About Thirty by Thirty

In December 2009, I sat down to do one of my favorite parts of the holiday season:  Planning New Year’s Resolutions. Actually, I love planning resolutions so much that I also plan “Birthday Resolutions.” And “Spring Resolutions” and frankly, “Monday Resolutions”. In consideration of the fact that in 2009, I accomplished two major things: Paying off all credit cards, yessss! and finishing my CPCU (google it), I decided to up the anty for 2010. Grateful that I was no longer relegated to reading insurance textbooks, I decided one of my 2010 resolutions was going to be reading 30 books. At first I thought 50, but then I realized I didn’t think that was realistic to read roughly a book a week given my fairly busy work and workout schedule. So then I thought 25, but I just felt that was aiming too low. So I settled on 30 which is roughly a book every 12 days.

What I failed to realize during my annual goal setting exercise is that in December 2010, I will be turning 30.  [YIKES!]  Ok really, I’m not afraid of turning 30 but I’m certainly in a different place than I thought I’d be if you’d asked me half a lifetime ago what I expected by age 30. I am actually looking forward to seeing what my next decade will bring.

And so, borne of this coincidence is this blog. Intended as a journal of what I learn from what I read, what I’m challenged by from what I read and how it all interconnects (or doesn’t, for that matter) with turning 30 is what I hope you’ll find in this blog. I have zero expectations as to whether this exercise proves to bring me to a higher level of understanding of myself or the world around me, but I’m certain it will be an interesting journey!

Then… Ughhhhhhhhghghhhh…

I stepped on the scale shortly after New Years and determined the holidays *absolutely* caught up with me. I weighed 155.4 lbs. One Hundred And Fifty Five Point Four Pounds.

I don’t know why this came as such a surprise. I ate and drank nothing but cookies, eggnog, decadent dinners and wine for 2 weeks straight and exercised a total of about 4 hours in 2 weeks. I guess that’s the whole “when you turn 30, your metabolism just changes!” thing. I never had much of a metabolism to start with so that doesn’t leave me much hope.
And so, I then decided to expand the scope of my “Thirty by Thirty” to incorporate not just the books I will/aspire to read but the 30 lbs that I will lose before I turn 30. That will put me at a svelte, muscular, unstoppable 125.4 lbs. I’ve never weighed under 130 in my adult life, but I refuse to believe it’s not possible. My sister amazed me with her ability to bounce back after 2 kids and therefore I believe it can be done.

And so it began. Thirty pounds & thirty books by age 30!