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Happy 2018!! I didn’t want to make resolutions this year, I never keep them, and honestly, I just get upset not keeping them. So, I am making goals; I’ll have the end year goal and smaller goals to help meet the end goals. I also feel like sharing my goals will help keep me accountable and keep me on track.
Blog-
I plan on having 2018, making a game changer for my blog. When I started it in 2013…whoa five years, jeez. I did it to document my weight loss journey, where I lost 60lbs and gained it all back. In 2014 to 2015, I turned my blog into a lifestyle blog and started joining networks to begin making money. I started making money slowly, really thinking about the readers, and followers and making sure I was staying true to Getting Fit Fab. I also realized how hard it was to work a full-time job and run a blog at the same time. That trying to blog for Sponsors was hard enough to make sure I pitched, took pictures, wrote the blog post, it wasn’t quick and easy. Adding in a regular “green” post, so I didn’t have just sponsored posts going up. This continued into 2016 & 2017, beginning to learn how to grow my page views on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
Now that I gave you a little background…. onto the goals
Blog Regularly… This has always been an issue of mine. Working 9-5, having a husband, dog, home, family, friends, just a life. It means that whatever time I do put towards my blog needs to be going towards my goals. I must start allotting time to my blog, where in that time frame I am only blogging, whether it’s scheduling tailwind, writing blog posts, taking/editing photos, you name it. I haven’t figured out when the allotted time will be, but I figured that since it is January, and it’s COLD out (like single digits), I can use the hibernating time to blog regularly.
I have set to post regular content three times weekly, MWF. Leaving Tuesday/Thursday open for sponsored content as well as if I find I have something else to talk about that week I can post it. I plan on having a Fit & Fab Favs which will be an end of the month post to talk about my favorites for that month. And… that’s as far as I’ve gotten with what the formula I’ll be posting but not really if I’ll be doing a “series” on my blog yet. I’ll be using the social share apps more often, get the blog posts out more regularly, and share other bloggers content.
Sponsored Posts… Even though I don’t want to have my blog become all sponsored blog posts, but I would love to have more opportunities that fit my brand. I love writing about fitness, health, food, sports, fashion, basically everything. That’s why I love to have a lifestyle blog; I can talk about anything without going outside my niche. I’d love to work with my dream brands, have month or even year-long Sponsored posts with brands I already love. My dream bran ultimately is Old Navy (or any of the Gap Inc companies), Old Navy has been my go-to company for jeans, sweater, leggings, really basically 75% of my wardrobe is Old Navy.
Grow Followers/Pageviews…Since I haven’t been blogging consistently, my following and pageviews have taken a hit. And I’d love to have that grow my following and readers, as well as pageviews growing more and more each day. Consistency has a lot to do with pageviews and being more out there with social shares, including Instagram. I do know I’ll be using the platforms where I can just automatically share different posts throughout the day without being on the computer. Which in turn helps me work effectively without burning myself out.
Create Video Content…In the last few months, I’ve created a few videos: one for Halloween, three different food videos, Hazelnut Bundt Cake, French Toast Casserole, & Chocolate/Sprinkled Covered Cookies, plus a makeup tutorial. The three food videos were slightly easier to make, only because I didn’t have to talk to the camera, the lighting situation wasn’t easy, but the nervousness wasn’t there. Meanwhile, it took me an hour to record a 20-minute tutorial… that’s how nervous I was, I babbled, made faces, took a few minutes and just laughed at myself. I plan on doing more videos in general, vlog style, food, beauty, skincare, travel, get ready for me, anything really. Once I start recording more, I feel like I’ll become more comfortable in front of a camera and then the editing will also become easier.
Virtual Assistant Work… I am not sure if I’ve ever shared this, but I started working as a Virtual Assistant for Jayne Media. I work with two amazing women Jennifer & Adriana who are also fellow bloggers! I would love to broaden my skills such as scheduling other bloggers content and helping other bloggers grow to their fullest potential. I am very lucky and honored that Jenn took me on to her team last March and that I’ve made two amazing friendships where I officially have these two women as my go tos. We vent, we have fun, we bond over the love and hate of blogging, over work, and anything and everything.
