Happy New Year!

I hope your year is off to a good start!

Other than the extra weight I picked up during the holiday eat fests, I would say mine is off to a pretty good start. I cleaned cleaned my refrigerator which always makes me feel a little more organized. And organization is the key (for me anyway) to planning good and healthy meals. It's a psychological thing... a clean fridge, uncluttered, freed of old/expired condiments, jams, etc. feels like a fresh start.

Do you have any resolutions for 2010?
I don't usually make resolutions, or at least I haven't in the last few years because they're always the same... eat better, exercise more... it's just something I strive to do anyway regardless of whether there's a new year. So this year I decided to make some resolutions the change a few habits and the main one being...

Brush my teeth and wash my face by 9pm (or whenever I get home if it's later than that).
I'm hoping this will prevent me from eating past 9. Eating late at night is a recipe for weight gain. Sometimes I don't get home from the gym until after 9 so I will have to plan to eat dinner at the appropriate time. I sometimes have leftovers from lunch and it at my desk at work around 5pm or so if I have to work late.

Really this resolution is about planning my eating so I can take in the adequate amount of energy at the right time to support my activities throughout the day, especially from 3pm on. It can get so busy and if I haven't planned my meals accordingly, a late day at the office can throw off everything. Not having an appropriate snack or meal can either lead me to eat something unhealthy or cause me to be so famished that I have to skip my workout. That whole cycle is stressful and drains a lot of energy from my body.

And if I wash my face earlier, I won't tend to dilly-dally and stay up late doing non-important things. I'm hoping it'll help me to go to bed earlier so I can get more sleep and awaken more energized the next day.

Another resolution is about my biggest weakness... my sweet tooth.

No sugar after 9pm.
Yes... I am a chocoholic and I need help. I'm hoping that by writing it down and posting it to the public that I will not consume any chocolate this year after 9pm. It's calorie dense - sugar and fat - exactly what I don't need late at night while my body is trying to wind down. I'm sure the caffeine content in the dark chocolate I eat must also negatively affect the quality of my sleep. Luckily I can bypass other sweets pretty easily - I'm not a fan of sugary candies that don't have any chocolate, so they don't pose a threat. Actually, they don't even make it to my house unless it's a gift. But I think I'll allow myself a small piece of not-to-sweet fruit if I feel I need a little extra something, as long as it's not chocolate or any kind of dessert (ice cream, cookies, cake).

What are your resolutions for 2010?