Hello 2016!

Hello 2016! I am ready for the best year of my life!

I know this post is a week late in coming. It literally took me through the fifth of the month just to fully wrap my brain around my intentions for the year. But I'm ready now, and easing into turning those intentions into realities. Fair warning - this post is long. 

My primary intention for 2016 is to take my health in hand - get fit, lose weight, and break my sugar addiction.  I joined Cathy Zielski's FIT class and was thrilled to have Melissa, Alexa, Karen, and Alison also join in the class.  It's not too late if you are interested - introductory pricing of $26 for the whole year is good through January 15! I'm excited about this class and my blog friends joining in for the factor of accountability. I need to be accountable outside of myself or I just don't get things done.

 My FIT title page. I tweaked Cathy's colors just a bit.

My first page of the many cards Cathy provides for tracking.  I'm not going to use all of the cards she provides - just the ones that fit my needs for each month. I'm absolutely cringing at putting the numbers out there, but I'm trying to be honest and real with myself and accept that this is where I am at right now. It's the heaviest I've been in my entire adult life and I do not like it - not one little bit! I'm hoping that putting these mortifying numbers out there will give me the needed motivation (or kick in the pants if you will) to actually make some changes in my life!

The little red dress in the photos is very similar to the one I bought (mine is a little longer) and haven't yet worn. I bought it when I was at least 14 lbs lighter than I am now and at the time, I really needed to lose another 5 pounds to make it look good. I will never have the leggy look of the model wearing this dress, but this photo gives me a tangible goal to strive for that isn't tied to the number on the scale.

The daily step goal of 5000 steps will be adjusted as I start to consistently reach my goal. Right now, left to my normal sedentary work day, I only get in about 3500 steps. So yes, even a mere 5000 is pushing me out of my comfort zone - just not too far. I'm hoping to rack up some success before I up the goal!

I was inspired by the one page tracker Melissa is using to track her quiet time. But I needed something that would fit my 6x8 album and I didn't want to pay for a download I would have to change anyway.  So I created this one in PSE. I'll be tracking every day that I eat sugar free! I hope to see a LOT of colored squares by the end of the year!  If anyone would like this tracker, say the word and I'll email you a printable file. I can leave the subject line blank or fill it in with your choice of topic.







I'm also participating in Ali Edward's One Little Word class again this year.  My word for 2016 is SIMPLE.

In an attempt to honor my word, I've kept the title page simple. In fact, all that white space kind of bothers me. But I'm trying it on for a bit to see how it feels!

back side of title page

I think the following pages largely speak for themselves. :)

this should read "unnecessary clutter and busyness" - but I haven't gone back and corrected my spelling mistakes on the card yet. Not sure if I will.

I didn't have room on the page to get more specific with the creative intentions. Getting FIT is my primary intention, but addressing my Creativity is a close second for me in terms of importance. I intend to use Rinda's method and focus on one area of creativity each month. I hope to cover the following topics in 2016:

• paper scrapbooking
• digital scrapbooking
• planner pages
• art journaling
• card making
• mixed media
• photography

and anything else I happen to think of during the year. I may give some topics two months and really delve in. I'm hoping this approach will be easier than trying to hit everything each month.

Have you chosen a word for 2016? How does it tie in to your intentions for the year?