goals

My goals are many and broad. It's more than what I do to my body; I want to achieve things with my body. Links go to blog entries about a given goal. (I'm also keeping track of smaller, weekly goals.)

body profile

I'm keeping up with shifts in these numbers in my tracking posts

Body fat: 18% (starting: 28.5%)
Weight: 105 lbs. (starting: 121 *ahem* shot up to 126 as of February 2010 ...)
Decrease measurements (starting: 33 / 33.5 / 44)

physical fitness

» 10 pull-ups
» Hold a handstand
» Run two miles, continuously & outside
» Participate at 100% in spin class {I don't do these classes anymore, having moved from Knoxville to Roanoke, where my schedule and gym provide me different challenges to chase}
» Participate at 100% in abs class {ditto above}
» Participate at 100% in Body Pump class
» Become a gym class instructor, possibly for Body Flow

cycling

» Sunday rides with Patrick {We do! Somewhere amidst all our cycling are the easygoing, long Sunday rides}
» Ride the Virginia Creeper Trail from bottom to top to bottom (70+ miles) ... {Done, fall 2010}
» Ride a century

homemade food goals

Patrick and I have this thing: we want to make everything from scratch, and grow as much of our own as we can. Currently, we make our own granola, salsa and peanut butter. Some other foods we'd like to conquer:

» Whole wheat / whole grain bread - I think the first step is actually plain ol' white sandwich bread. There's something about bread, despite all my successes in baking, that scares the bejeezus out of me. {We did it! We even went so far as to make that whole grain bread from the spent grains left over after Patrick brews beer.}

» Refrigerator jam - I'll learn to preserve one day, until then, this is a nice option. I have a feeling it's as simple and taking some fresh fruit and a little sweetener (I'll be excited if I find I can use honey) and some citrus (?), throwing them in a pot and cooking them down to a spreadable consistency.

» Refrigerator pickles - We've actually made some, but sweet. I'd like to find a good recipe for more everyday pickles. Which, by the way, are one of my favorite no-guilt snacks. The sourness makes for a big taste experience, but a pickle's just cucumber and vinegar ... contributes very little against my daily calorie quota.

» Granola - We already homemake granola using oats, dried fruit, oil, honey, coconut, and nuts. But I want to make some adjustments: spices; sweetened by brown sugar, syrup, molasses?; wheat germ; experiment with additional grains and seeds (barley, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower ...). Our current granola is crunchy and loose. I want our ultimate recipe to bake up a crunchy, clumpy bite that really works your jaw.

» Scratch-made marinara - I've made marinara from recipes, but they've lacked the body and bite I want. Also, Patrick and I both enjoy hot spices, so I'll probably experiment with making it fiery, too.

orderliness goals

How exactly do these relate to a healthy lifestyle? Well, there's something responsible about reducing waste; not to mention that an organized space makes for an organized mind makes for a sturdy foundation for good decision-making:

» Rearrange/reorganize our office - I'm kinda taking this blog seriously, and I think it deserves the respect of a dedicated, organized, beautiful space. Not to mention I think better (and write better) when my desk is in order. {done! read about it & see pictures ... and now that we got that all sorted, we up and moved to Roanoke, Va. Once we get ourselves a new little house, I'm sure this goal will pop back up ...}

» Clean out our pantry - This is played out in every home: A pantry full of dry goods that get tucked behind other dry goods and then forgotten forever. I don't like it, never have. But I've also never figured out how to avoid that scene in the first place. Some things I'm thinking about: Use up all of everything that's there; make a list of things we always should have; if we get something unusual for a recipe or a whim, don't put that thing in the pantry, but instead somewhere in our daily line of sight so we can be reminded we must use it up!

» Find a use for all our spices - We use spices, but we have unused spices, too. I'd like to start researching recipes based on, say, how it uses dried parsley. We have a lot of that stuff. We really should put it to work.