First off, I hope everyone is having a safe and happy start to the new year. In terms of my fitness goals, I have already had my first run, walk and indoor workouts for the new year. I am now training for my next virtual event, The Columbus Blue Jackets Virtual 20K starting on January 11. I will namely run this in the general area around my home in northwest Columbus.

In terms of my new years resolutions, there is only one that I am worried about: Having a better year than last year. Granted, last year was full of so many ups and downs, I stuggled to make sense of any of it. Under normal circumstances, I would have a lengthy list of resolutions that would be abandoned after only a few weeks, and reverting back to my old habits that lead to those resolutions to begin with.

As for my other goals, I am inching closer to getting my weight back under 200 lbs for the first time in a decade. My goal is to accomplish this by time of my next doctor’s appointment later this month. I have also begun to acquire some additional fitness equipment to help me in the quest to lose weight.

I also realize that there is still the elephant in the room to deal with, COVID-19, and the stress and anxiety that comes with dealing with a global pandemic. I will be the first to admit that I could have handled things a lot better than I did. To that end, I will begin to seek out new ways to handle my mental health better. I will utilize a number of resources, including apps, podcasts and reading other blogs to learn new ways to manage my stress.

One other way I am going to lessen the impact of the pandemic on my health is to have some fun and not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. One of the ways that I am going to accomplish this is by watching a series that I have not seen before on the streaming services that I use. The new year saw me start Schitt’s Creek on Netflix, Dickinson on Apple TV+, and 30Rock on Peacock for starters. I plan to add a new series when I suscribe for Discovery+ when it launches on Monday.

In short, the only expectations that I have to start the new year is to have a much better year, and to have some fun. I am looking forward to seeing how this year plays out.