I know a lot of people hate the idea of making new year’s resolutions but not me! There’s no harm in trying to make improvements. And if you fail, well, then you are just back to where you were before.
How did I do in 2017? According to my resolutions blog post in Jan 2017, I had hoped to only spend 1200 dollars on clothes all year. Well, that was a major fail! Because I spent 3x that amount! But I did make good on my other goal of staying out of credit card debt. When I graduated from medical school (5 years ago), I was 10K in credit card debt, mostly just spent on daily living costs while receiving minimal parental financial support.
I was able to climb out of that debt exactly two years ago and stayed out of that kind of debt since. In order to pay it off, I don’t think I ever made any big sacrifices with my clothes, but I did cut out things like going out to nice restaurants and bars. And I haven’t travelled much at all either. Most of my vacations were stay-cations.
When people come visit me in NYC, they often ask if I’ve been to [insert trendy new restaurant]. But my answer is almost always no. I rarely go out which is fine by me because I’m happier as a home body than most people. Some people might read this and think I’ve prioritized consumer goods over life experiences, but for me, my clothes are important experiences.
Another resolution I made last year was to improve my summer wardrobe, which I did succeed in doing. In 2017, I added a handful of linen flow-y garments and work friendly sandals. I always had something to wear in the summer. So in 2018, I won’t need to add that much for the summer. In 2016, I did a really good job of beefing up my winter wardrobe, so this year I’ve been really toasty and didn’t have to invest in any winter outerwear or accessories. I’m still using all the same stuff from two years ago.
This year I don’t have any major seasonal type gaps in my wardrobe to fill but may need a few things throughout the year to replace unwanted or worn out things. I think 2018, will be about upgrading existing garments types that I already have rather than filling holes. This year I won’t be putting a dollar amount limit on my clothing budget. I think it makes more sense to just limit the rate of my clothing acquisitions.
Resolutions for wardrobe:
- Buy significantly less clothes, ie. less than 1 item per month.
- Be willing to pay a lot more for each item of clothing.
- Donate all remaining unwanted clothes that were not sold in 2017.
- Lighten up the color palette.
- No more stripes (already have too much).
- No more synthetics (it’s bad for the ocean).
- No more cashmere (it’s bad for the planet).
Resolutions for health:
- Complete at least 5 Barre3 workouts per week.
- Eat less meat. Lower LDL cholesterol to < 80 (current level = 100).
- Take daily vitamin D. Raise vitamin D level to > 20 (current level = 12).
- Take better care of skin: wear sunscreen, cleanse, and moisturize every day.
I already started these resolutions in December and have made good on these promises. I completed day 7 in the Barre3 8-day beginner series and have been sore since I started on Christmas. The Barre3 online courses give you a sticker for each calendar day, each time you complete a work out. As a good student, I’ll do anything for a sticker! It’s genius.
On top of that, I’ve remained vegetarian for all meals except dinner with a few exceptions, while cutting back on carbs simultaneously. And have been taking my vitamin D daily. I also updated my skincare routine and already feel like my skin is a million times smoother (I’ll write more about this in another post).
Let’s just hope I can keep it up! What about you? How did you do on last years resolutions? Do you have any wardrobe or health related resolutions for 2018?
Bonus: A sweet but healthy smoothie recipe
If you’re really craving a sweet dessert but want to keep it (somewhat) healthy then this is the perfect recipe! I’ve made it a few times already. The BF loves it so much, he keeps requesting that I make it again and again. For two serving sizes, combine the following in a blender:
- 1.5 cup almond milk
- 1.5 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 ripe banana
- 4 ice cubes (each 1.5″x1″x1″)
- 20 frozen blueberries
- optional: 1 teaspoon hot chocolate mix or 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
This is probably around 280 calories total; half that if you’re sharing it. Enjoy!
Dr. it girl 
That Barre3 interface is so pretty!
Can you tell us more about the classes? I looked into their free trial a little bit, and I’m loath to commit to even that, but you’re getting good results with the 15 or 30 or 60? minute workouts? I really need to do some strength training somehow–are the micro movements typical of barre actually strength, or does it feel more like cardio? I’m irritated the university gym isn’t free anymore, so I have no way to lift weights without considerable home investment, and that’s unsightly. I really need something to do at home that requires basically no equipment but a squishy ball and tiny weights. That smoothie–PB!–looks delicious.
LikeLike
I’m doing the beginner series program so its one work out per day for 8 days; it’s mostly been 30-40 minute work outs; for two days it was only 10 minute work outs but they tended to be more intense. the micro movements are probably more like strength training for your core and gluts mostly. I’ve felt most of the soreness in my front thights and butt muscles. My abs haven’t felt sore but I do feel slightly stronger in my posture. It’s only 29 bucks a month and a student discount.. so even if it sucks, you can cancel and not be out a lot of money. I’m a newbie to work outs in general so I don’t have anything to compare it to. I found barre3 through a blog post or magazine article.. i forget where.. that compared all the online work out courses out there… and it seemed the most appealing to me and was at one of the most decent price points too. My favorite instructor so far is Dino.. he has lots of rhythm and is energetic.
LikeLike
Michelle! I just did a barre3 workout using the trial. I’ve yet to figure out the student discount, but I’ll be all over that this week. I did a 60 minute “Athletic Grace,” but only that one because it requires no props. My calf muscles are already sore, which is odd, so this is hitting places that TRX doesn’t address. I haven’t bought that squishy little ball yet and kind of don’t want to (also annoyed that I can’t go buy one locally because there is no Barre3 in the city). But I think I’ll have to because it wasn’t easy finding a video without it.
LikeLike
So excited you joined! The ball is worth it. It’s very flexible and makes the ab workouts a lot more enjoyable. I’d probably keep using it for abs even if I quit barre 3. The resistance band is worth it for the glut work outs too. I bought my weights on amazon for cheap. I kinda wish I had one pound weights too tho.
LikeLike
Sounds like the trial might be worth looking in to. Do you use a chair, or a counter, or something else to substitute for the barre? I’d worry about sending my chair sliding across the floor and falling on my face. Not sure if you are just leaning against the barre with your arms for support during leg work, or placing your leg on the barre, like what I see when I walk by barre classes at one of our local studios. (I looked in to the cost of those group classes and couldn’t believe how expensive they are!)
LikeLike
I use the chair. None of the workouts I’ve done required me to put my leg on it. I’ve just used it for balance. And put the chair over a rug or yoga mat to keep it from sliding. When I will need a truly waist high bar, I’ll stack two chairs on top of ea other. They are sooo expensive in real life! The workouts don’t have to be super precise so it’s ok to do at home. Lmk how it goes!
LikeLike
I’m looking forward to reading more about your experience with the online barre classes. A studio opened in my town, but it costs significantly more than our Y membership. For now, I’m only getting 20 minutes at the barre per week in a 20 barre/20 pilates/20 yoga class, but I’d love to do more.
Also, I make nearly the exact same smoothie each day! I usually add kale or spinach to the mix to bump up my veggie intake, and sometimes swap the nut butter for protein powder. If you have the freezer space, it’s totally worth throwing the bananas (peeled) in to freeze right after ripening.
LikeLike
Barre3 is supposed to be a mix of all those forms of exercise too. You might like it. I’m gonna freeze my bananas tonight. Thanks for the tip! I also wanted to try other types of nut butter. I added a little ginger and that was good too.
LikeLike