Looking forward to 2009

Wow - what a trip! I flew home from Chicago yesterday evening and have been recovering ever since then. I had the best time there - the sights, the shopping, the clubs, ... but above all, I had a fantastic time hanging out with one of my best friends and meeting so many cool, new people. In fact, I had such a great time I think I might go back before mid-February, when I'm scheduled to go back down for work for 2 weeks. And no, this is not just because of the super cute guy I met on New Years (and then saw again on Friday!)...

Now, you'll notice that I haven't posted my daily menus for the past few days. Fear not - I'm going to post today's momentarily and it's been a great day (calorie count around 1,400 and 60 minutes of exercise). My last 4 days in Chicago were a total blur, and unfortunately tracking everything I ate became less of a priority as the days wore on. I know that all 4 days were high calorie ones, but I was able to offset some of the damage by squeezing in a good 3 workouts (45 minutes of spinning on Tuesday; 60 minutes of kick boxing on Wednesday; and, 8 minutes of cardio and a 45 minute weight class on Friday). My friend is a member of the nicest gym I've ever seen, called Equinox. No wonder she's looking so great these days - I would want to live at that gym if I was a member!

I've been looking forward to this post since January 1st, as there are some goals I want to set for myself for the New Year. My year-long goals are as follows:

1. Move out.
2. Join a new gym (but not until I move out).
3. Have more fun! For the past few months I've been a serious slump - adjusting to the "real world" was considerably more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I want to add more "fun" to each day - whether it be trying new exercise classes, chatting to a friend on the phone, or planning more trips. Something I've realized about myself is that I always need something to look forward to - my trip to Chicago was a prime example of this. It was just the push I needed to get back to my fun-loving ways!
4. Enjoy being single. I think I'm well on my way there, but not where I would like to be just yet. For years I've been a "boyfriend girl" - you know, the type of girl who always has to have a guy on the go. I want to be truly happy with myself before I start into my next relationship. I still have a lot of growing up to do.
5. Save money in little ways. For example, buy less expensive face products, fewer fancy drinks at Starbucks, over the top purchases (did I really need the dress that Miley Cyrus wore in her "The 7 Things I Hate About You" video? Probably not...), etc.
6. Get a freaking handle on my binge eating once and for all. Note to self: stop eating when you're sad/stressed out/bored/over tired. Got it?! Good.

Time for my January goals:
1. Aim for only 10 high-calorie days (calorie count over 1,600 and no more than 2,700 - I know it sounds like a lot, but I need to start somewhere). I've already used 3 of these, so this is going to be quite the challenge for me.
2. Exercise 5 times/week. This is one more workout per week than I'm used to.
3. Try new types of exercise, like spinning and yoga.
4. Eat less non-processed foods. New food rule I saw in this month's issue of Shape: do not eat foods that contain more than 3 ingredients I don't know (or can pronounce).
5. Bring my lunch to work at least once/week.

My ultimate goal for January is to get my weight down to 145 lbs again. Before I head back to Chicago in mid-February I want to be 143 lbs. Wish me luck!!