New Year's (and Every Year's) Resolutions

I was thinking of doing a month-by-month recap of 2009 like some of you have done, but I'm too excited about this next year, so I'm going to write about that instead. I have a few resolutions, and for the first time in my life, I can actually see myself accomplishing them. Probably because these have been goals of mine for a while, and I just happen to be starting them in the new year.

The first goal has to do with finances. Art and I purchased the Financial Peace University kit (by Dave Ramsey), and we did our first session today. We already read the book, but now we're actually going to go through the steps. This guy is a genius. Everybody should go through it. FPU teaches you how to budget, save for emergencies, pay off debt, invest, save for big purchases, buy everything with cash, and retire with plenty of money. It's better to start young (and hopefully before you get into overwhelming debt) but if you're middle aged or older, it's not too late.

Our first piece of homework was to write out a general budget. He provides a form and everything. It's sobering to see those numbers on paper, but at least I know where we're at.

Anyway, I guess my financial resolution for 2010 was to have a set budget, start paying for everything with cash, save up $1000, and start paying off debt. It feels good to know that we'll finally have a firm handle on our money, and to know that we have a lifelong plan in place to save and build wealth. A plan that actually works!

The second goal is fitness related. Art's brother Joe is very likely going to move out, (and Mari's friend is likely taking his place), so that means I can have Joe's CrossFit membership! I've been wanting to be a part of the gym for a while, and people always ask when I'm going to start working out. It hasn't been in our budget. But now I finally get to be "one of them"! I know it's going to be super tough, but I love the people at the gym. They are truly like a family. Everyone is so encouraging, no matter where you are at.

I am a little afraid of failing or looking like a wuss, but I want to get to that place where I love it and I'm addicted to it. I'm looking forward to truly being fit for the first time in my life. As of right now, I can barely run a block to save my life (it's sad). In 2010, I'm going to get to that place where I can run 400 meters without stopping to die, and dead lifting 150 pounds. And maybe even doing my first pull up!

My third goal is diet-related, and goes hand-in-hand with my fitness goal: I'm determined to eat more healthy than I ever have before. My fitness performance will depend on it. And I'm starting to really realize that what we eat truly affects us, either immediately, or way down the road. I don't want to be old and on all sorts of meds when I could have done everything in my power to prevent it. And here's how I plan on doing that.

Art and I follow what's called The Paleo Diet. Let me clear: we're not ON a diet, at least not in the way most people think of being on a diet. Because everyone is on a diet. What you eat on a regular basis is your diet. We eat according to the Paleo diet. I don't necessarily agree with the premise behind it, but the science is solid.

The Paleo Diet is based on the belief that the earth is billions of years old (which I don't think it is) and that people who lived in the Paleolithic era were the healthiest and fittest humans because of their hunter-gatherer lifestyle. I don't believe that the Paleolithic era ever existed because I believe in creation and that the earth isn't more than 8000 years old. But I do believe that the hunter-gatherer lifestyle is the best lifestyle.

The diet of a hunter-gatherer is balanced and healthy, and accounts for the three major nutrients that the body needs: meat for protein, fruits and vegetables for carbs, and seeds and nuts for fat. Their fitness is also balanced, because they have to be fit in every way: long distance cardio, short distance sprints, jumping, climbing, weight-lifting, and anything relating to gymnastics. And that's exactly what the CrossFit model is based on.

Notice I didn't list anything grain or dairy-related. I know that this is a controversial subject, because grains and dairy have been around since the beginning of creation. But we believe that grains are unhealthy sources of carbs. They cause the insulin to spike too high, which causes progesterone to spike to combat the insulin, which causes an insulin crash. It's a vicious cycle, and when your hormones go crazy like that, it has some serious consequences.

Also, anything grain-based contains gluten, which is an anti-nutrient. It actually blocks nutrients from being able to absorb into your body. I know that gluten-free foods are available, but the insulin spike is still a problem.

And we don't consume a lot of dairy, because it contains a little TOO much fat. We do drink raw milk sometimes, (which is surprisingly good) but that's about it. To put it simply, we don't want to eat anything processed (which most grain and dairy products are). I only want to eat real foods, because I'm a real human being. Processed (i.e. fake) foods don't provide nutrients, and the body isn't designed to ingest fake food. It just makes sense to me.

And I've been finding out that eating healthy food doesn't have to be boring! There are hundreds of spices out there, and ways to make your own sauces using real (unprocessed) ingredients. There is no reason that healthy food should be gross. So my goal is to eat perfectly healthy at least 5 days a week, and not cheat too badly on the weekends.

What's funny is that I'm starting to work on all three of these goals in 2010, but they are actually life-long habits. I don't just want to be fit, healthy, and financially stable in 2010. I want to be fit, healthy, and financially stable for the rest of our lives. And it doesn't overwhelm me at all. I know it can be done. So here's to a more healthy, wealthy future!

The Blessed Toilet Tissue

I got up early to help Art get ready for work, and I was going to go back to sleep. But now I'm not even remotely tired. My head is full of plans for the day (cleaning and grocery shopping and meal planning) and thoughts about the past year.

So much has changed in a year. Our perspective is quite different than it was at this time last year.

This time last year, I wasn't working, and we were barely surviving with Art's part time job. We couldn't cover our expenses by ourselves, and had to except A LOT of help from our parents. And I'm very grateful that they were able to help us. We could never pay them back.

We were so poor, that on TWO occasions, we couldn't afford toilet paper. TOILET PAPER. We ran out, and didn't have enough money to buy more, never mind enough money to fill our fridge or pay our bills. I was so ashamed and discouraged, and of course I couldn't blog about it.

Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that God was good, but I sure couldn't feel it. I kept wondering how we were possibly going to get out of this mess. I kept wondering what God's plan was.

Now we both have full time jobs, we are more than able to meet all our expenses, and we still have plenty left over. Not only can we afford to fill our fridge, but I can afford to buy myself a new purse (which I did very recently). :D I can afford to get my jacket fixed when the zipper breaks. And we always have plenty of toilet paper.

There were parts of this past year that seemed really bleak, but other parts were still quite happy. We had the support and love of some very good friends. We had the love of a small church, even though we still didn't know the people very well. And we were in love. We found out that a hard year does not a bad marriage make. In the tough times, we had each other. And we had God.

I confess, I felt closer to God at this point last year than I do right now. I'm afraid I've gone the way of the Israelites: they cried out to God in their need, but after He came through for them, they didn't need Him anymore. I fear I'm starting to take God's goodness for granted. And I don't want that. I want to be ever thankful for all God has done for us.

So I have a little task for all of you: any time that I start to complain about my life, I need you to simply ask me, "Jenene, do you have toilet paper?" As long as we are at least able to afford to buy toilet paper, I know that we are truly blessed.

Prairie Girl is Back From the Prairies

Well, I'm back. On the wet coast again. Art and I got in late last night, showed his siblings our gifts, cracked up the heat in our room, bundled up and crawled into our very cold bed in our very cold room. I think we're finally at a normal temperature again.

I just finished catching up on my blog reading, and I have very scattered plans to unpack and clean and do laundry today. "Scattered" because I don't really know how I'm going to start. And I'm afraid I'm going to end up flitting from one thing to another and not actually accomplish anything. I like to have a firmly laid-out plan in my head, so that once I get started, I'm unstoppable.

I think I might start the laundry first. We'll see how I progress from there. But before laundry, I should probably eat. It just occurred to me that I'm really hungry.

I had a fantastic, busy holiday in Manitoba, and I plan to write all about it. I don't have to be back at work until Jan. 4, so I have plenty of time. But first, I must attend to my domestic duties. And my tummy.