Happy New Year

Autumn is here, summer is over. Afternoons might be warm but mornings are chilly and the air has that smell of seasons changing.

As my friend pointed out, autumn definitely feels like the time of changes and starting afresh. Maybe it is an ingrained response to all those years in school, when starting back at school was when things really changed. January 1st or December 31st are not really any different from each other. It is still winter and nothing is actually different.

Birthdays are pretty much the same, you are technically a year older, but your life doesn't change because of it. (Unless of course it is a birthday that allows you to do something new/legally - have sex, buy alcohol, drive a car.) A new school year, however, is when things tangibly change.

During summer (at least when working in an office), things tend to slow down somewhat. Colleagues, suppliers and clients are all taking time off at various intervals during the summer months - leaving business moving at a slower pace than normal. That combined with your own summer holidays means that when autumn comes you are energised and ready to make changes / get going again.

So in the spirit of this, I have some New Year's Resolutions.

1) Gym
Looking at the scales and in the mirror, I could stand to lose a few kilos. I'm technically not overweight, but only by a kilo or two.

There also the fact that my lifestyle is completely sedentary. Apart from small bouts of walking (like to the station or to get lunch), I spend the bulk of my awake time sitting. 95-100% of my working time is spent in front of the computer. 2 out 5 days I work away from the office meaning no proper monitor, no proper chair or foot rest, so my posture is even worse than normal.

Most everything I do in my spare time is done while sitting. Going to the movies, reading a book, playing on the computer, socialising. So I desperately need some regular physical activity.

My goal is to go to one lunchtime class per week every week and to try to do two classes a week most weeks. Sure, 3 times per week would be great - but I am trying to set a realistic goal that I have a chance to reach, with a stretch goal to try for.

2) 5 a day
I am rubbish at eating fruit and veg. Sure you get some through things included in lunch and dinner, but to fill the daily quota you need to snack on some too and this is where I fail.

I used to buy fruit with the idea that I'd eat it mid-morning and mid-afternoon as a healthy snack. Unfortunately, I'd then promptly forget about it until it was time to go home.

It is one of those things that I know is good for me, but where the actual doing has no particular appeal in its own right. So in an attempt to up our fruit/veg intake we've bought a blender to make smoothies with. Half a litre of fruit mush with some orange juice or diet lemonade to make more liquid, that should surely count as a few of my 5 a day.

We actually used to have a juicer a few years ago and as much as it was very tasty, it was a pain in the behind to clean. As long as you did it straight away, most of it was very easy, but there was one part that was just impossible. I don't know what it is called, but its surface looks like a fine grater with very sticky outie holes. The only way to get rid of the bits of fruit stuck to it is to scrub it with a toothbrush - every time. Ugh!

The blender on the other hand is very, very easy to clean. After making the smoothies, it takes a couple of minutes to clean the it. Rinse, quick wash, leave out to dry for tomorrow's use. And of course you get a goodly dose of fibre as well, which you don't get with juicing. Win win really.

The goal is to do this three times a week. Twice in the week and once on the weekend. If we can manage four or five some weeks, then great - but that is the stretch goal.

3) Singing

I'm already enrolled for the autumn term (just over a week to go - squee), but I need to get into the habit of practising. So it's time to go pick up a nice, cheap keyboard so I can play scales for warm-up exercises. I tried warming up just by singing some random easy songs, but it doesn't work. Without doing scales that push me to warm up to both ends of my range, I cannot reach the notes I can reach easily when properly warmed up.

My goal is to practise at least once a week between lessons - stretch goal is twice a week.

4) Blogging

I am enjoying writing and I am managing to write down a lot more drafts, but that's no use if I never go back and finish them and hit "Publish".

So the goal is to post at least once a week from now on, more is better, but less is not acceptable. Friday will count as the last day of the week.

In the past deadlines have usually helped me get past the draft / editing stage into the finishing / polishing stage, so hopefully this will work.

5) Clothes mojo

Finally, I need to make a push to sort out my wardrobe - big job (long story, will probably turn into a blog post of its own).

This is more of a project than something I need to get into doing each week, but so far I've not gotten around to it. Autumn is when I swap the summer clothes in the wardrobe for the winter clothes in the loft, so it's an ideal time to create some order.

• Wardrobe cleared out of all unused items - by Sunday 12 Sept
• Wardrobe updated with any necessary autumn/winter items - by Sunday 26 Sept

So that should keep me busy for a while. :-)