Does This Blog Make Me Look Fat?

Just a few months ago I was finishing up my last semester of college, a double major with two jobs and a senior thesis to finish. Like anyone who has experienced extremely stressful times -- i.e., college, new job, new baby, life -- I hardly had time to sleep, let alone worry about "minor" details like my health, fitness and quality of life.

I was deeply and comfortably entrenched in an all-too-average routine of no exercise, no sleep, bad food and really bad food. And I was miserable. So I vowed that when I finished school, I would make some long-overdue changes in my life: I would eat healthy, get fit and lose weight.

Of course I had no idea what any of that actually meant. But at least I was thinking about it. As many of you can probably attest, the hard part is actually doing something -- getting from couch to door, and not because you need another combo meal.

As a journalism major, I was drawn to Experience Life magazine because of its whole-life, no-hype approach. So shortly after graduation (the day after, actually), I found myself plopped head first into an environment that was the exact opposite of my, shall we say, alternative-to-healthy lifestyle at the time. As out of place as I felt, Experience Life was also exactly the place I needed to be to begin my journey into a better life.

Now, some nine months later, I have stumbled and scrambled my way into a healthier, happier way of life. But it's certainly an ongoing process, and I am continually learning and being challenged by the many hurdles that inevitably creep up when we attempt dramatic change in our lives.

Trust me, there are plenty of days when I just want curl up on the couch, eat two bags of Cool Ranch Doritos while watching Spanish-language reality shows, and resign myself to a life of Internet chat rooms and heart disease. But then I have to ask myself: Is that really how I want to live? Even on my laziest days, the answer is no.

So I identified some goals to help me focus and track my progress. Here are a few:

• I want to feel at ease in my own skin, and to recognize myself in the mirror.
• I want to base my diet around fresh, whole foods.
• I want to achieve a solid level of physical fitness, measured by VO2 max, strength, endurance, fat-to-lean-tissue ratio and a lower resting heart rate.
• This year, I want to run (and finish) my first 5K and then 10K.
• Finally, through all of these things, I want to find a greater sense of balance in my life.

This blog will follow my progress -- as well as my setbacks -- along the way. Wherever you are on your own journey to health, I hope we can tackle some of the obstacles together, and come out the other side stronger and healthier.

Care to share goals you have for yourself this year?