Tell me, why do all the stock photos of “new year’s resolution” have an apple and a measuring tape? When did that become the generic symbol for weight loss? Weird. Anyway, the above picture is somewhat inappropriate, as my goals for this year aren’t really about losing weight.

I’m not sure I really believe in new year’s resolutions. I don’t think you need to wait until Jan. 1 to get some goals in your life. You can create new goals for yourself at ANY moment. Nothing is going to change just because the calendar now says 2010. YOU have to change yourself, and that won’t happen on its own. In fact, I recommend starting a new program or goal on any random day! Any day can be a “new” day. You just have to declare it so.

That said, I do want to write out some of my goals for the year, because I think it’s an important way to stay accountable and focused (Winter Shape Up, anyone?). I’m going to use the SMART framework to make sure I don’t set myself up for failure. SMART = Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. My goals aren’t outcomes, they’re paths to reach an outcome.

• As I’m walking into work each morning, I want to think about one thing I’m looking forward to or thankful for.
  Walking into work can feel like a death march at times. Even though I like my job and like the people I work with, I’ll readily admit there are days that I’m tempted to turn around and go back to my car before I make it inside (I KNOW some of you all can relate to that!). This morning, I just briefly thought about a few things I was excited about for the day and a few things I was grateful for. Sort of surprisingly, it actually did help me look forward to the work day. Outcome: a happier, more positive Leah.
• Ask myself if I REALLY want it before purchases or calorie splurges.
  Miss Veggie Booty says this works for her, and I think it’s a great idea. Most of the time, the simple act of pausing before a splurge is enough. I’ve eaten my fair share of food that’s not only nutritionally void, but also not that tasty. If it’s a homemade version of my favorite, you know I’m not going to pass it up. But if it’s a store-bought, chemical-filled imitation, I hope asking myself this question will stop me from forging ahead anyway. This also works with other types of splurges (like spending). I’m also acknowledging right now that my answer to “Do you REALLY want that?” might just be “Hecks yeah!” Outcome: saving money and calories for things I really want.
• Try a new workout or workout move at least once a week until I start training for another race.
  I’ll be perfectly honest: I get bored easily when it comes to workouts. The only reason I made it through half marathon training was because I had chatty friends by my side on 90% of my long runs. I get frustrated if I do the same thing a few times and don’t see immediate results. The solution to this is easy: I’m giving myself permission to go nuts and be all over the place when it comes to my workouts. My body is never going to know what hit it! I already tried a few new ones this week. Outcome: less gym fatigue and a more toned physique.
• Get feedback on the blog.
  I’ve been meaning to ask this for awhile, and now’s as good a time as any. What do YOU want to see more of on the blog? I feel like this blog runs the gamut from personal stories to informational “wiki” posts (as they’ve been called) and everything in between. What do you guys like best? The more informational posts? The personal stuff? Do you like reading answers to reader questions? Want to see more challenges? Your feedback is important to me, so if you have a second, please email me and let me know what you think I could be doing better/more of. Outcome: a better blog!

Alright, that’s all I got for now. What about you? What are some of your goals, either short- or long-term, for 2010?

That’s right, I’m going to announce the winner of the Winter Shape Up Challenge! To randomly select the winner from all those who emailed me every single week starting way back in October, I assigned everybody a number and had a random number generator select one.

But first, I want to post some of the things you shared with me about what you learned over the course of this challenge (this time, anonymously). Thanks to all of you for participating. The challenge started with more than 90 people but WAY fewer than that made it to the end. Reading all of your emails each week was such a motivation for me to be a better health blogger. You guys even made me tear up! Check YOU out:

• “[I learned about] finding a balance between holding myself accountable for my goals and letting myself off the hook when I slipped up.”
• “I learned that the only way to lose weight is to decide to lose weight, and that working out not only helps you burn calories, but it really does give you a tremendous amount of energy.”
• “[I learned] that setting small goals and having people to be accountable to really helps you meet them! slow and steady wins the race!!!”
• “i can do something a lot more effectively if i have a goal to work towards (my 5k turned 4 mile race) and accountability and encouragement along the way goes far.”
• “The most helpful thing I learned from this challenge is that I am capable of accomplishing my goals.  I may not completed every goal I had for myself but I pushed myself where I never thought I could excel.  I surprised myself by making it all the way to the end of the challenge and saddened over the fact that it’s over!”
• “Small changes make a big difference!!   And the other most helpful thing about this challenge was being held accountable for my actions.  I always had the challenge in the back of my mind, telling me, “one portion” or “come on, a couple more minutes” at the gym.   It was an extra voice that I needed to push me in the right direction.”
• “For me, this challenge was all about breaking mental food habits…The challenge really helped me be accountable for my actions. I knew that I would have to report to you and so there was a little voice in the back of my head saying “you want to give a good report on Monday!”
• “From this challenge, I learned not to get discouraged. I enjoyed reading the success stories you posted and knowing that even if I have a bad week, I can turn it around. I also will know try to keep consistent goals, because it’s much easier to keep healthy when I have a tangible goal.”
• “I’ve learned two super helpful things from this challenge: 1. I do better when I know that I have to be accountable to someone besides just myself.  The challenge is over, but I still have a personal trainer, my Mom, and my fellow Tumblrs to be accountable to (and myself, too, of course!).  and 2. I need to make goals for myself that aren’t too strict or lofty that I feel suffocated or stressed out over, but that are specific enough so that I know what to do.”
• “The most helpful thing I’ve learned is to stop beating myself up over small things.  If I have a bad meal or something, it shouldn’t ruin the rest of my day and I shouldn’t look at the gym as torture.”
• “The most important thing I’ve learned from this challenge is to keep on trucking! I never had a perfect week but I’ve made amazing progress. There is always something to be proud of or learn from. Weight loss and healthy living is a journey.”

