Mid Year Goal Review

We have passed the halfway point of the year – can you actually believe it!?  I thought it was about time I reviewed my 2019 Goals and set myself some new ones to carry me through the rest of the year.

Old Goals

1. Get Strong

This is still somewhat of a work in progress – I’m far stronger than I was and the effect of having two legs that work has certainly had an impact on my riding!  There’s still plenty of room for improvement but the intention is all there with my exercise plan (which in practice is a bit hit and miss).  The problem I am finding is that I so often wipe myself out by doing too much and then don’t do enough the next day.. and the cycle continues!

2. Compete

I managed this one pretty well!  We’ve got two “away” competitions under our belts and two of the summer shows at home done.  There is one more summer show at home coming up and then I’ll need to start going further afield again!

3. Move On

This was the not so subtle intention for us to buy our first house and as you may already know, we viewed four houses on the 4th January, did a second viewing on the 7th, after some toing and froing had an offer accepted on the 9th and got our keys on the 5th March.  Our house has space for the guinea pigs and is near to Pea; this goal is well and truly ticked off.

A more unexpected part of “moving on” was that I have just got myself a new job!  There isn’t much moving to do as it is in the same school as I have been working in since the end of October but it is a new role – back to full time teaching!

New Goals

1. Reduce

I’ve made a start on this goal but I think it is worth sharing.  Over the last few months I’ve become increasingly interested in becoming a bit more environmentally friendly.  My sister in law has grabbed this bull by it’s horns (in a kind, animal friendly way) and if you want to go all in, her Instagram is worth checking out.  If you’re a horsey being you should also check out Honest Riders and their “riders on a mission” hashtag.  On a personal level, I have swapped to solid shampoo, conditioner and soap from Lush, bought (and am using) a glass water bottle and am trying to make smarter shopping choices eg. buying a big pack of biscuits and splitting them rather than buying individually wrapped biscuit bars for packed lunches.

So there we go!  I’m going to continue to try to get stronger and more fit, keep getting out and competing (despite having some real giving up thoughts around the June and most recent competitions), get stuck into my new job and continue my journey towards being more environmentally friendly.

If anyone has any environmentally friendly recommendations they would be much appreciated (particularly clothing brands!)

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2019 Goals!

I’m not generally one for New Year’s Resolutions but I do like to set myself goals (generally with very little time frame restrictions) so here’s some  I intend on working towards in the next year!

Get Strong

The first goal for the year is a bit of a continuation of what I have already been doing and doesn’t really have an end point (so not a SMART target!) but it is to get stronger!  I’m not in the camp of people who want to lose weight or look more ‘insta ready’ but having gone right down to the strength of a marshmallow in July after my hip replacement, I have a whole new appreciation for muscle and core strength.  I know it will help my riding as well as my general continued hip rehab!  The plan is to continue with home physio, do more yoga, more walking and more swimming!

Compete

I can almost hear you reading this and saying ‘come on Poppy, you keep banging on about wanting to compete but you still haven’t done it’.. Well this year is our year. It has been around 17 months since our last real dressage competition (see the picture below) and that is appalling! I now have the transport and the support, just need to rustle up the money and the skills!

Move On

On a more personal note, we hope to move house in the early part of this year. Having already moved ten times since I left my parents’ house in 2010, I am hopeful that we can find somewhere to properly settle in a good location for Pea and both of our work locations AND with space for our guinea pigs and potential future additions to our team.

So there we go! Short, sweet and hopefully achievable!  What are your goals for the year?