Operation Resolution: Ready, Set, Go!

New year, new you. That’s the whole idea behind new year’s resolutions, right?

By CC Staff

Except most resolutions get tossed out the window by February, leaving the resolutioner in the same exact place they were one year before. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to ensure you stick to your goals, one of them being accountability. Simply sharing your resolution with others so you have someone there watching you along the journey will help keep you strong.

So that’s what we’re gonna do. Three CollegeCandy writers have agreed to share their big resolutions for 2010 and document their quest to success. Every month we’re going to check in on them to see how they’re doing and keep them motivated to complete the goals they set for themselves.

Did you make a resolution? Do you want help keeping it? Come along for the ride each month and share your ups and downs in the comments section below. If we all work together we can be happier, thinner, stronger, smarter, richer, whatever-you-want-er come 2011.

Brittany: Happiness

New Year’s Resolutions scare me. No, they really do.  The minute I want to be a good person and lose 20 pounds, I have dreams about blueberry muffin mountains and an ocean full of margaritas.  Please tell me I am not the only one. On this account, I have decided to tackle my resolution at a different angle this year: by simply, being happy.  And there is a little equation I have come up with to help myself through, and it is actually fun!

My new resolution is: When I wake up in the morning, ask myself “What is it that you would really want to do today?” And do it. Every day.  It doesn’t need to be climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, or to learn the 5th symphony on the piano.  It can be easy as telling someone how I really feel, or going on a drive simply to have a mini-concert in my car starring me, myself, and I.  I should just do it. So that’s my plan for 2010. To be happy. Follow me on my journey and maybe we can all have a happier future.

Sara: Marathon

Running is more than just a hobby for me: since I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2008, it regulates my stress and helps keep my digestive system in order. Before my diagnosis I was sick nearly every day, with very little energy and without passion to do the things I love. Once I changed my diet and started running seriously, I’ve been symptom-free and, well, really happy! (Runner’s high is real, I’m telling you!) That’s why my New Year’s resolution is to maintain a running goal (really, a dream) I’ve had for years: to finish the New York City Marathon in under 4 hours, something I thought was impossible when I was ill.

This is a resolution two years in the making; I spent the last year qualifying for this year’s 26.2 mile race, which takes place on November 7. Until then, I will be running a half-marathon in each borough of New York City, to maintain my fitness and aid in the marathon training. Over the next few months, I’ll be reporting back to CollegeCandy on my progress and race results, all while trying to stay injury-free. Who knows, maybe I can convince you to try distance running!

Lauren: Fit Into My Old Jeans

I’ve put on about 15 pounds in the past two years. It came on slowly so I barely saw it happening, but it came on nonetheless. And now I see it. Jiggling back at me in the mirror. So my resolution for this year is to stop letting the little things (a cookie here, a half pizza there) slide and finally get my weight back down to its happier place. I have all the tools to do it – the gym membership, the healthy food, the knowledge. And now I’ve got the fire under my (larger) ass to make this happen for myself.

I want to go back to the days when I felt good in my clothes… and when I could sit down without a giant muffin top pouring out. I want to feel healthy. I want to feel proud. I want to feel sexy and happy and content. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been in my life these past two years. But somewhere I let myself go and now is the time to fit the last piece in the puzzle (…and fit these thighs into my favorite jeans). I’m motivated and I’m ready to be my bad-ass, healthy self in 2010. Let’s see how this goes.