I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a fantastic year!  Not that 2011 was not great, but something about 2012 feels good already. 

It may be a cliché , but I will tell you about my resolutions for 2012. But first – what is a New Year’s Resolution?  A New Year’s Resolution is, and I quote from Wikipedia: “A New Year’s Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit.  This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous.  A New Year’s Resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.  A key element to a New Year’s Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year, and new beginning.”
The theme for me for 2012 will be CHANGES!  The first change will be to make my resolutions public and hope that because I am letting you in on them, I will actually keep them!

Resolution #1:  Try a new recipe every week.
I find myself in a cooking slump too often.  Not that I don’t defer to healthy meals but how often can a family have broccoli, chicken and rice?  And Santa brought me three new cookbooks that I need to try out.  So this year, I will try at least one new recipe per week.  By doing so I will 1. Stimulate the chef in me and learn new skills, 2. Expose my family to new foods and flavours, and 3. Find new family favourites.

Resolution #2: Organize my meals during the week.
At times, working fulltime and trying to be the best mom and wife can be a challenge, as can providing a healthy meal.  I usually start the week off with good intentions, but by Thursday I don’t have any ideas, or the needed ingredients in the fridge, or time I need. So I will plan our meals and have some healthy meals as a back-up in the freezer for those busy dog-walking,  take the kids to gym class, pay the bills, do laundry kind of days.

Resolution #3: Sign up and run the Ottawa half marathon.
Before I found out I was pregnant with my first child, my husband and I were training for a marathon.  Since we had had some difficulties getting pregnant, as soon as we found out we were expecting, my doctor recommended I do not participate in the marathon run.  So, my husband ran the marathon without me and has now finished a marathon before me (can you sense the spousal competition?).  Of course I don’t regret any of it because we were blessed with a very healthy and adorable little girl.  But once she came along, there was no time for running and I never got back to my goal of running a marathon.  So, this year I will make time and train for the Ottawa half marathon (it has been a while so I think I should start with the half marathon and next year maybe the full marathon).

Resolution #4: Take an exercise class.
Since my college days (so it has been a “few” years), I have always wanted to take an exercise class but never made the time for it.  This year, I will try a spinning class during my lunch hour.  This should be a nice complement to my half marathon training.
There you have it!  My 2012 New Year’s Resolutions! 

Let me know about some of the healthy changes you are making for yourself and your family for 2012.

I wish you all a very HEALTHY 2012!  Happy New Year!