And now for the winner. But yes, I have to say this: YOU’RE ALL WINNERS IN MY BOOK! Seriously, you guys are fabulous. The winner of the WSU Challenge is…

Christin!!!!

Congrats, girl! Please email me asap and let me know which online gift card you’d like. Some ideas: Amazon, iTunes, etc.

And for those of you that didn’t win, I definitely plan to do another challenge — something slightly different — come springtime.

I’m a sucker for the way The Biggest Loser flaunts their success stories. So I’m about to do the same thing! You amazing Winter Shape Uppers lost a total of:

94 98 102 POUNDS!!!!! (Got another update! Ahh, we broke 100!)

That’s a huge number! Even though this challenge wasn’t solely about weight loss (it was about setting and achieving goals), many of you guys managed to change your habits… which led to weight loss. And the whole time, most of you were going through major life changes. In the course of the challenge, one of you

• got a new job
• got engaged
• experienced the passing of a close family member
• got pregnant
• broke up with a long-term boyfriend
• learned of a loved one’s cancer diagnosis
• prepared for her wedding
• transferred schools

You proved that health and fitness isn’t a separate journey… it can be part of your life journey. Alright, that was cheesy, but you guys showed that you don’t have to ship off to some fitness camp to lose weight or break bad habits!

I want to thank you all for participating in the challenge, despite all the other stuff going on in your life. And congrats! I’m going to post another update later in the week, and of course, announce the grand prize winner on 12/28.

Guess what? WE MADE IT TO WEEK 10! I never thought this week would come.

And perfect timing, because tomorrow is officially winter.

Whether you achieved all your goals, some of your goals, or absolutely none of your goals, I think persisting with anything for 10 weeks is a huge accomplishment.

For this last email (due tomorrow, 12/21, by 11:59 PM EST), I’m asking for something slightly different. As usual, send me your Week 9 progress and Week 10 goals. But I also want the following:

• If you lost weight, your total weight loss for the challenge thus far.
• Your overall fitness, nutrition, and overall goals for 2010.
• The most helpful thing you learned from this challenge.

Please don’t forget to include those last three things! They’re crucial for the last part of the challenge. I’m not going to make you email me again on Dec. 28 because I know most people will still be in holiday mode, but I will be picking a winner of the $50 gift card on that day… So be sure to check back here!

Lastly, I want to thank you all for participating in this challenge, and I can’t wait to do a bigger and better one come spring.

Tomorrow marks Week 7 of the Winter Shape Up. You know what that means… By 11:59 EST tomorrow, send me your:

• progress for Week 6
• new goals for Week 7

Let’s do this!

Hey Winter Shape Uppers!

How did Week 5 go for you?

Vegan Week was a partial success. I say “partial” because I became un-vegan on Friday. Why? Well, I had intense stomach pain all day Thursday, and even though I doubt it had anything to do with my vegan diet, I didn’t want to risk it. So I unveganized. I think I easily could have kept up the veganism through today, though.

The overwhelming thought that I had while vegan was, “This is really not that hard.” Hands down, the hardest thing to give up was cheese. Meat? Take it or leave it. Milk? Almond and soy work just fine. But cheese? There’s nothing like a sprinkling of parm on pasta or soup, or a bit of goat cheese on salad or a sandwich. I also missed eggs a bit, too.

Really, the biggest lesson from my five days of veganism was that I don’t NEED animal products in my life. I can cut wayyyy back on them and barely notice the difference. And you can bet I will. Cheese is going to stay in my life, as are eggs. But my meat consumption has already been dwindling, and it will continue to do so, as will my dairy milk consumption. I’ll try to follow Mark Bittman’s Vegan Before Dinnertime plan as much as I can.

Remember, any amount that you can cut back on meat and other animal byproducts is helpful not only to the environment, but also to your body as well (see: Cowboy Rocco). No eating style or diet plan has to be all or nothing, and that’s something a lot of people forget. Every time you have a plant-based meal instead of an animal-based one, you save about 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. There’s a whole campaign based on that idea. So don’t think you have to go extreme to help save the environment, your body, and your wallet.

Anyway, how did your Week 5 go? WSUppers, send me your Week 5 progress and new goals by 11:59pm EST tomorrow (Monday, 11/23) to stay in the challenge!

Yesterday, as part of Vegan 4-A-Day, I ate all vegan meals and snacks. I’ve been eating vegan all week as part my goal for the Winter Shape Up Challenge. I photographed some of vegan eats yesterday to show you what kinds of delicious foods you can eat while still adhering to the principles of veganism (no animal products or byproducts). Sorry for the bad quality… I had to take them on my phone!

Breakfast was multigrain oats with pumpkin, peanut butter, and banana.

I actually keep all these ingredients in the office, so all I have to do once I get to work is add water and heat.

I forgot to snap a photo of my lunch, but it consisted of a falafel sandwich with tahini, lettuce, and tomatoes. I also had a side of lentil soup. I munched on a PB&J Larabar in between meals.

Dinner was eaten at happy hour. I had a hard time finding something vegan on the happy hour menu, but finally settled on another Middle Eastern-themed meal.

Cucumbers and pita with hummus and tabouli. I had them leave off the tzatziki sauce that normally comes with the plate because it contains yogurt.

Yesterday was my fifth day being vegan and I have to say, it’s the most annoying when you’re eating with other people. When I’m cooking for myself, I have no problem at all.