Happy Autumn and New Year's Goals

Happy Autumn! She came in with a bang around here.

I always feel that September is the start of the new year in more significant ways than January. Labor Day is really my New Year's Eve in many ways. At the beginning of the month, I took stock of where I was. It had been a trying summer in many ways, and I wanted to do something to move in a more positive direction. I've been stressed out and tired, so decided I need to focus on my own well-being.

One of the things I've done is started tracking my food consumption over at The Daily Plate. Poppy mentioned that she had started using it and liked its tools better than Weight Watchers'. After a few days, I'm hooked, and I will probably upgrade from the free account because I'm a data geek. This week, I've really tried to have a normal eating week and not let the numbers sway me into changing my behaviors as I wanted to have an honest assessment of my baseline. Even in this short time, I've learned some interesting stuff.

The good news is that I actually drink a lot of water every day. I thought I wasn't getting enough, but I really am. I'm also at close to the right calorie level for where I want to go. That was a surprise. My big downfalls are sugar, sodium, and caffeine. (No, it doesn't track caffeine, but I know.) I really need to work on getting these down. I also need to work on increasing the fiber in my diet. Most of this I already knew, but having the numbers really helped bring it into focus.

On top of this, I've restarted Pilates. The other big thing I need to work on is getting more sleep. I think this last goal is crucial to making the rest of the plan sustainable.