New Years Intentions |

Last year at this time, I was getting dressed up for holiday parties and New Years eve, scrutinizing myself and the way I looked and felt. I would take a massive amount of photos, posing at different angles, and then posting not the one I looked the happiest in, but the one I looked the skinniest in, and therefore the “best.” I had already made progress in my journey, but I envisioned my progress in a big way in the coming year, 2017. My resolutions were 1.) Lose weight and gain tone with Tone It up meal program, starting in Jan 2017, and 2.) Be more present.

At the time, that first resolution was VERY physical. My mental state was clouded by the aesthetics of fitness- I wanted abs, I wanted a skinnier waist, etc.- rather than the overall, feel-good feelings associated. I was always extremely futuristic, in that I saw myself in a certain way, at a certain point in time in the future. It set unrealistic expectations, followed by feelings of constant disappointment. This goes beyond body image, it’s truly how my brain worked in every part of my life (work and relationships included). While it’s good to be goal-oriented, I realized this wasn’t a healthy mindset for me. So, my second ~~resolution~~ intention was to be more present. By setting this intention, I stopped focusing on the when and instead focused on the now. I took each workout day by day, each meal day by day, and in turn saw progress. I took the time to FEEL my body change each day, while of course collecting an archive of photos for proof. When I stopped worrying so much about the physical transformation, the magic happened: I experienced a holistic change.

I’m in disbelief over how much has happened in the past year, and I am so incredibly grateful. I started Tone It Up, building an amazing community of friends and supporters. I created this blog, which has become so much more than just an outlet for my passions. And, I feel better, stronger, happier than ever before. With all of that said, I look toward 2018 with a new outlook and fresh perspective. I’m ending the idea of “resolutions” and instead calling them intentions. The word resolution implies that something needs to be resolved, and I beg to differ! By remaining present, we love ourselves, imperfections included, and can set intentions to grow and improve without “fixing” something. There isn’t a quick fix, a bandaid to place on mistakes, but rather the path we take to grow from them, and the lifestyle change we make. Ironically enough, according to Google, there are two definitions of intention, the first being “a thing intended; an aim or plan” and the second, “the healing process of a wound.”

A resolution can feel like an end all, be all. It can feel like a weight, heavily on your shoulders, creating an idealistic view of how you’ll look or feel, come next December 31. An intention should invite positivity into your life, bringing you closer to the best version of yourself. It can be set as often as every morning, by just bringing awareness to yourself, and recognizing where you are, right here and now.

This year, I’m setting intentions to:

Free myself of guilt, self doubt and worry. Let go, and continue to be present whenever possible
- While I’m typically futuristic, It’s also easy to get caught in the past. The littlest mistakes make me spin, and the more I dwell, the worse I feel. I need to forgive myself, accept human error, take deep breaths, and move on. It’s hard to progress with the weight of worry pulling you back.
Love without constraint, including myself
- I’m already an emotional person, but I wanted to be fully open, and share those emotions with the people I love. I want to tell them every day how and why I love them. To love myself, I will continue to listen to my body, practice self care, and tell myself every day that I am proud of what I’ve accomplished.
Challenge and push myself out of my comfort zone, so I don’t just look stronger, but feel stronger
- It’s so easy to live out of habit, and to do what feels familiar, but in order to see change, I must live more with intent and try something new. I plan on incorporating harder workouts more regularly. By scheduling classes, I am sticking to a plan and holding myself accountable.
Educate myself in the field of nutrition, and cut foods that don’t allow me to feel my best
- As a member of this wellness community, I’ve learned so much about new products, wellness trends, and overall nutrition health. I’m planning to dive deeper, to gain knowledge of holistic nutrition and best determine what best fuels me, and could fuel you too!

Thank you all for helping me remain present, enjoying every moment of my best year yet. I cannot wait to see what 2018 brings, but I can already guess it will be very special :).