It’s over. The madness of pressie and food shopping. The celebration, the eating and, of course, the drinking. Christmas is done for another year. And the only brussel sprout I ate was a chocolate one.  

When I was young I always felt bereft when I woke up on 27th December. Christmas was such a magical time. When it came to an end it was really rather sad. A few decades on it feels like the start not the end. A time to reflect and move on into another year. 

2018 has been a good year. I kicked off my 60 for 60. Sixty things to do and experience in my 60th year. To date I have thirty ticks. I have thirteen weeks to tick the remaining thirty. I’d better get my finger out. 

At the start of 2018 I had a number of goals. My progress to date is as follows:

1. 28% body fat. FAIL. I started the year at 38%. I’m now at 34%. Well I was pre Christmas indulgence. I am a skinny fat person. For a woman of my age a body fat % of over 35 is unhealthy so I’ve just ducked below that bar. I’ve concluded that 28% is probably unachievable so I’m now aiming for 32%. 

2. Body weight pull up. FAIL. The amount of assistance (bands) I require has reduced but I’m still a good way off. I need to practice more. A couple more sessions a week using my pull up bar should do it. I’m determined to do one on my sixtieth birthday.

3. Exercise for the Older Adult Qualification. SUCCESS. 

4. My dog to lose 5kg. FAIL. Whilst I managed to lose weight I failed miserably to get my dog, Oscar, slimmed down. I weigh out his food every morning. He has one treat per day. He is walked usually twice per day. But he remains obese. He is a scavenger. He’ll eat anything. I have to keep him away from bin bags, the cats food, discarded fast food in the street. On one walk when I wasn’t paying attention he managed to find half a French stick which I then had to manhandle from his jaws. He wasn’t best pleased.

5. 60 for 60 weekly blog. SUCCESS. Apart from one or two occasions I have blogged weekly. 

6. Increase social media following. FAIL. I have yet to master Instagram and Pinterest remains a mystery. I get a lot of new followers on Instagram (15 in the last week) but I lose nearly as many. The world of social media is a fickle one. I just don’t have the time to cultivate my following. And as Instagram and Pinterest are the best social media platforms to get a blog out there I need to do something different in 2019.

So two out of six isn’t very impressive. But I feel quite happy with what I have achieved. I’ve climbed mountains, maintained a fitness programme (4+ per week), read more widely and started a Professional Coach qualification. 

A good end to 2018. Now to start thinking about 2019.

P.S. Reflecting on 2018 wearing socks hand knitted by my boss. A wonderful gift. I’m just hoping my team don’t expect the same from me in 2019. It won’t turn out well.