Routine

I love summer.

I am a teacher, so I technically have three months without work. I emphasized "technically," however, as very few educators I know actually don't work June through August. For instance, I had trainings and various meetings all through June, chaperoned a student trip in July, and continued my curriculum work and leadership meetings throughout August. There were very few days where I did not work on school.

Even when I am "doing school" during the summer, though, it is much more relaxed and without a routine.

Perhaps because I am so Type A, this lack of routine really messes me up, which is why it's now the end of August and I am actually looking forward to having somewhere to be five days a week.

Back to school means back into the groove.

And -- hopefully -- get back to being healthy.

This summer, I have not skimped on my fitness; rather, I have worked out at least five days a week and oftentimes even more if we add in bike rides, hikes, long walks, etc.

What I have not done, however, is focus on healthy habits in other regards. For instance, my nutrition has been horrible: I have enjoyed several White Claws and glasses of prosecco, I have eaten my share of ice cream, I have ramped up my sushi addiction, and I have spent far too much money at Starbucks. Additionally, while I read approximately a billion books this summer, I also spent way too much time binging Netflix and Hulu (specifically all six seasons of Glee, lots of Queer Eye, the new Veronica Mars, etc.) and scrolling on social media.

So, now that school is starting and I have a routine again, I decided to set some goals, some intentions.

Nutrition

Weight Watchers

I have been paying $19.99 per month for absolutely nothing. I weighed myself once this summer and tracked maybe three days of points. FML.

My plan is to absolutely get back to tracking every single thing I put in my body -- and to get a lot of "blue dot" days.

I am also planning to post about this journey on Instagram. I want to use this account more actively, too, so that I am inspired by others who are in the same boat as me. I'd like to start posting dinners I cook, point totals for the day, weekly weight loss, and possibly workouts.

Water

I need to up my water intake significantly. I absolutely need to shoot for a minimum of 80 ounces per day. For some reason this is so much easier when I'm at work.

La Croix totally counts in my water intake.

Fruits & Vegetables

While I cook a lot with vegetables, I rarely make side dishes, and I think bumping up my dinners with more sustenance (i.e. veggies), I will be fuller longer. I'd like to eat at least two servings of fruits and vegetables each day -- in addition to what I include in the meals I cook. So, for instance, I'd like to have a banana for lunch and an apple as an after-school snack, carrots for lunch and green beans at dinner.

Supplements

I have been a rockstar in this regard, so I'm planning to simply continue during the school year. Each day I take prenatal vitamins (I started last year to boost nail and hair growth and continued this year because, well, fingers crossed), Vitamin D, a probiotic specifically for women's health, and Metamucil.

Starbucks and Sushi

This may seem silly, but because of my crazy Starbucks and sushi addictions, I am going to make a goal: I am limiting myself to Starbucks twice a week (hopefully even less than that) and sushi twice a week (again, hopefully even less than that). This is a nutritional goal for sure (although, there are certainly worse addictions food-wise), but it is also a financial goal. Insert wide-eyed and money-with-wings emojis here.

Fitness

Weight Lifting

I am still loving my personal training sessions. I wish I could up it to twice a week rather than just once, but it's already too pricey (with my Pilates membership, too). I recently leg-pressed 1,000 pounds and felt like a total badass, so I'm going to continue setting and crushing goals there.

This was a while ago; hopefully my back looks even stronger now.

Pilates

I just love Pilates -- the workout, the studio, the instructors, the friends, everything. I plan to continue my Pilates practice at least four days a week, possibly even five or six. I'm looking forward to my routine again: waking up at 5:15 a.m. for a 6:00 class before work.

This was also a million years ago; I want to try it again soon.

Steps

I am back to wearing my Fitbit Alta, and my goal is to get either 10/12 "movement" dots a day (it can be hard to get all 12 due to my commute) or 8,000 steps per day. I would like to have a goal of going on a walk every evening, but I don't know how realistic that is, as I won't get home until later in the evening and will have to cook dinner, straighten up, etc. Stay tuned on that one.

Random

Sleep

I have come to realize that I need a good seven hours of sleep each night in order to function at an optimal level. So, that's my plan.

100% not me -- but 100% what I look like when I sleep.

Phone Time

I spend far too much time randomly scrolling on Instagram and Facebook -- and playing mindless games (like Candy Crush, Two Dots, and Wooden Block Puzzle), specifically when I'm watching TV. There is no reason for that. I am going to limit my "random phone time" to two hours per day. Sadly, I think this one will be tough. But, I also just figured out how to literally limit my screen time, courtesy of my iPhone's settings. So, maybe that'll make it easier.

I'm also hoping, though, that by limiting my phone time, I will also be increasing my reading time (which is already quite high) and possibly my writing time. I truly love writing but just haven't had the motivation to do so much lately -- likely because it's way easier to just zone out on the phone.

Oh, I'll also need to limit the phone to read and write more because I accidentally signed up for more grad school. Insert worried-mom-face emoji here.

So, that's my plan. I'm hoping that if I can stick to these goals, these intentions, I'll feel better about myself. While I am so ridiculously happy in so many ways, I am also feeling very, very low in the area of self-esteem, self-image lately. I want to get back to feeling amazing.