On to my goals and New Year's Resolutions for 2014. We are now at the very last day of the year and what a year it has been. This has been one of the most trying years for my family with the loss of my father in law, Giora, as a matter of fact today is his birthday. Happy Birthday Giora, we miss you. On a brighter note, we found out that we are bringing a new life into this world, and that has brought us more joy than we thought possible. I am beyond excited for the life changes that are about to come as we prepare ourselves to be parents.
As far as heath and fitness is concerned I feel like I have been very successful in 2013. I ran my eighth 10 mile race, The Army 10 miler, I competed in my first ever mountain bike race series, recovered from major shoulder surgery, and participated in boot camp class almost 4 days a week for several months. I have lost more than 10 pounds and am still working on losing more. I have had several injuries to contend with and it seems that this aspect has not gotten much better. I have to remember in 2014 that I don't always have to be the hero and that I cannot do everything. I need to take it slow and keep my body healthy.
As for my New Year's resolutions for 2014. Some of these resolutions have absolutely nothing to do with fitness or weight loss but I want to write them here to help me maintain my goals. The only way to keep myself accountable is to make myself accountable. In no particular order here we go.
1. The Abs Diet - This is a book written by David Zinczenko, the editor of Men's Health magazine. I HIGHLY recommend that every man read this book. As Editor-in-Chief, David has taken all he has learned from years and years of working with men's health issues and incorporated these ideas into a diet/fitness plan that focuses specifically on active men. This book reteaches us how to eat. How to eat like a man. What it is that our bodies physically require and what we don't. It explains the science behind why white flour is terrible for us, why "super foods" are good for us, and specifically how to flatten our stomachs (where men carry most of our weight). I read this book before my shoulder surgery and was only able to somewhat include these ideas into my life as I was extremely limited in what I was able to do physically. My only issue with this plan is portion control. I am an eater, and most times an over eater. Even though this books focuses on a six-week plan, I want to integrate the ideas in this book and the portion control provided by Weight Watchers to focus on weight loss while increasing my abdominal strength throughout the year. What man does not want 6-pack abs??? I can tell you with 100% certainty that there is not one man out there that does not. Not one. 
2. Fitness - I can explain this one with exactly two words: Boot Camp. What I mean is that this fitness program provides everything necessary to get physically fit. Everything. All you need to do is show up. And by show up I mean everyday. Nothing gets better by doing something once a week, it needs to become a habit. Baring any injuries I will make to class everyday, Monday through Thursday. With that in mind my goal for 2014 is to workout five days a week. That means I just need to get in a Saturday morning class or some kind of weekend workout every week. Very doable! Check out a commercial about a "typical" day at CFC. You may even notice a couple of star actors in this video, watch out Hollywood. 3. Racing - I want to run some kind of race that I have never run before. Not just a running race but something more interesting like a triathlon or something like the EX2 VentureQuest, which is a mix of mountain biking, running, boating, trekking, and navigating. Maybe another Tough Mudder or mud style race, but I have run a couple of these already and am looking for something outside the box. Something new. I find more success if I am training for something specific. It gives me something to focus on, keeps my eye on the prize. I will keep my eyes open and see what is out there but at this point I am not sure which direction this will go. I will let you know.
4. Writing - Who knew that I would enjoy writing so much. I know I sure didn't, not until I started writing anyway. Already I have entered three different writing contests each for a different short story. I did not necessarily submit to win but just having a reason to write pushed me to do so. My first step is to take a creative writing class in January, which I have already signed up for. If this is beneficial for me and helps me improve then I will sign up for the second part of the class which is later in the year. I have not been to school in over 14 years so this should be interesting to say the least. Now if I could just find my Trapper Keeper...
I am not saying that I will write the Great American Novel in 2014. All I want to do is work on improving my skills, learn to write more creative stories, and put my imagination into words. Then maybe one day retire to a house in Maine and bust out two or three novels a year.
5. Blogging - I want to continue to write my daily posts. Writing daily is much more difficult that is seems. Some days not only do I find it hard to find the time I also find it hard to figure out something meaningful to write about. This year I plan to do some additional research about health and fitness issues/concerns, maybe read a few books on the subject. I can always write about personal meaningless dribble, but with my newly improved writing skills I now want to improve on these topics and touch on some of the more pressing issues we all face daily. If anyone has something they would like me to look into please feel free to respond below or shoot me an email to delongbobby@gmail.com.
6. Reading - With another hour of available time today (which I don't think I will get) I would finish my 54th book of the year (all 53 covers to the right), my goal was 52, that's a book week and I beat it. My goal again is 52 books. It will be harder this year with the baby but that's the plan. I also write a blog about books, not sure if you have ever seen it but there is a link on the right of this page. Mostly I write it to send to friends and family when someone needs a book suggestion. I just started in August so at this point I have only reviewed 24 books. I write a small synopsis (I never include any spoilers) and a review, then rate the book accordingly. Need a book suggestion, check it out here at One Novel Concept. Catchy name right?Reading is another passion I didn't know I had until I started. One day on vacation a few years ago I picked up Stephenie Meyer's The Host. Literally could not put it down. In my youth I was forced to read a bunch of books people stopped caring about a hundred years ago and never found the connection until I read The Host. This one book changed my life forever. While the book is absolutely fantastic, it was not necessarily the content or the story line, it was more that it opened my mind to the possibilities found in books. It made me realize I was missing out on endless joy, endless entertainment, endless stories, endless adventures. One quote that pretty much hits the nail on the head when it comes to reading is by R. R. Martin, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...The man who never reads lives only once."
Never in my life have I so publicly shared my resolutions, nor have I spent as much time thinking about them. I truly believe that by putting these out through the interwebs I will find more success in keeping up with them. Most resolutions don't last past mid-January, my hope is that I can keep true to each of these the whole year and continue to grow as a man, husband, brother, son, and friend. Happy New Year to you all, and I wish you the best 2014 possible. One thing about the future is that so much of it is in your hands. It is possible.
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