I went to the gym this morning – New Year’s Eve. There was only a handful of people there. What’s up with that? Isn’t the last workout of the year just as important as the first? Why not end the year on a positive note rather than just being glad it is over?

Let’s take a look back at 2010. What are you most proud of? What did you accomplish? What surprised you? What would you have liked to accomplish but did not? What goal did you not meet?

It is just as important to look at your successes as those things that didn’t work out as well. We tend to focus on the negative. But, looking at what went right, what we did well, allows us to give ourselves credit rather than always looking at what we didn’t do well.  It allows us to feel positive about ourselves and our accomplishments – which helps us accomplish more!

Looking at things you didn’t accomplish, take a minute and think about why. Was it because you didn’t plan to achieve it? Was it because of fear? Or, was the time just not right?

Now that we’ve taken stock of 2010, let’s look forward to 2011. What do you want to accomplish? What are you willing to do to accomplish those goals? I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I’m a fan of setting goals any time of the year and planning how you are going to achieve those goals. Don’t set a goal unless you are also going to spend time planning how to achieve the goal and coming up with a reward for when you do achieve it. Otherwise, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Here’s a tool to use:

My goal:

In order to achieve this goal, I’m going to:

1)  _______________ by _________(date)

2) _______________ by _________(date)

3) _______________ by _________(date)

Now, put those tasks and dates on your calendar. Finally, finish the following sentence:

When I achieve this goal, I will _______________________.

It is important to write down your goal, how you are going to get there, and how you will reward yourself. Those who have written goals are much more successful than those who do not.

You can start small – “I will eat breakfast three times this week.” Plan for that, and have a reward of, for example, buying yourself a new book when you’ve achieved it. Then, build on that success by planning another one. Each time you achieve one goal, you build your confidence that you can achieve another.

I wish you a 2011 filled with joy, friendship, love, and success. Now, it is up to you to set, plan for, and achieve your goals!

In this crazy busy season, it is important to take time to enjoy – no relish – each day. I can hear you saying “Enjoy! Relish! You are crazy! Too many things to do. Too much shopping, cooking, wrapping! I’m busy trying to keep all my relatives and kids from fighting! Enjoy the day?!?!??”

Yes, things are crazy and busy. But, there will only be ONE 2010 holiday season. I would suggest that you take a minute or two out of each day, sit down, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and clear your mind. Take a look around you and see what is going on. Do it as a third party observer – one outside the situations and hustle bustle. Find something to smile about – even if it is just that everyone will be gone in a couple of days.

This is also a time of special foods. Foods that we only get once a year. When you get one of those favorite dishes, take a minute and relish it mindfully. Look at it – take a snapshot in your mind. Smell it. When you put it in your mouth, notice the textures and how they change as you eat it. Think about all that went into making it and putting it on the table for you. Not just the making but all the way back to the production of the grain, chocolate, coffee, etc. Take your time relishing that food. You could turn this into a family affair. Have each person choose their favorite item and go around the table describing what they like most about it – and talk about how it looks, smells, feels as you cut it with your fork and in your mouth, how it tastes and how the taste changes. Rather than just shoveling in the food and not tasting it, have everyone slow for a minute and enjoy the bounty on the table.

You can do these things any time of year. Relish every day, every week, every month, every year. We only get each day once, why not relish it?

I wish you and yours a holiday season filled with love, joy, happiness, and fun!

The other day I was looking at all the bikes in our garage (we have a lot of bikes in our garage). My eyes came to rest on the two bikes that started it all – two Specialized hybrid bikes. Back in the early to mid-1990′s John and I gave each other bikes for Christmas. I don’t remember our thinking, but we wanted to start getting active and wanted something we could do together. Not long after getting the bikes, we joined a beginners group of cyclists training for their fist century ride (100 miles). Then, we ended up doing the Alamo Challenge when it went from Houston to San Antonio (a double century over a weekend). As we were training for the Alamo Challenge we started riding with a local bike club. It was a challenge to keep up with them on their road bikes when we were on our hybrids. We decided that if we wanted to even look at bikes after the Alamo Challenge we would get road bikes. The weekend after the Alamo Challenge we were shopping for road bikes. Then, we started racing on the road which lead to racing on the veledrome. Eventually, running came into the picture when I didn’t have time to train to race my bicycles. Swimming came a long a few years after that which lead to triathlons. Our garage now contains 8 bikes and a couple of frames. We even have a tandem that we have taken to Hawaii and done a tandem rally (a ride with 40 other tandems) on three islands. Those two hybrids lead to a lifetime of activity – and much more than just riding bikes. I often wonder what our lives would be like if we had not gotten those bikes that fateful Christmas.

My question to you: Is there some activity you have been wanting to try? Maybe you have wanted to do a triathlon but need a bike or need to learn how to swim. Maybe you are just looking for a change – how about finding a ballet or belly dancing class? Why not try a boot camp class? This time of year when we are focused on giving to others, why not find a way to give a gift to yourself of a new activity. It could be something small or something big. You never know where it will lead. Trust me. If someone had told me when we got those two bikes that years from then we would be doing marathons and triathlons, I wouldn’t have believed you.

So, what is going to be your gift to yourself?

Two Businesses Notes. . .

1) Do you want to nail your race day nutrition? I’m now offering race day nutrition planning. Email me at penny@eatingforperformance.com to find out more.

2) Based on the responses to the Ironman nutrition distance coaching survey, I’m working on a monthly nutrition coaching package for those competing in Ironman Texas in May, 011. I’ll keep everyone posted about when it will be available and what it includes.