc. I want to get stronger and adding one little element to my regular routine will definitely help.

> Be kinder to myself.
I know this one will be hard to measure, but I really need to enforce it. I need to stop being so hard on myself if I decide to take a rest day or indulge in some poor food choices or if I'm not as fast as I want to be. I also need to stop comparing my fitness journey or workout to those around me. I also need to just take general good care of myself -- meditation, eating well, getting plenty of rest, etc.

What are your fitness goals for the new year?