Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Hello 2014!

Happy New Year!!

The last few weeks of 2013 were really busy for me, as you can see from my lack of posting towards the end of the year. I just couldn't seem to find the time to sit down and write. On top of all that, I feel sick again and spent the last 2 weeks of 2013 with another bout of bronchitis (and it's still lingering).

I spent the end of the year in Las Vegas. D & I decided to fly out for UFC 168. Since we were there for UFC 162 this past summer, during which the outcome of the main event (Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman) was very surprising (Weidman won), we decided to go and watch the rematch. On top of that, Ronda Rousey, my favorite female fighter, was fighting (Rousey won, yay!!). The event was awesome, and although it was a very long way to go for such a short period of time, it was totally worth it!

A few highlights of my trip:



Meeting UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Valasquez


Meeting Jessamyn Duke - Contender on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 (TUF 18)


Meeting Shayna Baszler - Contender on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 (TUF 18)


I met Grand Master Janice Somera earlier this year when she came to Kuwait to give a Kajukenbo seminar. Meeting her was really special for me as she somehow unlocked something inside of me that helped me dig deep and push forward, not just with MMA training, but with my approach to life in general. I don't think words can describe the positive and powerful influence she had on me. It was an absolute miracle that she was in Las Vegas at the same time I was -- being able to spend a few hours with her was a wonderful way to end the year.


Me at UFC 168


Team Rousey on board! 


So here we are, Jan. 1, 2014 -- I went back to my post from Jan. 1st of last year to see what I had written as my goals/expectations for the year. It was strange to read the goals. I feel like I accomplished a lot, but when it comes to actually looking at the list and ticking things off, 2013 was not a successful year for me. There are so many things I did not achieve (e.g. I gave up on my burpee challenge; I didn't run my 10km etc.) Is it strange that I feel like 2013 was a very good year for me yet I didn't achieve those goals? Maybe I need to keep track of all the things I did achieve that were not on my list of resolutions/goals:

- I became a certified Fitness Nutritionist
- I became a certified Fitness/Personal trainer
- I successfully completed the Whole Life Challenge twice (coming in 7th place and tied first respectively)
- I continued to consistently lose weight (though I did not reach my goal weight)
- I've made a lot of progress with my MMA training
- I feel like living healthy really is part of my lifestyle and I'm no longer frantically searching for the 'right way' to lose weight; I'm still tweaking, but I feel confident in knowing what I need to do and doing it

After writing all that down, I don't feel so bad. Of course there were many circumstances that I had not planned on during the year (illness, injury, out of town visitors, travel), but despite those, I think I did a good job staying on track.

I have only one overarching goal for 2014: Be healthy and happy. 

Each month I'll still be keeping track of my progress. Setting small monthly goals also helps me keep on track and keep moving forward.

Jan. 2014 Goals: 
(I'm still recovering from my cold & struggling with my wrist injury, so I don't think my physical activity will be too ambitious this month)

1) Daily stretching (minimum 15 minutes)
2) Complete 20 workouts
3) Drink at least 3.5 L of water on a daily basis
4) Post 2 recipes
5) Complete 1 abstract & sort through File 1 of research articles



8 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:50 AM

    It looks like you had lots of fun in Vegas. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Katrin! Happy new year to you too :)

      Delete
  2. I hope you get over all the sickness and injuries early on so that you can get back to all the activities you love. Happy New Year. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Caron, me too! It's really testing my patience!
      Happy new year to you too :)

      Delete
  3. That's so great!! I follow the UFC pretty closely myself! Jessamyn Duke was a favorite of mine in the show! I used to like Rousey, but not so much now, although I know she's a very skilled fighter and the UFC is not a niceness contest. However, as a long time high ranked martial artist I am disappointed in her behavior.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dr. J! I was so excited to be there and to meet a few of the fighters. I know what you mean about Rousey's attitude, but I'm still a fan of hers. I think she's fierce.

      Delete
  4. Are you planning on doing the WLC that starts on Jan 11th or are ya taking a break from them? :) I'm doing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jenn, yes I'll be doing it again. I need to after this holiday season! :)

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I can use all the support I can get :)