Fitness/Health– This is a never-ending battle until I realize that I’m doing this for me, and I need to re-find that passion I had for weight loss and creating the best version of myself I can.
Eat Better + Drink More Water… Eating better and drinking more water will help me reach my ultimate weight loss goal. I know when I eat better, I feel better, and that I perform better, whether it’s making other choices or just being able to work out regularly. I am not a sweets person; I like the regular food, so it’s more of a portion control thing over making sure I don’t eat sweets. I also have a habit of drinking soda, which isn’t good for you but sometimes I can’t get over the sweetness. I’ve opted to reach for water, flavored water, as well as crystal light lemonade or iced tea.
Exercise Regularly… This is probably where I suffer most. It takes me so long to get into a habit and takes me four times as long to get back into it. This ties into my running goals. One of my best friends (Brey) has asked me to do a race with her, a 10K (6.2 miles), because she’s been losing weight and running regularly and would love to do one together. We’ve set a date for May 5th, and I need to get my butt moving. 6.2 miles isn’t a short distance, and I want to make sure I can complete it and perform well. So regular excise it is. I’ve joined a local gym recently (like Friday, January 5th recent), and will be running on the treadmill at the gym four days a week. I will also be cross-training on non-running days and strength training after the cardio. I lost the 60+lbs previously this way so I know it can be done again! I will be going to the gym at 5 am, it’s the best time that fits my current schedule, and it will help me workout and get all the training done and being able to still get everything I need done for the day.
Running Goals… To complete the 10K with my friend Brey under an hour and 30 minutes. Also to run a half marathon with ACTUAL training. Not just wing it like I did my one last April. I would love to run that half marathon again with having proper training but since it is April 29th I am not sure if I can properly train by then. If I can’t properly train by then, I will be doing a half marathon in September or October, and hopefully, begin training to become faster.
Ultimate Goal- lose weight… I would love to start out losing 10lbs a month, and just chip away slowly and steadily. I don’t know what I want my weigh to be at the end of 2018; I just know I don’t want to be this weight or anything close to what I am now. I’ve gotten into such a funk, and know that it has to do with my inactivity and that I gained the weight I lost. I am focused and believe that as long as I put the effort in and continue to push forward, even when it’s hard and when I don’t want to wake up at 5 am it’ll be worth it.
Life-
Find a Home… I began a House Hunting Series, to document the journey CA, myself and Thor are taking to find our forever home. Being on Long Island is one of the most expensive places to live in the US our journey has taken a long time. We started our journey in April of 2017, and we are still on this journey to see what we can find! I’ve written about the journey here and here. I would love for us to find a home and be able to settle in and begin making it our home. I am also looking forward to having my own office, having my own place to film, take photos, and have a place for everything. Cause right now, it’s all over the place, and the more things I write about, the more stuff I have… and it’s becoming too much LOL.
Unplug more/ facetime… As a blogger, I feel like I’m always working, even if it’s just some social shares or checking Twitter or mindless scrolling through Instagram. I’d love to spend more facetime without my phone with CA, family, and friends. Maybe dinner nights out, or even just watching TV or going out and not constantly looking at my phone. This is where having a schedule and better handle on my blog will help me be able to enjoy and not look at my computer or phone as much.
Travel/Adventure… With our house hunting hopefully coming to a close this year we only have one vacation planned. I also plan on doing smaller day trips, or even just weekend trips to places that are close enough to drive. I also would love to be able to bring Thor (our dog) with us on some trips, find dog-friendly places to take him. He’s great in the car and usually falls asleep quickly, which is perfect. Our trip this year is us going to New Orleans and going on a seven-day cruise to Belize, Honduras, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. I am most excited about New Orleans, we’ll be spending THREE full days in this beautiful city, and I truly can’t wait.
Take More Photos… I have a Canon 70D and Canon M100 cameras, and I would honestly love to take more photos. Whether it’s for my blog, or just because we’re going on an adventure. The M100 is a great camera while traveling; it’s smaller but still has a wonderful range of photos you can take. The lens can be changed, and the ability to flip the screen so you can make sure you’re in the frame and have the scene behind you. Plus taking more photos will make me that much more comfortable in front of the camera.
what a super article! Thank you so much for sharing this.