New Year's Resolutions?

Ever so slowly, each year I work on becoming a healthier person. The year before last I started eating almost 100% whole grains (no white bread or white rice). Last year my resolution was to drink more water, since my water intake was oh, nil. I still find water a pretty boring beverage, but I am drinking more of it, so that's good. I could probably do with doubling my current intake, so I'll work on that next.

I also stopped eating as many animal products this year. Obviously I had to cut out dairy when I became lactose-intolerant, but this year I seriously cut back on meat and started eating more tofu, lentils, and chickpeas as my protein. This has a little bit to do with health (there's such nasty stuff in cheap meats...hormones, antibiotics, etc.) and more to do with a horrible pamphlet I was given at a Morrissey concert showing pictures of chickens in crates and pigs chained down so they couldn't even stand up (shudder). I knew about that stuff intellectually, but there's nothing like photographic evidence to change a person's behavior!

I always work on getting more exercise in. This year I was taking regular belly dance classes again for the first time in years, although I just found out my teacher is not going to be teaching that class anymore. Sigh.

Next year (which is rapidly approaching) I think I would like to focus even more on exercise. I gained a little weight this year, and it's bumming me out. I'd like my jeans to fit better, and to look better, and to feel healthier. I'd like to look good in photos, especially belly dance photos where my whole midriff is exposed! I'd like to not have to replace my whole wardrobe with clothes one size larger...that is way too expensive and I'm saving for a wedding, dammit!

I've recently discovered Fit After Thirty, which is a fun site with motivational articles. I think the more I read, the more motivated I feel NOT to eat those holiday cookies sitting on the table at work.

I'm also considering doing a three-week cleanse in January. This one is going to be tricky, because it pretty much means all home-prepared meals and no eating out. When you get home at 10 pm, the easy thing is to eat a quick sandwich...but this cleanse means no gluten, no animal products, no sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine. I'm not sure which will be the hardest part. Probably the gluten and the caffeine! Mr. T says he'll support anything that stops me from drinking soda (I drink diet soda but Mr. T thinks all soda is evil...he's probably right, but don't tell him that). I think this would be a huge challenge but it might help wean me from some bad habits. Then again, it might turn me into a cranky bitch for three weeks. So I'm still thinking about it.

The "100 push-up challenge" seems totally do-able and easy to incorporate into one's life.

I'd like to find a good yoga class. My belly dance teacher always did a half-hour yoga warm-up, and since I'm not going to benefit from that anymore, I would like to keep up the yoga part of it in another way.

I've also considered...since getting to the gym can be challenging with a busy schedule...what if I tried getting up early and doing it before work? I can't believe I'm even thinking about that. I am SO not a morning person. But for my health...isn't it worth it?

Does anyone else have fitness goals for 2009?